Guide to avoiding scams

Scams happen when criminals convince you to knowingly and willingly part with your money, making it very hard to get it back.

Check that the person you’re planning to pay is really who they claim to be. And check that any goods or services are legitimate.

We’re on hand to talk to when you’re not sure about a payment to someone in the UK from your current account.

If you call us or come into branch, we’ll ask you about the payment, check the details and tell you if we’re worried it’s a scam. Unless we told you not to make the payment, we’ll give you back every penny if it turns out to be a scam. This is our Scam Protection Promise.

Just call us any time on 0800 030 40 57 or come into your local branch.

You find an advert for an attractive property or room with below market rent. When you contact them for a viewing, you may be asked to pay the deposit immediately before viewing. They tell you the deposit is to prevent 'time wasters', it’s a ‘holding deposit’ or that it's refundable if you decide not to let the property.

You send them your money and try to arrange a viewing, but they don’t reply. You can’t contact them, and with your money they are gone.

Someone calls saying they’re from a trusted organisation, like a bank, building society, or the police.

They explain your money is at risk – that a security breach has affected your account.

They reassure you that your money will be protected if you move it now to a ‘safe account’ they’ve set up for you.

It’s you who moves that money, not them. And it’s money you’ve lost for good.

Someone calls saying they’re from a broadband or telecoms provider. You may even hold an account with them. They say there’s an issue with your computer and can fix it if you give them remote access (access your computer from their location). They’ll tell you there’s compensation for the inconvenience, and will ask you to log in to your internet bank.

At this point, they claim to have made a mistake and paid you too much. What they actually do is transfer money from your savings account to your current account. It looks like a refund has credited your current account. You won’t know this, though, and they’ll ask you to transfer the overpayment of the ‘refund’ back to them.

Next thing you know, you’re using your security details to send your money to them. And just like that, a large sum of your money is gone.

Someone will contact you, trying to get you involved with investments that will make you money. They may ask you to invest in something like wine, diamonds or alternative energy.

But there is no investment opportunity, and you will lose any money you transfer to them.

You find a real bargain online, like a car, mobile, or concert tickets. The seller wants you to use a different, less secure payment method, than the one the website advises. It’s a method that won’t protect you if things go wrong.

You’ve been emailing the seller all along, so you believe everything should be fine. But as soon as you’ve moved the money from your account, the emails from the seller stop. And that bargain you set your heart on never turns up.

You have a genuine relationship with a person or company like a builder or a solicitor.

You get an email from them saying that you need to make a payment. It may tell you that their bank details have changed. You’re expecting to pay them, so you think nothing of it and make the payment.

You later discover that the request was fraudulent. Often, this is because someone has hacked the person’s or company’s email address or database.

Someone who looks like a tradesperson comes to your home and tells you urgent work needs to be done (like to your roof or driveway). This work may not even be necessary.

Typical scam outcomes are they:

• Overcharge you for their work.
• Convince you to make full payment for partially completed work or materials.

You pay them and never see them, or your money, again.

Someone will contact you about a loan you’ve been interested in, goods, or a lottery win. They’ll ask you to pay an upfront fee before releasing the item to you.

You make the payment but never get what they promised.

You meet someone new online. But can you be sure they are genuine?

Maybe they’re in another country and say they need financial help to:

• Care for someone close to them.
• Avoid persecution.
• Cover travel expenses to visit you.

They’ve earned your trust. You’ve developed strong feelings. What’s to stop you transferring large sums of money to them? And how would you feel if you never heard from them again immediately afterwards?

Someone calls you claiming to be from your building society or bank, or the police. They might claim there’s an issue with your bank account, or ask for your help with a bank or police investigation.

As part of a fake investigation, you may be asked to take out money or to buy something. The person is just tricking you into giving them money or goods.

Sometimes people unknowingly help criminals move stolen money. They effectively become ‘money mules’.

You’ll see what looks like a genuine job advertised online, by email or on social media. It seems like a great chance to earn money for a few hours of work a week. But any money you receive could be from the proceeds of crime.

If you get involved, it could result in a criminal prosecution or your bank freezing your account. This could make banking and getting credit difficult for you in future.

Action Fraud is the UK's national fraud reporting centre. You can call them on 0300 123 2040 or visit the Action Fraud website (opens in a new window).

For more information on scams, download our Pocket Guide - How to spot a scam - PDF 123KB (opens in a new window).