Action Fraud, the national reporting center for fraud and scams is located in England and Wales as well as Northern Ireland. It collects reports and passes them to police forces to investigate.
What is Action Fraud?
Action Fraud is a UK-based national reporting centre that focuses on fraud and cybercrime. People can report viruses and scams they’ve seen or experienced calling the Action Fraud number. It deals with crimes related to financial and online fraud in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
The online reporting tool allows you to report fraud, such as attempts at a scam. This tool is available 24 hours per day. It’s free and easy to use. They can help you decide what to do.
All reports received are sent to the National Fraud Intelligence Bureau (NFIB) which assesses them to identify those cases that should be referred to police forces for investigation. This helps build a picture of fraud and cyber-based crime in the country. The NFIB is run by City of London Police which is the leading force for fraud investigations across England, Wales, and Northern Ireland.
How do I report fraud?
Action Fraud should be notified immediately if you have been a victim of fraud or scam. They are the UK national reporting centre and can be contacted on 0300 123 2040 or via their online reporting tool. They can assist you in identifying the type of crime that you have experienced, and provide support and advice. They can also refer the case to the police, who can investigate and bring the perpetrators of the crime to justice.
You can use the online reporting tool quickly and easily. You can register, login, or continue as an unregistered guest. The reporting tool will lead you through a series questions to determine what happened. Advisors are available via web chat to provide support and help if necessary. The more information you provide, the more likely it is that the fraudsters will be caught and brought to justice.
All Action Fraud reports are sent to the National Fraud Intelligence Bureau. This bureau assesses all reports and matches them with reports of cybercrime and fraud. The information is then passed on to all police forces in the UK, so that they can investigate.
The police will not guarantee that the case you are involved in will be investigated. However, they do encourage anyone with information about frauds and scams to contact them. This will allow you to get a better picture of the crime and prevent other people from becoming victims. It is important that you report the crime immediately so the information is fresh and the criminals can’t use it.
You can report a crime to the City of London Police directly by calling either 101 or, in an urgent situation, 999. They deal with all types of fraud and cyber crime related to finances and can be contacted on 0300 333 4444 or via their online reporting tool. You can also report a crime for someone else, but you will need their permission. They cannot help get your money back that you have lost but they can try to track the criminals down.
What happens to my report?
When you submit an Action Fraud report, it will be sent to the National Fraud Intelligence Bureau for assessment. The NFIB is hosted by City of London Police (the UK’s lead force in fraud and cybercrime). It assesses all reports across the country and selects those that offer the best chance for police forces to investigate. In some cases they may need to contact you for more information, this will always be in line with data protection laws. Age NI will not see your report.
Refundee can also be used to recover your money from your bank. This is separate from Action Fraud, and they won’t share your information.
Can I contact Action Fraud?
All reports to Action Fraud are sent to the National Fraud Intelligence Bureau (NFIB) for assessment. This ensures that the most serious cases are identified and sent directly to the police for investigation. Action Fraud cannot guarantee an investigation or give you information about the status of your case because it is not an investigating body.
If you’ve lost money to investment scams, a romance scam, impersonation fraud or invoice scams, it is important that you report these crimes to Action Fraud. They can track down scammers and assist you in getting your money back. They can also give you a crime reference number to use when trying to get your money back from your bank.
Action Fraud’s online reporting tool allows you to report a scam, fraud or other fraudulent activity at any time. You can also contact them by telephone, email or web chat – advisors are available 24 hours a day to help and advise.
Action Fraud is a UK national reporting center for fraud and cybercrime. City of London Police and the National Fraud Intelligence Bureau work together to assess and distribute reported information based on agreed guidelines.
Action Fraud Alert provides free information on the latest scams, frauds and scams that target your locality. The information is delivered to you by email, recorded voice or text message – it’s completely free to sign up and you can unsubscribe instantly. It’s managed by the City of London Police and used by Police, Neighbourhood Watch, Crimestoppers, Fire & Rescue Services and many other organisations nationwide.