Report bank or payment fraud
Unauthorised transactions, transfers made under instruction from someone impersonating your bank, and payments induced by deception. What you say to your bank in the first call matters more than almost anything else.
Call your bank's fraud line now and ask them to attempt a recall. Whether funds can be held is usually decided within hours, and only the bank can do it.
Free route first
Your bank and, if it refuses, the financial ombudsman in your country are free. For many people that route resolves it without paying anyone.
What to do now
- Report by phone for speed, then confirm in writing so there is a dated record of when you told them.
- Use accurate words. An unauthorised transaction and a payment you were deceived into making are different claims with different rules.
- Ask for the complaint reference and write down who you spoke to.
- Do not move money again at anyone's instruction, including someone claiming to be the bank or the police.
What actually decides the outcome
These are the factors our assessment weighs. Two of them cannot be changed after the fact, which is why the honest answer is sometimes that little can be done.
- How quickly you reported. In several jurisdictions this directly affects liability.
- Whether the payment was authorised by you or made without your involvement.
- Whether your jurisdiction operates a reimbursement scheme for deception-induced payments.
- What the bank recorded about the call — which is why confirming in writing matters.
What we do
- Establish which category your case actually falls into, because that determines the bank's obligations.
- Prepare the written complaint, with the timeline and evidence a bank needs to reconsider.
- Identify whether a reimbursement scheme applies in your jurisdiction and whether your facts fit it.
- Take it to the financial ombudsman or regulator when the bank's own process is exhausted.
We are a private company, not the police or a law firm. We do not guarantee recovery, and we will tell you when your outlook is poor rather than selling you hope. See our legal and verification page.
Questions people ask
The bank says I authorised it, so they will not refund me.
That is frequently the first answer rather than the final one. If you were deceived into making the payment, different rules may apply, and an ombudsman can overturn a refusal. It is worth pursuing properly.
The caller knew my recent transactions. Was my bank hacked?
Usually not. That detail typically comes from a data breach elsewhere or an earlier phishing message. Caller ID can also be set to display your bank's real number.
Should I move my money to a safe account?
No. No bank has a safe account and no bank will ever ask you to transfer money to one. That instruction only ever comes from a fraudster.