How to spot a scam: the warning signs

Most scams, whatever the story, share the same handful of tells. The Take Five campaign, the national anti-fraud effort, lists the common warning signs: unexpected contact, pressure to act quickly, requests for personal or security information, offers that seem too good to be true, and payment details that suddenly change¹. If a message, call or email shows even one of these, it deserves to be checked before anything else happens.

Confidence is not the same as skill. In a UK survey carried out in January 2026, seven in ten adults, 70%, said they would be able to spot a romance scam, but many of those same people failed to identify the most common signs, such as a reluctance to meet in person or video chat, and requests for financial help early in a relationship². Scammers succeed not because people are foolish, but because their approaches are built to look genuine.

This page sets out the warning signs to look for in any contact, the tricks used to impersonate trusted organisations, the checking tools available, the scams that target particular groups, and what to do immediately if money or details have already been handed over.

The warning signs that a message or call is a scam

The Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS) lists the signs that recur across scam messages: inaccurate spelling and wording, a sense of urgency to act quickly, being asked for bank details or passwords and being told not to tell anyone, and an unfamiliar email address⁴. None of these alone proves a scam, but together they form a pattern that is hard to mistake for ordinary business contact.

The same signs appear whatever the story is. A common warning sign of an investment scam is being contacted unexpectedly about an investment opportunity, because legitimate firms will not contact you out of the blue³. The Student Loans Company warns that scammers send convincing texts, emails and calls claiming a payment is at risk or blocked, that bank details need updating, or that an account will be closed unless the recipient acts immediately⁵. Job scams often begin with a message or call from someone claiming to be a recruiter who never specifies a company or role⁶. Ticket scammers approach through social media or messaging apps with an offer⁷. And a message telling you to act urgently to claim lottery winnings is, Independent Age notes, a key feature of many scams⁸.

The practical test is to ask what the contact wants from you. If the answer is money, account details, passwords, or a click on a link, and the request arrived without you starting anything, treat it as suspicious until proven otherwise. The dedicated guides to phishing, vishing and smishing and to fake websites and online shopping scams cover how these attacks work in detail.

Scammers pretend to be organisations you trust

An impersonation scam is when you are convinced to make a payment or give out personal or financial details to a criminal claiming to be a trusted organisation or someone you know⁹. The trust is the whole trick: the scammer borrows the name, branding and tone of a bank, a government department, a delivery firm or a family member to make the request feel safe.

Technology makes the disguise convincing. Scammers use identity masking technology to change the name displayed as the sender of a text, known as number spoofing, so a message can look like it comes from a legitimate organisation¹⁰. Scam emails try to sound official, including using the word "official", and may contain account numbers and IDs designed to make you think the email is genuine, so these should be checked against your own records¹¹. Some fraudsters go much further: in conveyancing scams, scammers may spend weeks gathering personal information to make the scam look believable, using fake invoices or email addresses that closely mimic the real ones¹².

Because scammers research their targets, the information you share online matters. Take Five advises checking your privacy settings and limiting what you share, because criminals can use that information to make their scams seem more convincing⁹. The criminals behind online scams use names, dates of birth, addresses, card details, bank account numbers and even details of recent transactions to contact you, gain your trust, set up accounts or loans in your name, or access your accounts directly¹³.

If a caller or message claims to be from your bank, the safest response is not to use any contact details they give you. The guide to checking your bank is really contacting you explains how, and clone firms covers fraudsters posing as authorised companies.

Pressure to act fast is a red flag

Urgency is the scammer's main tool, because it removes the time you would otherwise use to check. Job scams pressure you to act fast and to share your information or pay a fee to "secure your position"⁶. Investment scams pressure you with a time-limited offer, for example a bonus or discount if you invest before a set date¹⁴. Lottery scams tell you to act urgently to claim winnings that do not exist⁸. The pattern is always the same: a deadline, a threat, or a reward that disappears if you stop and think.

Take Five's advice is built around this weakness in the scammer's method. Pressure to act quickly is one of the core warning signs, and the campaign's answer is to take a moment before parting with money or sensitive details¹. A genuine organisation, whether a bank, a government body or an employer, will not collapse because you hang up, verify the number independently, and call back. A scammer often will.

Some pressure is manufactured to look like caution on your behalf. Messages claiming a payment "has been blocked" or an account "will be closed" pretend to be protecting you, while rushing you into clicking a link or handing over details⁵. Being told not to tell anyone, as the FSCS highlights, is a particular giveaway: secrecy protects the scammer, not you⁴. If a request comes with instructions to keep it secret, that is itself a reason to talk to someone you trust about it.

Never share your PIN or full password, even with someone you trust

The rule is absolute: do not give your PIN to anyone, even if they claim to be the police or your card company¹⁵. The same applies to full passwords and to one-time passcodes. No genuine organisation that holds your money will ask for them, because these details exist precisely so that only you can authorise access. A request for them is not a security check, it is the scam.

The reason scammers ask anyway is that these details are the keys to your accounts. Once a criminal has a PIN, a password or a passcode, they can take money directly, or set up payments that look as if you made them. That matters for your protection afterwards too, because a bank may look at how much you revealed when it decides whether to refund a loss. The page on one-time passcodes explains why you get them and why they are never to be shared, and what to do if you gave your card details away covers the immediate steps if it has already happened.

The "someone you trust" part of the rule matters as much as the stranger. Messages that appear to come from a family member, claiming a hacked or lost phone, are a common scam, and scammers usually send them to everyone in a person's contact list, so speaking to other family members will often reveal they received the same message⁸. If a relative really needs help, a call to their usual number settles it. If the request is for money to be moved urgently and secretly, treat it as a scam until confirmed.

Stop, challenge, protect: the Take Five steps

Take Five to Stop Fraud is a national campaign led by HM Government and UK Finance and backed by major banks and building societies¹⁶. Its advice compresses into three steps: Stop, Challenge, Protect¹.

Stop means taking a moment to think before parting with money or sensitive details. Scams depend on you acting in the seconds the scammer has engineered, so the pause alone breaks the method. Challenge means asking whether the contact could be fake, and it is fine to refuse, reject or ignore any request; only criminals try to rush or panic you¹. Protect means that if you think you have been scammed, you contact your bank immediately and report it to the police at reportfraud.police.uk or on 0300 123 2040¹.

The steps work because they are simple enough to remember under pressure. A mantra that independent observers endorse is to always "Take Five" and stop to think before you part with any money or share any sensitive details¹⁷. The fuller guide to Take Five and the national fraud campaigns sets out the campaign and its materials.

Scam checker tools: what they can and cannot tell you

A growing set of free tools can help you check whether a website, number or message is suspicious. Get Safe Online's "Check a website" tool can be used to check whether a website might be a scam¹³. ScamAdviser can help detect whether scam websites, numbers or bank accounts are legitimate¹⁷. Carers UK highlights a tool called Ask Silver for checking something you are unsure about¹⁸. For firms, the Financial Conduct Authority's Firm Checker lets you check that contact details match those listed for a real firm, to avoid scammers pretending to be one¹⁹, and the FSCS protection checker shows whether money with a firm is protected²⁰.

Some checks need no special tool at all. A domain lookup service such as who.is shows when a website was registered, and a recently registered website could indicate that it is a scam²¹. TinEye can trace the source of a profile picture, useful against fake social media profiles²¹. In romance fraud, you can upload the photos from a profile into a search engine to see if they appear anywhere else with a different name²². On shopping sites, oddly similar reviews across several websites, very new reviewers, and very few reviews are all red flags²³. Which? runs a free scam-alert service to help people spot and avoid the latest scams²⁴.

Two limits are worth knowing. First, no checker gives certainty: a website that passes a check today can turn malicious tomorrow, and a tool can only report what it can see. Second, the tools themselves can be impersonated. Scammers can use the name of a legitimate firm and sometimes the FSCS logo to try to get you to part with your money²⁰, so reach checking tools through your own search, never through a link in the message you are checking. The FSCS logo on a website is not proof of anything on its own.

Romance fraud and scams aimed at older people

Romance fraud is when a criminal uses a fake profile to form a relationship with you²². The National Crime Agency describes the typical method: criminals create fake profiles on dating sites and social media²⁵. The scam builds emotional trust over weeks or months, then converts it into money, often through a fabricated crisis. Romance scammers con millions of pounds out of people in the UK each year²⁶. Criminals sometimes even target widow and divorce pages, looking for people at a moment of loss²².

The common signs are consistent: a reluctance to meet up in person, talk on the phone or video chat; asking for financial help early in the relationship; and an extremely attractive dating profile with very appealing photos and an impressive career². The January 2026 survey found that while 70% of adults said they could spot a romance scam, many missed exactly these signs, and the research found young single men the group most likely to miss them². The dedicated guide to romance scams covers the pattern in full.

Scams aimed at older people deserve their own note, partly because the stereotype is wrong. Parliamentary research has found that the stereotype of elderly fraud victims is inaccurate compared with observed fraud risks²⁷. Older people are targeted, though: investment scammers sometimes promise older people high returns on their pension if they invest it in the scammer's company or opportunity¹⁴. Government advice is that internet scams, postal scams and doorstep crime are all forms of financial abuse, often targeted at adults who need care and support, and adult social services have a safeguarding role²⁸. If you are helping someone who has been targeted, the page on supporting a victim sets out the practical steps.

Pension scams: the signs and the rule changes

Pension scams are on the increase²⁹, and the warning signs are well established: unexpected offers, promises of early access to pensions, or guaranteed high returns³⁰. The Pensions Regulator describes the common features of pension scams as attempts to gather information for future scams, false or unrealistic promises, and acting without the consent of the pension saver³¹. Its ScamSmart campaign exists to raise awareness of these tactics and help potential victims spot fraud attempts³¹.

Two rule changes make the next few years a particular risk. Pensions are due to become subject to inheritance tax from 2027, a change that banks report has already led to an increase in pension scams, as fraudsters exploit confusion about the new rules. Separately, the normal minimum age for taking pension savings rises from 55 to 57 in 2028, which means any offer of early access to a pension for someone below those ages is a scam by definition. The guide to pension liberation and early access offers explains how these offers work and what they cost.

The rules around transfers are also being tightened. A government consultation on amending the conditions for pension transfers sets out red flags, for example where a member has failed to provide a substantive response to a request for evidence or information, and where indicators of high scam risk have been identified³². On the industry side, The Pensions Regulator expects schemes to include a pension scam warning in every annual benefit statement with a link to ScamSmart³³, and its communications code asks governing bodies to provide clear information on how to spot a scam in all relevant member communications, including the retirement wake-up pack and annual benefit statements, with warnings also placed on the scheme's website³⁴. The industry pledge to combat pension scams begins with a single step: know the warning signs³⁵.

If you are worried about a pension offer, check the firm on the FCA Warning List and ScamSmart, remember the ban on pension cold calling, and report concerns in England, Northern Ireland and Wales to Report Fraud³⁵. The Financial Ombudsman Service can also look at complaints about pensions and annuities¹⁹.

What to do if you think you have been scammed

Speed matters more than embarrassment. The first step is to stop making payments to the person or company you think is scamming you, and to cancel any Direct Debit with your bank if one applies²⁶. Then call your bank immediately, using the number on the back of your bank card, and report it to Report Fraud, formerly known as Action Fraud³⁶. If you receive a call claiming to be from your bank, call 159 to be put through to your bank's genuine customer service line³⁷.

The Financial Ombudsman Service sets out the immediate steps for victims: contact your bank or payment provider immediately, contact the police on 101, report the scam to Report Fraud, the UK's national reporting centre for fraud and cybercrime, and keep records of all contact and correspondence between you and the scammer³⁸. In Scotland, reports go to the police rather than Report Fraud³⁷. The Payment Systems Regulator is equally direct: its advice to anyone who realises they have fallen victim to a scam is to contact their bank immediately to report it³⁹. Banks, building societies and credit unions can protect and reimburse victims of certain types of fraud⁴⁰, and the pages on authorised push payment reimbursement and claiming a refund from your bank explain when a refund is owed and how to claim one.

Reporting helps others as well as you. Scam emails can be reported to the National Cyber Security Centre by sending them to report@phishing.gov.uk, and dodgy websites can be reported on the NCSC's website, which can investigate the scam and get it taken down⁴¹. If your identity may have been stolen, ask your bank about Cifas Protective Registration, which puts a warning flag on your name³⁸, and see the guide to identity theft. If a bank refuses a refund you believe you are owed, the pages on complaining to your bank and taking a refused refund to the Financial Ombudsman set out the route, and where to report a scam covers the reporting routes across all four nations.