What to do if you've been scammed

Summary

You can use our online tool to get advice. Our tool will ask you questions and use your answers to give you advice. If you’ve been scammed, there are steps you can take to protect yourself from things getting worse. What you need to do depends on what’s happened. Report this to the police immediately by calling 999. If the scammer comes to your door, calls you, or sends you a message, ignore them, but keep a record of what's happened so you can report it. Read our advice on how to stop nuisance calls and texts. Sometimes scammers ask to access your computer so they can control it remotely. For example, they might pretend to be from your internet provider and say they need to deal with a technical problem. The scammer might have infected your computer with a virus, or stolen passwords and financial information. To stay safe you should: * let your bank know your financial information might have been stolen * make sure you update your anti-virus software You could also get an IT professional to check your computer. Tell the police immediately by calling 101. Contact your bank immediately so they can protect your account. After you’ve told your bank about the scam, keep an eye on your.

Key information

• •let your bank know your financial information might have been stolen
• •make sure you update your anti-virus software
• •You can use our online tool to get advice. Our tool will ask you questions and use your answers to give you advice.
• •If you’ve been scammed, there are steps you can take to protect yourself from things getting worse. What you need to do depends on what’s happened.
• •If the scammer comes to your door, calls you, or sends you a message, ignore them, but keep a record of what's happened so you can report it. Read our advice on how to stop nuisance calls and texts.
• •Sometimes scammers ask to access your computer so they can control it remotely. For example, they might pretend to be from your internet provider and say they need to deal with a technical problem.
• •The scammer might have infected your computer with a virus, or stolen passwords and financial information. To stay safe you should:
• •* let your bank know your financial information might have been stolen
• •You could also get an IT professional to check your computer.
• •Contact your bank immediately so they can protect your account.
• •After you’ve told your bank about the scam, keep an eye on your bank statements and look out for any unusual transactions. Also check your credit score to see if there are applications for credit you don’t recognise.
• •Change your password as soon as possible. If you’ve used the same password on any other accounts you should change it there too.

Practical guidance

• •Source: [What to do if you've been scammed](https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/consumer/scams/what-to-do-if-youve-been-scammed/)

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