Action Fraud

Can Action Fraud help me?

If you’ve been scammed, there are organisations that you should report it to.
The main one is Action Fraud, who may be able to track down the scammers and bring them to justice. They are the UK national reporting centre for fraud and scams. All victims should contact them and tell them what happened. They collect the cases and distribute them to police forces in England, Wales and Northern Ireland to investigate. Telling them about what happened is similar to telling your local police officer, so they will give you a reference number.

It is vital that you refer your case to them in all cases, whether Theft Refund is helping you get your money back from your bank or not. This is the only way to potentially help the police track down and arrest the scammers. It could also help to protect other people and prevent them from falling victim to the same scam.

What should I tell them?

They will need key details about what happened, so make sure you note down at least:

Who scammed you and how they contacted you. Include company/personal names, numbers and addresses if you’ve got them
Why you think it’s a scam
If you’ve given them any personal or banking details
How you’ve sent them funds and how much you sent

You are also likely to be asked for more general information about how the events unfolded, and if you have copies of documentation/evidence relevant to what happened they are also likely to request this.

What do they do with my report?

The notifications are sent to the National Fraud Intelligence Bureau (NFIB) which is run by the City of London Police, the national lead force for fraud. The NFIB reviews the cases, and passes some to police forces to investigate. Unfortunately, not all cases sent to the NFIB will be passed to the police.

The NFIB says that these triaged cases are assessed by experienced crime reviewers who consider where there are clear ‘lines of enquiry’. Put simply, they review the evidence in the case and whether there is a realistic chance of catching the scammers. Where it thinks this is the case, it passes the case to the appropriate police force or law enforcement agency.

Can they get my money back?

Unfortunately, only a very small percentage of the scams reported are ever investigated. According to Which? for example, more than 96% of cases go unsolved.

Even when cases are passed to the police, it is often the case that the scammers have already spent the funds or sent it elsewhere without a trace. This means that many victims are left out of pocket. This is where Theft Refund comes in. If you or someone you know has lost money, Theft Refund may be able to get their money back from their bank. This is because banks have obligations when they allow transactions from bank accounts, and these obligations are often not met where a scam has occurred.

Make sure you tell your bank and Action Fraud, and if you don't get your money back, you can make a complaint. If you would rather not handle this yourself, Theft Refund can manage your case for you, as an FCA regulated claims management company. If you’d like us to do this for you, start the process by filling out our claims form. Our fee is 15% of any money that we get back, and we don't charge anything if we are not successful.

What situations can I report to Action Fraud?

If you’ve lost funds to an Investment Scam, Impersonation Scam, Romance Scam, Invoice Scam or Crypto Scam, make sure that you report it. Whilst they try to track down the scammers, Theft Refund may be able to help you get your money back that you lost.

There are some types of crime that they won't be able to help with. This includes:

Theft of a vehicle.
Suspicious online behaviour with or towards a child.
Online hate or bullying crime, material or messages.
Counterfeit medicine or medical devices available to purchase online.
Business or personal tax or a HMRC related matter
Benefit related.
Immigration related.
Counterfeit Currency.