- Citizens Advice says that if money was transferred in the last 24 hours you should tell the police immediately on 101.
- Report Fraud gives you a crime reference number when you report. In Scotland, contact Police Scotland on 101.
- The Citizens Advice consumer helpline, 0808 223 1133, is named by National Trading Standards as the place to report suspected scams.
- If something is happening now or you are threatened, ring 999.
Who to tell, and when
| Who | Report when | How |
|---|---|---|
| Your bank or card provider | You paid or gave card details | Call the number on your card, straight away. Citizens Advice also mentions 159, if your bank supports it. |
| Report Fraud | Any fraud or attempted fraud | Check reportfraud.police.uk for the current route. In Scotland, Police Scotland on 101. |
| Citizens Advice consumer helpline | A site overcharged you or pretended to be official | 0808 223 1133; it refers cases to Trading Standards |
| DVLA | A scam uses DVLA’s name, or you received a suspicious text or email | contact DVLA on GOV.UK; forward texts to 7726 and emails to report@phishing.gov.uk |
| The platform | You saw an advert or account selling documents | Use the report option on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, WhatsApp or the search engine |
| ECS | A fake electrician card | The contact address on the ECS fraud page |
| IDP and the IELTS partners | Someone claims to sell IELTS results | The security contact named on IDP’s scam page, and the IELTS test-security page |
Which official body wants to hear about what
| The scam involves | Check or ask | Contact |
|---|---|---|
| A passport website or application | Whether a real application exists | HM Passport Office, 0300 222 0000, 8am to 8pm Monday to Friday, 9am to 5:30pm weekends and public holidays |
| A birth, marriage or death certificate site | What the order should cost | General Register Office, 0300 123 1837, Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm |
| A DBS check | Whether the check is genuine and what it costs | DBS helpline for basic checks, 03000 200 190, Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm |
| An ETA or eVisa | The status of your application or account | UKVI webchat. GOV.UK says phone support is not available for ETAs. |
| A visa or job offer paid by money transfer | Whether the offer exists | The Home Office advisory says the UK government does not solicit payments by international money transfer |
In what order
- Stop paying and do not reply to threats or deadlines.
- Call the police on 101 if money moved in the last 24 hours, or 999 if you are threatened. Citizens Advice gives both.
- Call your bank so it can protect your account and look at the payment.
- Report to Report Fraud and keep the crime reference number. The service has a separate route for suspicious emails, calls, texts and websites when you have not lost money or responded.
- Tell the platform and the body whose name was used.
- Protect your accounts: change passwords, watch statements and check your credit score for applications you did not make.
What to keep
Screenshots of the advert and the chat, the payment reference and receipt, the account details you paid, and any messages that asked for your documents. Do not delete the conversation. A report to Report Fraud is passed to a national analysis unit overseen by City of London Police, and you are contacted by email with updates.
Step-by-step guidance
For a payment to a licence seller see I paid a driving licence scammer; for a copycat passport site see paid a passport scam site; for texts and emails see DVLA scam texts and emails.
We cannot recover money or investigate individual cases. Reporting helps the authorities see patterns, and it is the step banks and card providers expect.
Frequently asked questions
Who do I report a fake document seller to?
Report Fraud, the platform that showed the advert, and Citizens Advice, which refers cases to Trading Standards.
Do I report to my bank or to Report Fraud first?
Your bank first if you paid, because speed matters for stopping or tracing a payment. Then report to Report Fraud.
What if I live in Scotland?
Report Fraud covers England, Wales and Northern Ireland. In Scotland, or if the crime happened there, contact Police Scotland on 101.
What do I get when I report to Report Fraud?
A crime reference number, and email updates. Banks and card providers often ask for the number when you claim money back.
What if I only received a scam message and lost no money?
Report Fraud has a separate route for reporting suspicious emails, calls, texts, social media and websites when you have not lost money or responded. Forward DVLA texts to 7726 and emails to report@phishing.gov.uk.
When should I call 999?
If the crime is happening now or you are being threatened. For money transferred in the last 24 hours, Citizens Advice says to call 101.