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Report fraud

What to do if you think
you're a victim of fraud
or a scam

On this page

Steps to take first

Report a fraud or Scam

Suspicious calls, emails & texts

Common questions

Need more help?

Check if you've been a victim of fraud or a scam and how to report it

There's a few tips below to help check if you've been the victim of fraud or a scam. If you have, there's some easy steps to report it and you can also send us details of suspicious emails, calls, texts or websites.

Steps to take first

The following checks will ensure you can resolve any concerns quickly and through the right channels. There can be a number of explanations for a transaction that you might not immediately recognise and we’ve added the most common ones below so please check these before reporting it as fraud. If you're still unsure, please report it and we'll take a look.

1. Payment you don't recognise? Could it be

A company you know but may be trading under a different name

A joint account / secondary cardholder that has made the payment

A free trial that has expired e.g. Credit Expert or Amazon Prime

Some companies will automatically start taking the monthly fee from your account when the free trial period for their service ends. When you sign up for a free trial, put a reminder in your calendar to cancel it if you decide you don’t want to continue. Please contact the company first as this is often the easiest way to resolve any disputes. Further support on matters like this can be found here.

A regular payment e.g. Netflix

A regular debit or credit card payment is not a direct debit or a standing order. It's a regular payment made from your card, like a subscription to a publication or a service, such as Netflix. Regular payments automatically carry over to new cards unless cancelled. Further support on Regular Payments can be found here.

A pre authorisation e.g. Hotels

A common example of where a pre authorisation may occur is when you check into a hotel. They will take a pre-authorised amount from your available balance, which guarantees that there are funds to pay for any charges incurred during the hotel stay, such as the cost of room service or other amenities. At the end of your stay, once the balance is settled, the authorisation will be reversed back to you and full payment of your stay will be taken.

We are unable to cancel any transactions while they are pending, the retailer is the only one who can cancel it and return funds back to you at this time. In most cases you’ll be able to sort this out with the retailer, if you’re still having issues after the payment has fully debited your account (UK 3-5 working days, Europe 7-10 working days and International 10-14 working days), you can raise a dispute with the company by using our online dispute forms.

2. Not received goods or services you've paid for by debit or credit card?

The first step in making a claim is speaking to the retailer to see if they can resolve, if you’ve tried to contact the company and still need our support you can raise a dispute with the company here.

3. Report fraud

After completing the above steps, if you believe you've been the victim of fraud or a scam, we want to help as quickly as possible. To speed the process up, please try and have as much information about the transaction or event as possible, before you get in touch.

Report a Fraud: A fraud is where you have identified suspicious activity on your account, this may be regarding a transaction that you didn’t knowingly make or an update to your contact details that wasn’t done by you.

Report a Scam: A scam is where you have knowingly parted with your money and/or personal details with the expectation that you were dealing with a genuine person/company. This may have been done through intimidation, promises of cash, prizes, services, fictitious returns on investments and even romance.

Please take the time to select the appropriate option below. This will get you in touch with the right team first time:

Report Fraud on a Personal Bank Account Close

Report Fraud on a Personal Bank Account

Call: 0800 161 5149

Monday to Friday 8am-8pm, Saturday 8am-6pm, Sunday 9am-5pm

Outside these hours, call: 0800 032 5963

If you're outside the UK, call:

(0044) 131 339 7609

You can reverse the charges on calls from abroad through the international operator when calling from a landline. Calls may be recorded.

Report Fraud on a Personal Credit Card Close

Report Fraud on a Personal Credit Card

Call: 0800 161 5153

If you're outside the UK, call:

(0044) 126 850 8020

Lines are open 24 hours a day

You can reverse the charges on calls from abroad through the international operator when calling from a landline. Calls may be recorded

Report a scam Close

Report a scam

If you believe you've been a victim of a scam, or you're in contact with someone you think is trying to scam you, please contact our dedicated scams reporting line by calling 0345 989 0002.

If you're outside the UK, please call: (0044) 1252 308 047.

Report Fraud on a Business Bank Account Close

Report Fraud on a Business Bank Account

Call: 0345 300 3986

Monday to Friday 8am-8pm, Saturday 8am-6pm, Sunday 9am-5pm

If you're outside the UK, call:

(0044)125 230 8047

You can reverse the charges on calls from abroad through the international operator when calling from a landline. Calls may be recorded.

Report Fraud on a Business Credit Card Close

Report Fraud on a Business Credit Card

Call: 0800 161 5164

If you're outside the UK, call:

(0044) 345 300 4351

Lines are open 24 hours a day

You can reverse the charges on calls from abroad through the international operator when calling from a landline. Calls may be recorded.

Tell us about suspicious emails, phone calls or texts

Further information about dealing with suspicious emails, calls or texts that you’ve received or responded to can be found using the links below:

Remember, we'll never ask for your full PIN and full password by text, email or on the phone.

Suspicious emails

If you have received a fraudulent or suspicious email which you have not responded to, please forward the email to phishing@rbs.co.uk

Suspicious calls

If you've received a suspicious phone call and think you provided any of your personal security details during the call, please contact us immediately on 0800 161 5154.

When calling from abroad please dial (0044) 345 301 5748

Suspicious texts

Forward any suspicious texts referring to Royal Bank of Scotland or RBS to the number 88355.

This is not a premium rate number. Standard network rates apply, please contact your network provider for more information on charges.

Common questions

How do I cancel a regular payment?

What are my consumer rights?

Often the quickest way to solve the problem is to contact the supplier so make sure you know your rights first.

Paying for things using your debit or credit card is quick and easy, but sometimes things don't go as smoothly as planned.

When something goes wrong, it helps if you know your rights, which you can find here: Gov.co.uk Consumer rights guide

I haven't received goods or services i've paid for, what should I do?

The best place to start if you've not received goods or services you've paid for is by contacting the company you bought them from. But we realise this is not always possible, for example if the company has gone out of business. If you can't resolve the issue with the retailer, we may be able to help.

You can access our card payment support, which provides you with instructions on how to make a claim.

What to do if you think
you're a victim of fraud
or a scam

Check if you've been a victim of fraud or a scam and how to report it

Steps to take first

1. Payment you don't recognise? Could it be

A company you know but may be trading under a different name

A joint account / secondary cardholder that has made the payment