Reporting fraud or a scam

We always recommend that you get in touch immediately if someone has access to your account or you’ve sent a payment you believe could be a scam. You should also take the following steps.

A lot of us have apps and subscription services linked to our accounts. And accidental purchases can easily be made. Are you 100% sure that no one else could be responsible for the payment? Check in with anyone who has access to your account and the devices linked to it to make sure.

Also, certain companies use different names for taking payments. Take a look at our list of common trading names.

This list is not exhaustive. So, you should also do a quick internet search.

If money has been taken fraudulently, or someone has access to your details, let us know immediately.

Reporting your credit or debit card as lost or stolen will make sure that no money can be taken from your account. Recurring card payments will need to be updated. But your standing orders and Direct Debits will continue as normal.

Once you’ve reported a card as lost or stolen, it cannot be reactivated. You’ll get a replacement sent out to you.

You can stop your card in our app or over the phone.

Let us know the date and time the payment was made, as well as the amount it was for. This will help our colleague on the phone find the information as quickly as possible.

We will always attempt to recover money that has been taken because of fraud or a scam.

Our fraud and scam specialists look at each case in isolation. Whether you get a full refund or not depends on:

• The kind of transaction that has taken place
  Have scammers got access to your account details without your knowledge or consent? Or did you share them thinking it was a legitimate transaction?
• The actions you’ve taken
  If you authorised the payment, we need to make sure that you did some checks beforehand. For example, did you call to check the details of who you were paying? Did you pay attention to the warnings we gave you in the app or in our Internet Bank?

The sooner you let us know this information, the more likely we’re able to recover your money. And stop it being used by any criminals. Remember to be completely honest with us – we need to know all the details to be able to help you.

Keeping a record of your PIN alongside your card is a breach of our terms and conditions. So is sharing your PIN. If you have given it to a criminal as part of a scam, or they were able to find it and access your account, you will not get your money back.

If this has happened to you, we recommend changing your PIN immediately. You can do this at one of our ATM’s, in branch or in our app. You can choose to change your PIN to a number that you find easier to remember if you need to.

Once your PIN notification has arrived you should learn the number as soon as possible and then destroy it. If you do need to keep a record of it somewhere, you must take reasonable precautions to keep it safe from fraudulent use.

Fraud is when someone has taken money through a transaction that you didn’t make or authorise. In most instances, people don’t know they’ve been a victim of fraud until they see that money has been taken. Or they’re alerted by their bank or building society.

Scams are a type of fraud, but they involve you being tricked or manipulated into making a payment or moving money into another’s account. Scammers work really hard to make it seem as though the transaction you’re making is legitimate – often by pretending to be from certain organisations.

They often send texts or emails that require you to click a link for some reason. They’ll also call you and pretend that they want to discuss your account or pay you back money that is owed.

Money that is taken without your authorisation (usually termed as fraud) is covered by our Digital Banking Promise. You’ll get every penny back.

However, you may not be entitled to a refund if you lose money in a scam. So if you’re ever unsure of a message or call you receive, stop and use our Scam Checker Service.

Talk to us whenever you’re not sure about a payment you’re about to make from your current account. You can call or visit us in branch. We’ll look into the payment and tell you if we think it’s a scam – it won’t cost you a penny.

Unless we tell you not to make the payment, you’ll get all your money back if it turns out to be a scam. That’s our Scam Protection Promise.

Learn more about our Scam Checker Service, the payments it covers and its conditions.

As well as letting us know, you can also report to Action Fraud. They act as central point of contact for information about fraud and other online financial crimes.

Each report is passed onto the National Fraud Intelligence Bureau (NFIB), which is run by the police, and helps build intelligence about fraud and those responsible. So, reporting to Action Fraud makes things more difficult for criminals and helps keep other people safe.

Action Fraud is the main reporting centre for fraud and cybercrime in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. If you’re in Scotland, you can report directly to Police Scotland by calling 101.

Action Fraud (opens in a new window)

You can help us in the fight against criminals by reporting any suspicious emails, texts or calls you receive.

Forward the message to phishing@nationwide.co.uk. While you may not get a response from us, we do review all of the messages we get.

You can send texts and calls to 7726 (which spells ‘SPAM’ on an alphanumeric keypad). This is a service provided by Ofcom – it alerts your mobile provider to investigate and potentially block the number if it’s linked to scamming activity.

If you’ve been contacted by someone claiming to be from Nationwide, there are ways to help you work out if it’s us or not.

Still not sure? Stop what you’re doing and get in touch with us immediately to check if it’s legitimate. Our number is on all of our cards and we’ll be happy to ease your concerns.

The most important thing to remember is that we will never make you feel pressured to do anything. And we won’t try and stop you from checking who you’re speaking to.