Sharing bank details does not always mean money will be taken, but it is a reason to act quickly and let your bank assess the risk.
Use the steps below to slow the situation down, verify the claim through a separate route and protect yourself without giving the suspicious contact more information.
Contact your bank through a trusted route
The NCSC advises contacting your bank if you have provided banking details to a scammer. Use the number on your physical card, the bank’s official app or another contact route you already know is genuine.
Tell the bank exactly what was shared
Explain whether you disclosed card numbers, account and sort-code details, online-banking credentials, one-time codes, security answers or approved any requests in your banking app. Different information creates different risks.
Secure related accounts
Change any password you disclosed and any reused copies. Review recovery email addresses, phone numbers and multi-factor authentication settings if there is any reason to think an online account may have been accessed.
Monitor rather than guessing
Check account activity and alerts for transactions or changes you do not recognise. Follow the bank’s advice on cards, transfers or account restrictions rather than trying to determine the risk from the scammer’s claims.
Keep and report the evidence
Save messages, numbers, URLs, payment references and screenshots. If money is lost or an account is compromised, report it using the current UK fraud-reporting route for your location.
Practical checklist
Quick checklist
- Contact your bank using a trusted route
- Explain exactly what information you shared
- Change exposed and reused passwords
- Review account security settings
- Monitor for unfamiliar activity
- Preserve and report evidence where appropriate
Official UK guidance
Scam techniques and reporting routes change. These official sources were checked when this guide was updated: