Warning signs you've been scammed

You’ve given away details you now realise you shouldn’t have done

Have a niggling feeling that all is not well after you’ve parted with personal information? Are you concerned you didn’t challenge a phone call or message more thoroughly? Trust your gut instinct – it’s likely you have been targeted by a scammer. Contact your bank and report the fraudulent activity to Action Fraud.

You never receive the products or services you’ve paid for

It’s a red flag if you have made an upfront payment for something you never receive, whether it’s a product from an online shop or returns on a guaranteed investment opportunity.

For example, have you paid an advanced fee for a loan you never received? You may well have been the victim of loan fee fraud.

Your bank statement shows payments you didn’t make

It’s a good idea to regularly check your bank statements or online banking account so you can spot unauthorised transactions straightaway. If there’s a transaction you don’t recognise, investigate this further. Someone else may be using your account to make purchases.

You receive bills, invoices or receipts for goods or services you don’t recognise

Emails or letters detailing transactions you didn’t authorise warrant further investigation. A criminal may be using your information to buy all kinds of things. They may have even used your information to open accounts in your name.

Mail you’ve been expecting doesn’t arrive

Regular bills and letters, such as mail from your utility provider, shouldn’t suddenly stop arriving. If you notice you’ve not received your usual mail, this could be a sign a fraudster has changed the address on your accounts to get their hands on other personal details. Always contact the relevant service providers to check they have the correct address on file.

Searches that you don’t recognise appear on your credit report

It’s best practice to check your credit report intermittently – but particularly if you’re concerned you’ve been a victim of fraud. If you spot credit applications or new accounts you don’t recognise, this could be a sign someone is applying for credit in your name. Fraudsters will try to take the money and leave you paying the debt.

You may wish to sign up for a credit monitoring service that will alert you whenever there are changes to your credit report.

You’ve been unexpectedly rejected for credit

There are lots of reasons why a lender may legitimately decline your application even if you feel you have an excellent credit score, so getting declined isn’t automatically a red flag. However, fraudulent activity could be one explanation for an unexpectedly low credit score.

As we’ve already mentioned, check your credit report to see if there are any credit applications on there you don’t recognise – this could indicate a fraudster is making false credit applications in your name.

You notice strange account login alerts

Have you started receiving push notifications, texts or emails telling you there was an attempt to log into one of your accounts from a different device? This could be a sign a trickster is attempting to get into your accounts. Change your username and password immediately.