What to do if you’ve been scammed

Reset your passwords immediately and let your bank know that your information may have been stolen.

If you’ve transferred money in the last 24 hours, contact the police on 101. Call 999 if you feel unsafe or threatened.

If you receive a text you suspect is a scam, do not click on any of the links or message back. Forward it to 7726, which will report it to your provider.

If you are targeted by a scam, report it to Citizens Advice through its Scams Action service or contact Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040.

What are the signs of a scam?

You may think you know how to spot a scam, but in the heat of the moment, the warning signs are easy to miss. Here are three questions you should ask yourself:

1 Who is calling?

Unexpected calls should generally be treated with suspicion. If you receive a phone call from someone claiming to be from your bank or another organisation, hang up, search for the company’s number online and call them directly. Scammers are able to change their caller ID to make it look like it comes from the number of a person or organisation you know, so don’t assume that the number on the screen is legitimate.

2 Are you being pressured?

Research by Visa found that 72% of scam messages tell people that they need to take urgent action in some way. A legitimate organisation would not ask you to transfer money or ask you to say or type in personal details such as passwords.

3 What are you being asked to do?

You may think that clicking a link is harmless, but Visa found that 87% of fraud messages invited people to click links. Never open links from senders you don’t recognise. If you receive an email claiming to be from a company you know, go to your browser and type in the website yourself instead of clicking a link.

New scams to look out for Scammers often use current events to exploit our concerns, preoccupations and vulnerabilities. Many of us are stressed about the cost-of-living crisis, so the latest scams revolve around fake deals. The Local Government Association reports that criminals are cold calling people to ask for their bank details in order for them to receive the Government’s £150 energy rebate. A common email scam claims to be from British Gas (a variation claims to be from EDF Energy) and tells recipients that they have an overdue energy bill to pay. A link in the email takes them to a fake website that asks for personal information. Now that people are going abroad again, cold callers are impersonating airlines and travel companies to offer fake refunds for holidays in order to get their hands on people’s bank information.

It’s not only companies that fraudsters impersonate. ‘We have seen recently how criminals have been using messaging services such as Whatsapp to impersonate relatives or friends to trick people into handing over their money or personal information,’ says Maskall. ‘People often believe they would know if it was their loved ones on the end of the phone, but by using a profile picture and getting the language right, often your first reaction if a loved one asks for help is emotional.’

‘He manipulated me into such a state that I would have done anything’ Emmeline Hartley, 29, from Birmingham, was caught up in a complex scam. ‘It started when I got a text – supposedly from Royal Mail – saying I had to pay an additional postage charge of £2.99. I’ve done this before, so it didn’t strike me as particularly weird. I did some checks, such as looking at the URL

I was sent to make sure it was correct. It was only later that I realised I’d been redirected to another page.

‘The next day, I was meeting a friend when I got a phone call from my bank to say there seemed to be fraudulent activity on my account. I assumed it must be the Royal Mail text from the day before and started panicking, but the caller said he’d take me through security, asking questions such as how many accounts I had with them and how much money was in each account.

‘He then took me through steps on my bank’s app to set up a new, more secure account and told me I needed to transfer my money. I did ask him at one point, “How do I know this isn’t just going to your account?” He told me to check the phone number and I did – it was the Barclays number.

‘Looking back, he’d manipulated me into such a state that I would have done anything at that point. It only dawned on me that things weren’t right when he asked me to transfer my overdraft across, too. I knew then that I’d been scammed. I broke down in tears and he hung up.

‘The bank eventually refunded my money. The biggest thing I learned is that no matter how much of a panic you’re in and how quickly you think something needs to be resolved, take time out. If you’re not 100% certain, don’t rush into anything.’