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. This type of scam is known as an 'authorised push payment'.
Can you get money back after being scammed? ›
If you've been a victim of fraud, identity theft, or deceptive business practices, you can report them to the Federal Trade Commission. In 2022 alone, the FTC was able to issue more than $392 million in refunds to people who lost money to illegal business practices.
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 happens if a scammer sends me money and I keep it? ›
If you receive money from a form of payment that was stolen by a scammer, that money could be removed from your account. Do not send the money back. If you send your own money back, the stolen funds you received can also be removed from your account.
How to get money back after being scammed on Cash App? ›
Cash App does have a refund policy in place to protect its users from fraudulent activities, +1 866-992-9838. If you have been scammed or made a payment in error, immediate contact to support team +1 866-992-9838 or +1 866-992-9838 Cash App may be able to help you retrieve your money.
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).
What are the consequences for the person being scammed? ›
Human impact
Fraud can have a devastating impact on these victims and increase the disadvantage, vulnerability and inequality they suffer. Fraud can also cause lasting mental and physical trauma for victims. Fraud also results in lost opportunities for individuals and businesses.
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.
Does a bank have to refund stolen money? ›
If the transaction is unauthorized, the bank must refund all or part of the money depending on how quickly the account holder notified the bank.
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.
Though sentences differ widely, a misdemeanor conviction can lead to up to a year in a local jail, while a felony conviction can lead to multiple years in prison. Federal charges can lead to 10 years or more in federal prison.
Is it illegal to keep money accidentally sent to you? ›
You cannot keep money that was mistakenly deposited into your account; it must be returned. Failing to report and return the money could result in legal consequences, such as criminal charges. Contact your bank immediately when you notice the error and keep records of your interactions.
What happens if I receive money from an unknown source? ›
Inform the bank via email or obtain the bank's acknowledgement to a letter that states that this is an unknown credit and ask for more details on the sender. Also inform the bank that you are not touching the money. If you have a large balance in your account, you might want to move it into another account.
What happens if I gave a scammer my Cash App? ›
Credit card users have chargeback rights for fraudulent purchases, but there are no such guarantees for Cash App fraud. It's possible that Cash App could cancel a transaction if you notify them immediately. But once you send payment, and especially if it gets to the scammer's account, it's likely gone forever.
What happens if you pay a scammer on Cash App? ›
Typically, there are three situations in which you'll be able to successfully get a refund for the amount you sent: The recipient agrees to return the money that you sent them. You manage to cancel the payment before it's finalized. You're able to successfully dispute the payment via Cash App support.
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.
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.
What happens if you block a scammer? ›
You have done a good thing by blocking your scammer; this is the first important thing to do, but you also need to know that they may come back under a fake pretense as someone else. Just this time, they know more about you and may know just the right things to say to get you back in their web.
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.
