Protecting you from fraud and scams

We’re all partial to a bit of online shopping. But when an item or service you’ve been looking for is being sold for cheap or is heavily discounted “for a limited time only” on an online marketplace or social media, it’s likely a purchase scam.

Stop and think

Does it sound too good to be true? Does the seller’s profile look fake, riddled with typos or recently set up? Are scams common on this platform? Social media platforms (e.g. Instagram) or online marketplace (e.g. Gumtree or Etsy) are common places for this type of scam.

Do your research

Read reviews of the seller or marketplace on Trustpilot or another review site. If you’re buying a car, always see it in person and do a car history check (HPI).

Pick a safe way to pay

Always pay using a payment method that you trust and that offers protection, like payer protection. The ‘Sending to a friend’ option on PayPal for example, isn't covered by payer protection. If you have to send a bank transfer, only do so if you trust the person or company, or if you’ve seen the item in person.

Read our guide on purchase scams or call 159 to speak to your bank.

If you get a random call saying your bank account is no longer safe, it’s a safe account scam. To gain your trust, the fraudster will impersonate a trustworthy institution like a bank, the police, an internet provider or even the National Crime Agency. Then to pressure you into acting quickly, they’ll say all your money will be lost unless you do what they ask.

Stop and think

Does something seem off? Remember, fraudsters can fake numbers and even caller names, to make them seem more genuine.

Act quickly

If you get a suspicious call, hang up and call 159 to get in touch with your bank.

Question odd requests

We’d never call you and ask you to move your money to keep it safe or to help with an investigation. Neither would any other bank or genuine company.

Read our guide on safe account scams or call 159 to speak to your bank.

Has a close friend or family member, like your parent or child called you out of the blue and asked for money? Ask yourself, is it really them? Fraudsters may impersonate them and message you from a new number or on social media asking for money. They’ll often say it’s for an emergency – like a police matter or medical treatment – so you don’t have time to think twice.

Stop and think

Would this person text and ask for money like this? Are they really who they say they are?

Do your research

Call the person directly to check if it’s them. If they don’t answer, text back with a specific question only they’d know the answer to, like “When did we see each other last?” And if they don’t reply or answer, wait to hear from them.

Set up a safe word

Agree on a safe word or a safe phrase with friends and family, so you can easily verify each other, should you need to. It can be anything you like, just make sure to change it if you think it’s no longer safe.

Read our guide on impersonation scams or call 159 to speak to your bank.

Has HMRC or the High Court reached out to you randomly, asking for an immediate payment for a tax bill or a fine? They might say that you owe them money, you’ve missed a tax payment, or someone has stolen your identity and is racking up debt in your name. And if you don’t send money immediately, you could be arrested. This is an HMRC impersonation scam.

Act quickly

If you get a call like this, hang up and call the organisation using the number on their website.

Question odd requests

HMRC wouldn’t contact you about a claim or payment that you know nothing about. Neither would they ask you for payment in the form of a gift card or cryptocurrency.

Read our guide on impersonation scams or call 159 to speak to your bank.

Has someone called you, reached out via social media or any other way to tell you about an investment opportunity? Perhaps you’ve also seen an advert online with a celebrity “endorsing” it. But still, something seems off – the company is brand new, the logo looks like a copy, the images are low quality or look fake. It’s likely an investment scam. Fraudsters will pretend to be coming from a genuine company to try and get you to invest in a scheme that’s either worthless or doesn’t exist. And if they’re asking you to download a screen sharing software, this is a major red flag.

Stop and think

Does the investment sound too good to be true? Is their website riddled with typos or look like a copy of another company’s? A genuine investment company would never reach out on social media or text you about an investment opportunity, especially if you’ve never spoken to them before.

Do your research

Check the FCA register. to find out more about the company, like their contact details, if they’re regulated to provide investments or if they’ve been knowingly impersonated. You can also use the FCA’s ScamSmart tool to help guide you. Or if you’re new to investing, get advice from an FCA regulated financial advisor.

Check if it’s regulated Most cryptocurrencies aren’t regulated by the FCA, meaning they aren’t covered by the UK’s FSCS either. So if you’re scammed into investing in crypto, it’ll be difficult to get any money back.

Read our guide on investment scams or call 159 to speak to your bank.

You need a loan. And out of nowhere, a company you’ve never heard of says they can give you one – and at a very good rate. But first, you need to send a bank transfer or make a card payment to pay for a “security check”, “insurance payment” or “legal costs”. This is a loan scam.

Stop and think

Is the rate too good to be true? Why are they asking for an upfront fee?

Do your research

Check the FCA register to find out more about the company, like their contact details, if they’re regulated to provide loans, or if they’ve been knowingly impersonated. Use sites like Trustpilot. to see what other people are saying.

Question odd requests

Most legitimate loan companies won’t ask for an upfront fee, so if you’ve been asked for one, follow the guidance provided by the FCA

Read our guide on loan scams or call 159 to speak to your bank.

You think you’ve found “the one” but you’re yet to meet. And suddenly, they need you to send them money urgently – for legal fees, medicine, or whatever else. They may even introduce you to a “great investment opportunity”. Sadly, this is probably a romance scam. Fraudsters will set up a dating and social media profile, using the identity and pictures of someone else (they may even go as far as impersonating a celebrity), and say what you want to hear as a way to gain your trust and affection. Then, they’ll ask you for money.

Stop and think

How well do you know this person? Is their request for money strange? Have you met them in real life? Remember, never send money to someone you’ve never met in person.

Do your research

Look them up online to verify the pictures on their profile and cross-check the information they’ve told you. Does it all match up with what they’ve said?

Get a second opinion

Talk to your friends or family about your relationship, they may be able to confirm if there are red flags.

Read our guide on romance scams or call 159 to speak to your bank.

You’ve been a victim of a scam. Then you get contacted by someone saying they’re from a law firm or they’re a private investigator, promising to get you all your money back. But there’s just one thing: they need you to pay an upfront fee first. This is a recovery scam.

Stop and think

How did they get your information? Banks or law enforcement would never share details of your report with any other organisations.

Act quickly

If you’ve been a victim of a scam, let the police and your bank know as soon as possible. They’re the best organisations to help you recover any money and would never ask for a fee.

Do your research

Claims management companies may be able to help you claim compensation but they must be authorised by the FCA or a legal regulator. They’ll charge a percentage of the amount you’re awarded, but they won’t ask for the fee upfront. If you’ve been approached by someone, always check the FCA’s website for more information.

Read our guide on recovery scams or call 159 to speak to your bank.

Someone you don’t know contacts you about a job opportunity. And it all sounds really great – the salary is high, the workload is low, and the hours are really flexible. But you need to pay a fee first, for something like a security check, training or to generally participate in the role. It’s a recruitment scam.

Stop and think

Are you being offered a salary way above the market rate? Have you been contacted through an unusual method, such as WhatsApp or Telegram? Remember, genuine companies don’t recruit this way.

Do your research

Look the company up on Companies House to see if it exists. Then, see what other people are saying about them on sites like Glassdoor.

Question odd requests

If you’ve been asked to open a bank or cryptocurrency account as part of the job, it’s a scam and you’re likely being asked to be a money mule.

Read our guide on recruitment scams or call 159 to speak to your bank.

You’ve finally booked a holiday. And out of nowhere, you get an unexpected message asking you to secure the booking by clicking a link to verify your payment details. The trouble is, while they know all your booking information, the request seems strange. This could be an accommodation or booking scam.

Stop and think

If you’ve already shared your card details on the booking platform or with them directly, why would they ask you again? Why are you being directed to a different website to provide your details?

Do your research

Call the hotel, accommodation venue, or flight company directly to verify the request. You can also cross-check the sender’s details with the company’s details online.

Be wary of links

Don’t tap or click on links in unexpected emails or messages. If you can, hover over an URL to see where it’s coming from.

Safeguard your info

Don’t share your personal or bank details.

Read our guide on accommodation and booking scams or call 159 to speak to your bank.

Selling second-hand clothing or items is always a great idea. It’s good for the environment and you can make a little money on the side. But if the person buying your items sends a link to verify the receipt of the payment or asks you to return an overpayment – it could be an online marketplace seller scam.

Stop and think

Why are you being asked to deal with payment issues outside of the retailer’s platform?

Do your research

Get to grips with the platform’s T&Cs to ensure you’re acting in line with their policies.

Pick a safe way to pay

Stick with the retailer’s platform to complete your sale. If you’re asked to verify a payment or return money to the buyer, reject it and let the marketplace know directly.

Safeguard your info

Don’t share your personal or bank details.

Read our guide on online marketplace scams or call 159 to speak to your bank.

You’re due to make a payment to someone for services they’ve provided. You receive an email, requesting that the money be sent to a new bank account you’re not familiar with, with an account name you don’t recognise. This is likely an invoice redirection scam. Fraudsters can intercept and redirect an invoice request to trick you into paying them instead of the person or company you owe.

Stop and think

Have you received new payment details via email? Does the name of the account belong to the company you’re expecting to pay?

Do your research

Make sure you get the company’s contact details from a legitimate place, like their website (don’t call the phone number provided in any emails). Then give them a call to verify the request.

Watch out for email chains

The fraudster can intercept email chains and make it look like their email is part of an existing thread.

Be wary of fake details

Fraudsters will create email addresses that look similar to real ones. For instance, at first glance, our real address, help@starlingbank.com, looks almost identical to the fake help@starllngbank.com.

Read our guide on invoice redirection scams or call 159 to speak to your bank.

It’s only natural to want to do a good job when someone senior at work asks you to do something. But if they’re asking you to make an urgent payment, update payment details on an invoice, buy a gift card and share its details, and bypass company processes, ask yourself – is this a reasonable request? Or could this be part of a CEO scam?

Stop and think

Does this person normally ask you to make payments or update invoices with new banking information?

Do your research

Try to contact them using a different method to verify the request. Call them on a number found in your company’s internal directory or message them on your workplace messaging platform.

Get a second opinion

If you can’t get to the bottom of it yourself, speak to your line manager to see if they can help you.

Trust the process

Always follow your company’s documented process for making payments.

You receive an email or text message that asks you to click on a link to verify your account details, make a payment to redeliver a parcel, view a document or something of that nature. The email address or number might look vaguely familiar but something’s not quite right. And the message itself is full of typos, links or files, and urgent requests. This could be a phishing (email) or smishing (SMS/text) scam.

Stop and think

Is the request unusual? Are you being asked to act quickly? Look at the number or email address carefully. But do bear in mind that numbers can be spoofed to look legitimate so take extra caution.

Question odd requests

No company would ever ask you to log into your account or click on a link to protect it from hackers.

Go to the source

Go directly to a company’s website by typing the company’s name into your browser instead of clicking any links in the email. Delivery companies will never text you to ask for a payment to deliver items, so always track any parcels on their website.

Act quickly

If you’ve engaged with a phishing or smishing message, let your bank and/or company know as soon as you can.

Read our guide on phishing scams or call 159 to speak to your bank.

If you’ve been asked to download an app, like a screen sharing one or software, like Teamviewer or Anydesk on your phone or computer, this is likely a remote access scam. Fraudsters will pose as a credible company like a bank, financial advisor or internet provider and ask you to download an app or software. Once you do, they’ll get access to all the information and data stored on your devices.

Stop and think

Does the request seem strange? And out of the blue? Don’t let yourself be pressured into acting quickly.

Question odd requests

A genuine company wouldn’t call you randomly and ask you to download a remote access app to help you protect your money. And a legitimate financial adviser wouldn’t ask you to do this as part of an investment either.

Get a second opinion

Ask a family member or friend what they think.

Read our guide on remote access scams or call 159 to speak to your bank.