Bank impersonation calls: check the request before you act

How a fraud warning becomes the fraud

An unexpected caller says a payment has been stopped or your account is under attack. The story makes the call feel protective. Instructions then follow: confirm a security code, approve something in your app or move money. The claimed emergency creates pressure to act before checking.

NatWest identifies urgency, secrecy and supposed safe-account transfers as warning signs in scam calls. The useful question is not whether the caller sounds professional; it is whether the requested action would give them money or access. NatWest’s scam-call guidance.

An illustrative example: a caller says a transfer is needed to “reverse” a theft. You are still being asked to authorise a new transfer. Treat the actual instruction as the decision point, even when the explanation sounds reassuring. This example is not a real community report.

Requests to stop and check

Do not follow instructions from an unexpected caller to:

• move money to an account described as safe or secure;
• approve a payment you did not initiate;
• disclose a full banking password, PIN or security passcode;
• hand over cards or a PIN to a visitor or courier.

These are specifically identified in NatWest’s impersonation guidance. A story about fraud prevention does not make them safe.

Knowing your name or account-related details is not proof of identity either. Take Five warns that criminals use personal information and impersonation to obtain banking access. Take Five’s banking-fraud guide.

Verify the call without using the caller’s route

End the call. Open your bank’s app yourself or use the contact number printed on your card or a statement. Explain that someone claimed there was a problem and ask the bank to check. Do not rely on a number dictated by the caller or a link sent during the conversation. Take Five’s protection advice.

You can also dial 159 to reach participating banks through Stop Scams UK. It does not cover every bank or phone service; check its current list if your bank is unavailable. Call charges depend on your provider, so do not assume it is free. How 159 works and its participating banks.

A reference number, badge number or reassuring follow-up text can be recorded as part of your evidence. None replaces a separate contact with the genuine bank. See our caller ID briefing if the number on screen matched your bank.

If you shared a code, installed software or made a payment

Contact the bank immediately and say which of these happened. Be specific about whether you read out a code, approved an app prompt, entered credentials on a website or made a transfer yourself. The bank needs that distinction to understand the access or payment involved. Take Five’s advice after suspected fraud.

If the caller had remote access, stop the session and use a separate trusted device to contact the bank. Do not continue banking while someone can see or control the screen. NatWest explains that remote access can expose information and potentially enable payments. Remote-access guidance.

Save transaction references, recipient details, call times and messages for the bank. Ask what it needs next and keep its case reference. A public comment is not a recovery request. The outcome of a claim depends on the circumstances; this page cannot promise a refund.

Record the sequence without exposing your details

Write a simple timeline while the conversation is fresh: how the first contact arrived, the organisation claimed, the instruction, any follow-up message and what you actually did. Preserve screenshots privately. Never post a one-time code, card details or an account balance in a public report.

For a community warning, describe the behaviour: “claimed to be my bank and asked for a transfer” is more precise than naming the number’s owner as a criminal. Caller ID may have been spoofed. If you only missed the call, say so; do not turn a missed call into a claim about a conversation you did not have.

You can also make an official report through Report Fraud. In Scotland, the reporting route is Police Scotland on 101. Ofcom’s reporting guidance.