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Student guide

Scammed? The first hour

After a scam, the first hour is worth more than all the rest: while the money is still moving around the UK banking system, your bank can stop it. Those "scammed out of £1,400 – update" and "£3,300 recovered" posts you see online all have one thing in common: they rang their bank the same day.

How long
Two phone calls in the first hour; fifteen minutes to report it
What you need
Know how the money left: you sent it yourself (APP fraud) or your card was used without your permission (unauthorised)
What you get
Your bank has stopped the payment or frozen your account, you have a crime reference number, and you know where you stand under the reimbursement rules

The rules here come from regulator and police pages. "The scammer messaged me back" and "I got it back with interest" are other students' stories – examples only.

The first hour: three things, in this order

1 · Call 159 to reach your bank (five minutes)

  • Dial 159 from your mobile. It's the UK banks' shared anti-scam number and it puts you straight through to your own bank (it covers over 99% of UK retail banks – Monzo, Starling, Revolut and HSBC included). Scammers can't fake it;
  • Open with: I think I've been scammed. I made a payment of (amount) to (who) today. Please stop it and freeze my account.
  • The bank will try to recall the payment, freeze your account and send you a new card. If your card has been used by someone else, this is your step too: cancel and replace the card, and dispute the payments through a chargeback.

2 · Report it to Report Fraud (Action Fraud) and get a reference number (fifteen minutes)

  • You can report online 24 hours a day at reportfraud.police.uk. It's a question-and-answer form, and you can set up an account to track progress;
  • Or phone 0300 123 2040, Monday to Friday, 8am to 8pm;
  • Once you've reported it you'll get a crime reference number. Your bank, your uni and any insurer will all ask for it;
  • If it's happening right now (someone's in front of you, threatening you or has taken something), call 999. For non-urgent local matters, call 101.

3 · Save the evidence (ten minutes)

Payment records, chat history, the scammer's account details, phone number or links, and a timeline – screenshot the lot, because both the police report and your bank will need it. Don't delete the scammer and don't send another penny, even if they "get back to you" saying they'll refund you.

Scammed into sending a payment? Your bank now has to refund you (since 7 October 2024)

Under rules from the UK's payments regulator, the PSR, money you were tricked into sending yourself (APP fraud) must be reimbursed by your bank.

  • Up to £85,000 (which covers over 99% of cases);
  • What you need to do: contact your bank straight away, report it within 13 months, give the bank the information it asks for, and report it to the police or let the bank do that for you;
  • The bank can take off an excess of up to £100 (but not for vulnerable customers);
  • You should be paid within 5 working days, or up to 35 working days for complicated cases;
  • When you won't get it back: if you were in on it, or were "grossly negligent" – and the page itself says that's a very high bar. International payments aren't covered (so money lost to a private currency swap, or sent to an account abroad, isn't protected by these rules).

If the bank says no or misses the deadline, complain to the Financial Ombudsman. It's free.

Common scams and what to do first

Someone posing as an embassy or the police tells you to move your money to a "safe account"What it counts asAPP fraudFirst step159, then the reimbursement rules
A "great rate" private currency swap in a group chat: you sent the money, the pounds never arrivedWhat it counts asInternational / non-bank paymentFirst stepReport Fraud + the police; the reimbursement rules don't cover it
You paid a deposit on a flat you hadn't viewedWhat it counts asAPP fraudFirst step159, then reimbursement; see "Not seen it in person? Don't send a penny"
Your card was used without your permissionWhat it counts asUnauthorised paymentFirst step159 to cancel and replace the card, then a chargeback
On the street: "can you help me take some cash out?", or a souvenir shop charging your card extraWhat it counts asIn personFirst stepIf you've still got the card, ring 159 at once to freeze it; then report it

Easy traps

  • Googling it, asking friends or posting about it first: your chances of getting the money back drop with every hour. Call 159 first;
  • Not reporting it because you're embarrassed: without a crime reference number, the bank refund route is closed;
  • They say "pay one more fee and we'll refund you": that's round two of the scam;
  • Assuming international transfers are covered too: they're not, and that's the real cost of a private currency swap.
Scam text? Forward it to 7726

The short version

"Royal Mail redelivery fee", "HMRC tax refund", "NHS: please update your details" – it's the same trick every time: a small payment page built to steal your card details. Forward it to 7726. It's free, and your network will investigate and block it.

Why 7726

It's the official reporting number in Ofcom's guidance (Ofcom is the UK's communications regulator): on almost every UK network you can forward spam texts, or the numbers of nuisance callers, to 7726. Those four digits were picked because they spell SPAM on a phone keypad.

Three steps

  1. Don't tap the link and don't reply. Real government departments only use .gov.uk addresses and never take payment through short links.
  2. Long-press the message, choose Forward and send it to 7726 (iPhone and Android also have built-in reporting options you can use instead).
  3. Delete the original. If you've already tapped the link and entered your card details, call your bank now to cancel the card, and change your password.

Easy traps

  • Trusting it because it says Royal Mail or HMRC. Borrowing a real name is part of the scam – check the web address, not the name.
  • Thinking it costs money to forward. It's free. That's the whole point.
  • You can report nuisance calls to 7726 too, by texting it the number (follow the prompts).

Official pages

Checked against official pages on 6 Sep 2026.

Not official advice. Rules change, so always check the official page.