Common scams in the United Kingdom

How it works

Messages or calls claim you owe tax or are due a refund and must act quickly. Victims are directed to fake HMRC pages or asked to pay by gift cards, crypto, or bank transfer.

Warning signs

• Threats of arrest, legal action, or account suspension by text or call.
• Links to sites that are not gov.uk.
• Requests for payment via gift cards, crypto, or wire transfer.
• Refund offers that ask for bank details via email.

What to do

• ✓Do not use links or numbers from the message.
• ✓Check your tax account through gov.uk only.
• ✓Report phishing to HMRC and Action Fraud.
• ✓Tell your bank if you shared financial details.

How it works

Scammers pose as bank fraud teams and claim unauthorized payments are pending. They coach victims to move money to a “safe account” or share online banking codes while staying on the phone.

Warning signs

• Cold calls about suspicious activity on your account.
• Instructions to transfer funds to protect your savings.
• Requests for one-time passcodes or remote access to your device.
• Pressure to lie to bank staff about the reason for a transfer.

What to do

• ✓Hang up and call your bank using the number on your card.
• ✓Never move money to an account someone directs you to by phone.
• ✓Use the 159 hotline to verify bank callers when in doubt.
• ✓Report to your bank and Action Fraud.

How it works

Texts claim Royal Mail, Evri, or couriers need a small redelivery fee or customs payment. Fake pages capture card details or install malware on mobile devices.

Warning signs

• Delivery fee texts when you are not expecting a parcel.
• Links to domains that are not royalmail.com or known retailers.
• Requests for full card details on a generic payment page.
• Poor grammar or mismatched sender IDs.

What to do

• ✓Track parcels through the retailer or carrier’s official site.
• ✓Avoid clicking links in unexpected delivery texts.
• ✓Verify shop URLs with Fraudly before paying.
• ✓Report smishing to your mobile provider and Action Fraud.

How it works

Fraudsters promote fake trading platforms, crypto schemes, or bond offers through social media ads and cold calls. Early small withdrawals may work to build trust before larger deposits are stolen.

Warning signs

• Guaranteed high returns with little risk.
• Pressure to invest quickly before an “opportunity closes.”
• Unregulated firms with no FCA registration.
• Requests to keep the investment secret from family.

What to do

• ✓Check firm registration on the FCA register before investing.
• ✓Be wary of returns that sound unrealistic.
• ✓Do not send more money to “unlock” withdrawals.
• ✓Report to the FCA and Action Fraud.

How it works

Scammers build long-term relationships online, then invent emergencies—medical bills, travel, or business problems—and ask for money, often repeatedly, via transfer or crypto.

Warning signs

• Quick emotional bonding with someone you have never met in person.
• Excuses to avoid video calls or meetings.
• Repeated financial emergencies.
• Requests to send money through untraceable methods.

What to do

• ✓Stop sending money and talk to someone you trust.
• ✓Reverse image search profile photos if something feels off.
• ✓Report the profile to the platform and Action Fraud.
• ✓Contact your bank if you already transferred funds.