You've Been Scammed. Here's Your Emergency Plan.

Call your bank using the number on the back of your card — not any number the scammer gave you.

Say: "I have been scammed. Please freeze my accounts and help me recover my money."

Change the password for your email account first — if the scammer controls your email, they can reset all your other passwords. Then change banking, social media, and any other accounts.

Use a strong, unique password for each account. A password manager makes this easy.

Turn on 2FA on your email, banking, and social media accounts. Use an authenticator app (Google Authenticator, Authy) rather than SMS — scammers can intercept SMS codes via SIM swap attacks.

Action Fraud: 0300 123 2040 or actionfraud.police.uk — they give you a crime reference number

Phishing emails: forward to [email protected]

Scam texts: forward to 7726 (free on all UK networks)

Scam calls: report to Action Fraud and your phone provider

Check your credit reports at all three UK agencies: Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion — all offer free checks. Look for accounts or credit applications you did not make. If you see anything suspicious, report it immediately.

Consider adding Cifas Protective Registration (£25, lasts 2 years) — this flags your identity as potentially vulnerable, making it harder for scammers to open accounts in your name.

Run a full antivirus scan on your phone, laptop, and any devices you used around the time of the scam. If you downloaded any files or apps the scammer sent you, they may contain malware or spyware.