Impersonation scams work because they borrow trust that already exists — your bank, the police, HMRC or a government department are all organisations you’d reasonably respond to quickly if contacted. UK Finance and the Take Five to Stop Fraud campaign track this category closely, and while reported impersonation losses have fallen from recent highs thanks in part to public awareness campaigns, it remains a major and evolving fraud type, now increasingly combined with remote access software to drain accounts directly.
How these scams typically unfold
A call, text or email arrives claiming to be from your bank’s fraud team, the police, or an official body, telling you there’s a problem — suspicious activity on your account, a warrant for your arrest, an unpaid tax bill, or a parcel held pending payment. The message creates urgency and often instructs you not to tell anyone else, including branch staff, “to protect the investigation.” Some versions escalate to asking you to install remote access software or move money to a “safe account” that is, in fact, controlled by the criminal.
The single most important fact to know
UK Finance and Take Five are direct on this: your bank, the police, and genuine government bodies will never ask you to transfer money to a “safe account,” never ask you to withdraw cash and hand it to a courier, and never ask you to purchase gift cards to resolve a supposed problem. Any message asking for one of these specific actions is a scam, regardless of how convincing the rest of the communication is. Take Five itself also warns that criminals sometimes impersonate the Take Five campaign directly — the campaign will never text or call you asking you to share information or transfer money either.
Warning signs to watch for
- Urgency and pressure to act “right now,” before you have time to think or check independently
- Being told to keep the call or situation secret from family, friends, or bank branch staff
- A request to move money to a new “safe” account, even if framed as protecting your funds
- A request to install remote access or screen-sharing software so someone can “help” resolve the issue
- Caller ID that appears to show your bank’s genuine number — caller ID can be spoofed and is not proof of who’s actually calling
- A request for a one-time passcode or PIN sent to your phone — no genuine bank or official body will ever ask you to read this out
How to check any unexpected contact is genuine
- Hang up or stop responding, and contact the organisation using a number or address you already know to be correct — from your bank card, a previous statement, or the organisation’s official website typed directly into your browser, never a number or link from the suspicious message itself.
- Wait a few minutes before calling back on a landline, since some scams have kept the original phone line open to intercept a callback attempt — use a different phone if possible, or a mobile.
- Remember that no genuine bank, police officer, or government official will ever ask you to move money to keep it safe, withdraw cash for collection, or buy gift cards to resolve a debt or fine.
If you think you’ve been targeted
- Contact your bank immediately using their official number if you’ve made a payment or shared account details — acting fast improves the chance of recovering funds
- Do not make any further payments, even if told it’s needed to “reverse” the first one — that request is itself part of the same scam
- Report it to Action Fraud (actionfraud.police.uk or 0300 123 2040)
- Tell a family member or trusted person, particularly if you feel embarrassed — these scams are specifically designed to be convincing, and reporting helps protect others too