What to do if you’ve been scammed online

Some people don’t even know they’ve been scammed online, particularly if you don’t check your statement regularly, or you don’t have access to online banking. However, if any of the following applies to you, you may have fallen victim to fraud:

• Unusual or unauthorised transactions on your credit/debit card statement
• Entries you don’t recognise or can’t explain on your credit report
• Bills or invoices for things you haven’t purchased or subscribed to
• You are refused credit despite having a good credit history
• You apply for benefits but are told you’re already claiming them
• Post you’ve been expecting hasn’t arrived

If any of these apply to you, take a moment to check whether it’s a simple mistake. For example, you may have paid a deposit for a booking or a service, or you may have forgotten about a pending transaction or even cash back you’ve requested in-store.

If you think you’ve been scammed online and you’re wondering what to do, try not to panic. This happens to thousands of people and the likelihood is you’ll be able to recover your funds. Here are some things you should do immediately:

• Tell your bank or building society
• Call the police
• Speak to Action Fraud
• Get advice from the National Cyber Security Centre
• Change your other passwords
• Update your antivirus software

Tell your bank or building society

By getting in touch with your bank or building society immediately, they’ll be able to provide you with the forms you need to complete to get your money back. Your bank or building society should also arrange for a replacement card to be sent to you, step up your account security and provide any additional information that might be useful. 

Call the police 

If you’ve transferred money to a scammer in the last 24 hours, or if you believe a scammer is attempting to get your details via telephone calls, call the police immediately on 101. 

Speak to Action Fraud

Action Fraud is the UK’s national reporting centre for fraud and cyber crime. They cover England, Wales and Northern Ireland and can be contacted online or by calling 0300 123 2040.

Get advice from the National Cyber Security Centre 

You can visit the National Cyber Security Centre website for information about the next steps available to you, with tailored information for individuals, businesses, large organisations, sole traders and even cybersecurity professionals. 

Change your other passwords 

While this step won’t be useful if you believe your entire device has been compromised, if you’ve fallen victim to a credit or debit card scam, it’s a good idea to change your passwords for other services, accounts or subscriptions if they are the same or similar. 

Update your antivirus software

Whether or not you currently subscribe to an antivirus program, if you think you’ve been hacked, you will need to update your current setup.

There are many different types of fraud, with criminals constantly coming up with new ways to capitalise on current circumstances or events. The most common types of online scam include the following: 

Vishing 

Vishing is a type of telephone scam that often involves a scammer asking you to give them your personal details. They will usually tell you there’s an issue with your account, whether it’s your broadband, credit card or a utility, and then ask for further information to resolve the issue for you. Professional institutions will never contact you like this, so hang up immediately if this happens.

For example, at Raisin UK we will never ask you for your password. If you forget your Raisin UK Account password, you can reset this yourself. Find out more about what we will and won’t ask you at Raisin UK.

Phishing 

Phishing is a type of email scam in which fraudsters may pose as a reputable company known to you and ask you to send them information about yourself that they then use for their gain. If you have doubts about an email, it’s always best to contact the institution they’re claiming to be from, not through the number or email address the scammer has contacted you on.

This is what a phishing email might look like:

While different banks, payment services and card providers have different policies when it comes to getting your money back after you’ve been scammed, all financial institutions are under an obligation to protect your money.

If you’re not satisfied with the response you receive on your fraud case, you have a right to challenge your provider’s decision by making an appeal or a formal complaint. You can usually find out how to do this by visiting your bank or building society’s website or going into a branch.

If you experience problems with your bank or another provider while trying to recover your funds, you can raise a complaint with the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS), who will assess the situation and make a decision on what to do next. This could result in you being awarded compensation. 

How did you pay?

Deciding on the best approach for dealing with a scam will often depend on how you made a payment. The most common forms of payment and how you can recover your funds are explored below: 

Debit card

If you used your debit card to pay for a scam, you may be able to get your money back from your bank or building society under the chargeback scheme. This scheme isn’t a legal right, which means there’s no explicit guarantee that you will get your money back, but many major banks and building societies subscribe to it. The chargeback scheme covers all debit card transactions for purchases less than £100, although exact rules may vary between the American Express, Maestro and Visa networks. 

You can find out more about the chargeback scheme here or by contacting your card provider or bank. 

Bank transfer

Known as an authorised push payment (APP) scam, a bank transfer scam occurs when you transfer money from your bank account to a scammer’s. You might do this knowingly or unwittingly, depending on the circumstances. 

Many people are affected by bank transfer scams, so don’t feel embarrassed if you’ve been caught out and get in touch with your bank immediately. Tell the bank what happened and the bank account number your money has been transferred to, so they can try and recover your funds.

You may also be able to recover your funds if your bank is signed up to the Authorised Push Payment Scam Code

Credit card

If you’ve paid for goods or services with a credit or debit card, you have greater protection if things go wrong thanks to:

• Section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act
   or 
• The chargeback scheme 

However, your eligibility for making a claim depends on the type of scam you have been victim to.

For example, an instance where you could use one of the above methods would be when you paid for goods or services, and it turns out these were either never available or the ‘seller’ no longer exists. 

Credit cards provide the greatest protection, as you can claim against your card provider under section 75 of the Consumer Credit Card Act, where the product or service you bought cost more than £100 and not more than £30,000. If it cost less than £100, you can claim under the chargeback scheme instead. 

PayPal 

There are many PayPal scams out there, with fraudsters using convincing fake PayPal pages to deceive you into supplying your details. If you have been scammed via PayPal, you’ll want to look into the PayPal Seller Protection Policy to see if you’re covered. 

It’s worth noting that PayPal offers a robust resolution process. As long as you pay someone as a seller, rather than transferring money to someone as if they were a friend or family member, you and your money are well-protected. Paying someone as a seller also means you don’t run the risk of sharing your credit/debit card or other financial information with a potential scammer.

Cash

Unfortunately, it can be tricky to recover your funds from cash transactions. It’s a similar scenario for money transfer wire services, such as MoneyGram and Western Union. 

You can, however, choose to contact the police or Trading Standards to see if they are able to assist you. You may also want to seek emotional support to share your experience with others who have suffered the same. 

What if I didn’t authorise the payment?

If there is a transaction on your card you know nothing about, you can claim from your bank or building society as an unauthorised transaction. It’s critical you do this as soon as you notice it. 

This also applies where you have knowingly handed over your card to have a certain amount taken from it, but more than that amount has been taken without your permission or by someone else. You can claim for this extra amount, too. 

The Payment Services Regulations and the Banking Conduct of Business rules place obligations on banks and building societies to refund your money in these circumstances.

Losing your money to fraudsters can have an emotional effect and impact your well-being as well as your wallet, as it’s a serious invasion of your personal privacy. It’s important to remember that it’s not your fault, and there are people you can talk to who will understand what you’re going through. 

Mind: Visit their website or call their confidential support line on 0300 123 3393 (Lines open 9 am – 6 pm Mon to Fri) 

Victim Support: Visit their website or speak to someone with complete confidentiality on 0808 16 89 111 (lines open 24/7) 

You can also access further support if you’ve been scammed by going to Citizens Advice.