Scam library · United Kingdom · Updated 20 October 2026
UK scam library: texts, calls, message apps and emails
Find the words you recognise, pause the request and check it independently. Share a guide with someone you trust before sending money.
Find the request you received
Start with the channel below, then choose the story that matches. These are patterns to check, not a list of every possible scam. A familiar name, a correct personal detail or a professional-looking message does not settle who is contacting you.
The example lines on each page are our own illustrations. Use the practical checks before paying, sharing a code or approving access. You do not need to prove that a person is a criminal before ending an unexpected conversation and checking the request independently.
Text messages
A small fee, refund or urgent warning can lead to a payment form. Check through an account or service you open yourself.
Calls
Hang up before checking a bank, police or provider story. Use contact details you already trust, rather than a callback number supplied during the call.
- Bank safe account call scams
- Courier fraud
- Amazon Prime call scams
- BT and Openreach broadband call scams
- Council tax rebate call scams
- Fake Google listing calls
Message apps
A family greeting, relationship or job offer can move into a payment request. Check identity outside the chat before sending money.
- Hi Mum WhatsApp scams
- Investment and crypto scams
- Ticket and holiday scams
- Romance scams
- Job and task scams
Emails
A logo and a display name do not authenticate an email. Check your account independently before opening attachments or using a payment link.
When the story crosses channels
A parcel text can be followed by a fake bank call. A relationship can turn into an investment pitch. A caller may send an email or move you into an app. Keep the same routine across all of them: pause, end the unexpected contact, then check through a route you chose independently.
If money or account details are involved
Contact your bank through the number on your card straight away. After hanging up, 159 reaches participating UK banks; coverage and call charges vary. Keep the payment reference and messages. Use our UK reporting guide for Report Fraud (formerly Action Fraud), Police Scotland and message reporting.
Forward suspicious SMS texts to 7726 and emails to report@phishing.gov.uk. Use the app’s own reporting controls for app messages. Do not wait for a checker result or a police report before telling your bank about a payment.
Ask your bank about recovery and the PSR’s APP reimbursement protections. Each article explains their limits. Do not send a further payment to someone who promises to recover a loss for an upfront fee.
Questions people ask
Where should I start if I have already paid?
Contact your bank immediately through the number on your card. Then use our UK reporting guide and keep the messages and payment references.
Does a checker result prove a message is safe?
No. Use it as guidance, then verify any money or account request through a trusted contact route you choose independently.