I Think I've Been Scammed Online—What Should I Do?

If you think you’ve been scammed, the first thing to know is this: it is not your fault. These scams are designed by professionals whose only job is to deceive people. They catch out people of all ages and backgrounds—including people who consider themselves tech-savvy.

The second thing to know is that acting quickly matters. The sooner you take the steps below, the more damage you can limit.

1. Stop all contact immediately

Don’t reply to messages, don’t click any more links, and don’t send any more money. If they call you again, hang up. Continuing to engage gives the scammer more opportunity—either to extract more from you or to convince you the situation is somehow salvageable.

2. If you’ve shared your banking details—call your bank right now

This is the most urgent step. Find the fraud number on the back of your bank card, or look it up on your bank’s official website, and call it immediately. Most UK banks have a 24-hour fraud line.

Your bank can:

Freeze or close compromised accounts
Potentially reverse recent transactions before they’re settled
Prevent further fraudulent payments leaving your account
Refer you to specialist support

If you paid by credit or debit card, your bank may be able to initiate a chargeback. If you sent money by bank transfer, report it immediately—there’s a voluntary code among UK banks that means many will reimburse fraud victims who acted in good faith.

3. Change your passwords

If you entered your details on a suspicious website, or if you think someone has gained access to any of your accounts, change your passwords straight away. Start with:

Your email account (this is the most important—everything else uses it for resets)
Your online banking
Any other accounts that used the same password

Use a different password for each account. If managing lots of passwords feels overwhelming, a password manager can help—or I can show you how to set one up.

4. Report it

Reporting a scam won’t always get your money back, but it helps protect others and creates a record:

Action Fraud—the UK’s national fraud reporting service: actionfraud.police.uk or 0300 123 2040
Your bank—even if you’ve already called them about the financial side, they have dedicated fraud reporting procedures
HMRC—if the scam impersonated HMRC or a government body, report it at gov.uk/report-suspicious-emails-websites-phishing

5. Check your device

Some scams—particularly “tech support scams” where someone calls claiming to be from Microsoft, BT, or your internet provider—involve convincing you to download software that gives them remote access to your computer or phone.

If you’ve downloaded anything at someone’s request, or allowed someone remote access to your device:

Disconnect from the internet if the session is still active
Do not use the device for online banking or anything sensitive until it’s been checked
Get it looked at by someone who can check for and remove remote access tools or malware

I can do this for you. I visit homes across Falkirk and Central Scotland and can check your device, remove anything that shouldn’t be there, and make sure it’s clean before you use it for anything sensitive again.

6. Tell someone you trust

Being scammed is isolating—many people feel too embarrassed to say anything, which is completely understandable but means they don’t get the support they need. Tell a family member or a friend, both for the emotional support and because a second pair of eyes can sometimes spot things you might have missed while stressed.

Going forward: protecting yourself

Once the immediate situation is dealt with, it’s worth taking some time to review your security more broadly—passwords, privacy settings, and how to recognise scams in future. Online safety support is one of the things I offer. We go through everything at your pace, at home, in plain English—no rushing, no jargon.