Mobile scams in the UK

Why this section exists

If you have just received a suspicious text, a call from someone claiming to be your bank's fraud team, or a WhatsApp message from a "new number" asking for money, your first reaction is to search online and find out whether it is real. That search should land you on a clear, honest, UK-specific guide. Most do not.

The UK loses over one billion pounds to scams a year (UK Finance Annual Fraud Report 2025). The single biggest growth area is smishing (SMS scams), with a 40 per cent increase between 2024 and 2025. Most scams now arrive via the device you are reading this on. This section is our attempt to cover those scams properly: one article per scam pattern, with sources, sample messages anonymised and the precise report channels for the UK.

Who writes these guides

These articles are edited by Rafael Tuñón, a cybersecurity awareness specialist (see LinkedIn). The professional focus is teaching people to recognise phishing, impersonation and social engineering, which is exactly what every article here is about. The editorial line is independent: no paid placements, no affiliate-driven recommendations.

The editorial workflow uses AI tools to gather and structure information quickly, then a human editor verifies every numeric claim, sample message and report channel against primary sources (Action Fraud, NCSC, UK Finance, the official statements of the impersonated company or government department) before publication.

Our rules for these articles

• No live malicious URLs. Sample messages are anonymised. Where a scam URL appears in a sample, it is replaced with a placeholder so no reader can click through by accident.
• No scammer phone numbers. Caller ID spoofing means the number on a scam call almost always belongs to an innocent person whose number was spoofed by the scammer. We never publish those.
• Figures are sourced. Every loss figure, report count and date links back to a primary source. If we cannot verify a figure, we say so rather than invent.
• Every article ends with what to do. The right UK report channel (`7726`, Action Fraud, `60599` for HMRC, the impersonated company's own fraud team) and, where relevant, the consumer's rights under the Payment Systems Regulator's mandatory APP fraud reimbursement scheme.

The guides

• The "suspicious activity" bank call scam in the UK: the safe-account trick exposed
  May 23, 2026 · Fake calls from your "bank fraud team" asking you to move money to a safe account are a top UK scam. Here is the script, the warning signs and your right to reimbursement.
• The fake Vodafone bill SMS scam in the UK: how to spot it and what to do
  May 23, 2026 · Fake Vodafone billing and refund texts are surging across the UK. Here is what the messages look like, what the scammers actually want, and how to report and protect yourself.
• The "Hi Mum" WhatsApp scam in the UK: how it works and what to do if you have been targeted
  May 23, 2026 · The "Hi Mum" WhatsApp scam targets UK parents and family members with urgent messages from a "new number". Here is how the scam works, the AI evolution to watch for, and how to verify.
• The HMRC tax refund SMS scam in the UK: how to spot it and what to report
  May 23, 2026 · Fake HMRC refund and "tax owed" texts are sent in their hundreds of thousands across the UK. Here is what they look like, what HMRC actually does, and how to report them properly.
• The missed delivery SMS scam in the UK: Royal Mail, Evri, DPD and DHL impersonation
  May 23, 2026 · Fake missed-delivery texts pretending to be Royal Mail, Evri, DPD or DHL are now one of the most common smishing campaigns in the UK. Here is what to look for and what to do.

If you have just been scammed

Three steps in order:

1. If you transferred money, contact your bank immediately on the number on the back of your card (not on any number the caller gave you). Banks in the UK are required by the Payment Systems Regulator to reimburse most authorised push payment fraud up to £85,000.
2. If you clicked a link or shared data, change the password of every account that uses the affected email or phone number, starting with online banking and email itself.
3. Report it to Action Fraud at actionfraud.police.uk or by phone on 0300 123 2040. For suspicious texts, forward them to 7726 (free, every UK operator).