Scams: 5 Steps to Get Your Money Back

The penny has just dropped: you’ve been scammed and you’ve lost money. You’re stressed and it’s hard to think straight. Would you know what to do?

Acting quickly and smartly can make all the difference, so as part of the BBC’s Scam Safe week, fraud investigator and Scam Secrets host Shari Vahl explains how you can take control of the situation and get your life back on track.

Scam Secrets: How Do I Get My Money Back? will be available on Thursday 27th November, from 6am on BBC Sounds and 12.04pm on BBC Radio 4.

The first thing to do, if you discover you’ve been scammed, is to stop sending any more money. No matter how hard the criminals try to keep going, hang up the phone and cut contact immediately.

Richard Daniels, head of fraud at TSB, says: “You certainly shouldn't keep in contact with those scammers - and you should block every contact point, be that phone, SMS, etc, immediately, even if threatened.”

The next immediate step is to call 159, from a different phone if possible.

Working in a similar way to 111 for the NHS and 101 for the police, 159 connects you safely and directly to your bank when you’re at risk of being scammed.

Your bank can help you – but it is necessary to be honest and upfront about the situation.

“It’s really important at this point to be completely truthful to the bank,” Shari says.

“Don't lie to them about what you've been involved in because it won't help you. Let the bank know why you didn't spot the scam in the first place.”

The next step is to prevent any more money or data from being stolen.

“It's really important you to protect yourself,” Richard Daniels at TSB says.

“Freeze your accounts, change your passwords, make sure you've got two factor authentication on and change those security questions.”

David Geale, managing director of the Payment Systems Regulator, agrees: “Don't give them any more money, don't be embarrassed. It can happen to any of us at any time.”

The next thing to do is to channel your inner Sherlock, keeping calm and gathering as much evidence as you can.

“Make sure you keep texts and WhatsApp and telegram messages, bank account details, any phone numbers, voicemails, emails, websites,” Shari says.

“They can all disappear, so grab them while you can.”

Then, with that information, contact Action Fraud - it's the UK's fraud reporting centre – to get it logged with the police.

Being the victim of a scam can be an isolating and painful experience.

It might seem difficult to open up at first but talking to someone could really help.

“Don't keep it a secret,” Shari says. “It's good to tell someone close to you about what's happened.

“And don't be embarrassed. You're one of millions who've been targeted like this.”

If you can’t talk to a friend or family member, Paul Hampson, a fraud specialist at CEL Solicitors, suggests contacting a service like Victim Support.

“Don’t suffer in silence,” he says.

A key message from Scam Secrets’ presenter and forensic linguist, Dr Lis Carter, is to understand that being defrauded is not the victim’s fault.

“It's not stupidity, it’s grooming,” she insists.

She says scams are crafted to make you feel silly and ashamed, encouraging victims to keep it secret, which in turn protects the criminals.

Following the steps above will help your chances, and stop you losing any more money.

But there are also factors you can’t control – in particular how the criminals got hold of your money, and what they did with it.

The key thing to understand is that it is not the type of scam that matters when it comes to recovering the money – be it romance fraud or an investment scam – but the type of payment that was made:

Rules introduced in October 2024 mean that if you transferred money from your bank account to another UK bank account (sort code and account number), banks should reimburse you up to £85,000.

They are required to do it within five days for simple cases, and up to 35 days for more complex ones, with a £100 excess if they choose.

David Geale, from the Payment Systems Regulator, says 97% of claims under this scheme are settled within 35 days.

It is important to note it only applies if the money has gone to another UK bank, so your chances of getting it back could be worse if it’s been sent abroad. And there are other grounds for banks to refuse claims.

If customers are “complicit in the fraud”, David says, or have been “grossly negligent,” such as “avoiding or ignoring, repeated, very clear and persistent warnings” from the bank, they may not get their money back.

Whatever the circumstances, the process is the same – contact your bank and if you’re not happy with its response, you can take your complaint free of charge to the Financial Ombudsman Service.

The scam might feel the same to the victim, but if card details are used to steal money, the rules are different - that’s because the October rules mentioned above don’t apply.

Richard Daniels at TSB stresses that again, the steps to follow are the same – report it to the bank and gather evidence – and each case will be assessed on its merits.

But one thing that can make it harder to get your money back is if you’ve bought something for the criminals, a common example being where people are tricked into buying gift cards.

In these cases, Paul Hampson from CEL solicitors says that from the bank’s point of view you’ve made a legitimate purchase: “On those occasions it's very difficult. There isn't a lot we can do for people where that's happened.”

However, if you’ve bought something from an online seller that turns out to be a fraud (remember the Great Knitted Cardigan Scam?) your chances are much better.

Banks are generally pretty quick at refunding these lower amounts if it’s a genuine scam, says Richard Daniels.

Other payments will be treated differently – for example credit card purchases have extra protection under Section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act.

And an increasingly common tactic involves digital wallets – think Apple Pay or Google Pay – with criminals using your card to set one up. “In most cases when we consider it is a true victim of a fraud or scam, they'll get a refund,” says Richard Daniels of TSB.

In general, banks should be spotting spending patterns that are out of character as part of their fraud controls, says David Geale. So that’s something worth pointing out when you’re making your case for a refund.

For more information go to the BBC's Scam Safe site where you can find a selection of resources and get a link to BBC Actionline.

Talking about your experiences to friends and family helps them stay Scam Safe.

Reporting any scam attempt helps authorities fight fraud. Forward any suspicious texts to 7726, (spells out SPAM on your phone keypad) or emails to [email protected]

For more resources, visit BBC Scam Safe.

You can hear the full episode of Scam Secrets: How Do I Get My Money Back? on Thursday from 6am on BBC Sounds, or 12.04 on Radio 4.