You might be able to get your money back after you’ve been scammed.
What you should do, and whether you’ll get a refund, depends on what happened.
Managing someone else’s bank account
If you're helping someone who's been scammed, there are ways you can manage their bank account for them. You might need to do this if you want to stop payments or claim back money.
The person you're helping needs to fill in a form giving you permission to manage their account. This is known as a third party mandate. Most banks have a third party mandate on their website.
If the person you're helping wants you to manage more than one account, they might need to give you power of attorney. They might also need to give you power of attorney if you have to manage their finances for a long time. To find out more, read our advice on managing affairs for someone else.
If there’s an unknown payment from your account
Contact your bank immediately if:
Explain what’s happened and ask if you can get a refund. If you’re not happy with how the bank deals with your claim, you can complain to them. Find out how to do this by checking their website.
If it's been 8 weeks since you complained, and you haven't got your money back, contact the Financial Ombudsman. You can also contact the ombudsman if you've had a letter from the bank saying it's not going to take any action. This is sometimes known as a final response letter.
If the ombudsman decides you've been treated unfairly, it's got legal powers to put things right.
If you’ve bought something from a scammer
If you paid by card or PayPal
If you've paid for something you haven't received, you might be able to get your money back.
Your card provider can ask the seller's bank to refund the money. This is known as the 'chargeback scheme'.
If you paid by debit card, you can use chargeback however much you paid.
If you paid by credit card and the item cost more than £100 but less than £30,000, you might be able to claim under the Consumer Credit Act - this is known as a 'Section 75 claim'.
If the item cost less than £100 and you paid by credit card, you can't use Section 75, but you can use chargeback.
See our advice on getting your money back if you paid by card or PayPal.
If you paid by bank transfer or Direct Debit
Contact your bank immediately to let them know what’s happened and ask if you can get a refund.
Most banks should reimburse you if you’ve transferred money to someone because of a scam. This type of scam is known as an ‘authorised push payment’.
If you've paid by Direct Debit, you should be able to get a full refund under the Direct Debit Guarantee.
If you can’t get your money back and you think this is unfair, you should follow the bank’s official complaints process. If your complaint isn’t sorted out in 8 weeks, or you get a final response letter, you can take your case to the Financial Ombudsman.
If you used a money transfer service
It’s unlikely you’ll be able to get your money back if you’ve paid through a wire service such as MoneyGram, PayPoint or Western Union.
Even if you can’t get your money back, there are other things you can do – like reporting the scam and getting financial or emotional support.
There are things you can do to protect yourself if you ever need to use a money transfer service again.
You should:
If you paid by vouchers or gift cards
It's unlikely you'll get your money back if you used vouchers or gift cards to pay the scammer.
To protect yourself in future, never give numbers on the back of a gift card or voucher to anyone you don't know.
If you can't get your money back
Find out how to get emotional support after a scam.
If you need help with debt, check our advice on how to start dealing with your debts.
Report the scam
It's a good idea to report the scam – even if you haven’t got your money back yet. Find out how to report a scam.
Get more help
For more help dealing with scams, contact our consumer service.
FAQs
Contact your bank immediately to let them know what's happened and ask if you can get a refund. Most banks should reimburse you if you've transferred money to someone because of a scam.
Is it possible to get money back after being scammed? ›
Contact the company or bank that issued the credit card or debit card. Tell them it was a fraudulent charge. Ask them to reverse the transaction and give you your money back.
Can I get money back from a check scam? ›
If it is later determined that the check was counterfeit, you will likely be held responsible for the funds that were provided to the scammer, so it is important that you recognize the signs of a counterfeit check to protect yourself.
What can I do if I get scammed for money? ›
Federal Trade Commission: Contact the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) at 1-877-FTC-HELP (1-877-382-4357) or use the Online Complaint Assistant to report various types of fraud, including counterfeit checks, lottery or sweepstakes scams, and more.
What happens after I get scammed? ›
If you gave the fraudster your bank account number or routing number, contact your bank or credit union immediately. You may need to close the account and open a new one. Social security number. Go ahead with a fraud alert or credit freeze and report your information stolen at the FTC's identitytheft.gov website.
How to track down someone who scammed you? ›
Individuals should first report the number to authorities and then use reverse phone lookup services to potentially identify the owner. It's advised to involve law enforcement as they can use legal tools to trace the number and locate the scammer.
Will Western Union refund my money if I was scammed? ›
After the money is paid, Western Union may not be able to give you a refund, even if you are the victim of fraud, except under limited circ*mstances. If you believe that you are the victim of fraud, call the Western Union Fraud Hotline at 1-800-448-1492.
How long do banks refund scammed money? ›
How do banks investigate unauthorized transactions and how long does it take to get my money back? Once you notify your bank or credit union, it generally has ten business days to investigate the issue (20 business days if the account has been open less than 30 days).
How to verify if a check is real? ›
Every legitimate check contains a number that appears in two places: in the upper-right corner and in the magnetic ink character recognition (MICR) line at the bottom. If the numbers don't match, it's a bogus check. And be wary of low numbers, such as 101-400 on a personal check or 1,000-1,500 on a business check.
How to check if a check is real online? ›
Go to the Federal Reserve Bank Services website and search the routing number of the institution issuing the check. If it exists, check the information of the bank against the name and address given to you by the Federal Reserve. If it doesn't match, you likely have a fake check.
By the time you realize you've been a victim of bank transfer fraud, it's usually too late. Scammers have received the money, transferred it to another account, and disappeared. Falling victim to phishing, pharming, or CEO fraud unfortunately doesn't qualify for reversing a wire transfer.
Can I get my money back if someone used my debit card? ›
If someone has used your card in a store or online, you're covered under the Payment Services Regulations. This means you must be refunded immediately if you've had money taken from your account without your permission. Always report the loss of your debit card, or any unauthorised payments, as soon as possible.
What to say to someone who got scammed? ›
It's common for people to feel ashamed or embarrassed if they have fallen victim to a scam. You should reassure them that this isn't their fault; scammers use tactics that can trick anyone. If the person has been the victim of a scam, help them to report.
What does a refund scammer do? ›
If you've experienced a scam, you may be targeted by a refund or recovery scam. In these scams, someone says they can help get your money back or recover the prize or item you never got. You just need to pay them first. If you do, you'll lose more money.
What to do if you accidentally give a scammer your personal details? ›
Contact your IT department and let them know. Open your antivirus (AV) software if you have it, and run a full scan. Allow your antivirus software to clean up any problems it finds. You should change the passwords on any of your accounts which use the same password.
Will PayPal refund money if scammed? ›
You have 180 days from the payment date to open a dispute. In a dispute, you can message the seller through PayPal to try to resolve any issues. If you cannot resolve the dispute, you have 20 days to escalate the dispute to a claim. In a claim, we investigate the case and decide the outcome.
Can I get my money back if I get scammed on Facebook marketplace? ›
If we approve a buyer's claim, in some situations, Facebook may offer a partial refund, otherwise the refunded amount will include the full purchase price of the item, tax, and shipping fees. Decisions on claims are made in our sole discretion. In some instances, we may offer a Goodwill Refund in our sole discretion.
How to convince someone they are being conned? ›
Here are some tips on how to convince a loved one that they are being scammed:
- Present the facts: Gather evidence and present it to your loved one in a clear and factual manner. ...
- Ask questions: Encourage your loved one to ask the scammer questions that only someone who is telling the truth would be able to answer.
Contacting the seller is usually the best way to resolve a problem. You can find their contact details by going to your Activity and selecting the payment. They may be able to issue a refund or help with a return. Otherwise, you can open a dispute within 180 days of the payment date.
