Reporting Online Fraud
Online fraud is a serious crime in the UK - and is often carried out by perpetrators who are not even based in this country. You may become the victim of fraud simply by giving away your details to a caller because you thought they were genuine, or by clicking on a malicious link that arrived in an email or a text.
The key to preventing fraud is to stay alert, and to take positive action each and every time you detect an attempt to ask for your details or get you to click on a link.
To reduce the opportunities for fraudsters to gain access to your personal details, please make sure that you:
- Remove your details from the public electoral role
- Limit the amount of information that you post on social media and restrict access to your profile
- Shred all paper documentation bearing your details before recycling
Action Fraud
Action Fraud is the UK’s national reporting centre for fraud and cybercrime where you should report fraud if you have been "scammed", defrauded or experienced cyber crime. It is run by the City of London Police working alongside the National Fraud Intelligence Bureau (NFIB).
Suspicious Emails
If you have received an email which you’re not quite sure about, forward it to the Suspicious Email Reporting Service (SERS): report@phishing.gov.uk
Suspicious Texts
Most phone providers are part of a scheme that allows customers to report suspicious text messages for free by forwarding it to 7726. This spells the word "SPAM" using the letters on your keypad, making it easy to remember.
Suspicious Websites
If you visit a website and feel that it is suspicious, you can report it online here: National Cyber Security Centre