How do I know a call from my bank is really my bank?

This is the highest-value fraud in the UK and it does not rely on you being careless. The callers are calm, informed and patient, they often know recent transactions, and the whole approach is built to make hanging up feel rude.

Safety

Step by step

1. Know that the number on your screen can be faked.Caller ID is not verified. A fraudulent call can display your bank's genuine published number, and a scam text can land inside the same thread as real messages from your bank.
2. Recognise the opening.Almost always a claim of suspicious activity, an attempted payment you did not make, or a compromised account. The purpose is to create fear and put you on their side against a supposed third party.
3. Watch for the three requests that are always fraud.Move money to a new 'safe account'. Read out a code sent by text. Install remote access software so they can 'secure' the computer. No genuine organisation makes any of these requests, ever.
4. Notice the pressure to stay on the line.You will be discouraged from hanging up, told not to tell the cashier, or asked to stay connected while you check. That is because the call must not be broken.
5. Hang up regardless.This is the entire defence. Politeness is what the script relies on. If it were genuine, hanging up and calling back costs you nothing.
6. Call back the right way.Use the number on the back of your card, or the bank's app, or dial 159 where your bank participates. Ideally use a different phone, or wait several minutes — an old landline trick was to hold the line open.
7. Never let anyone talk you through a payment.Including someone claiming to be the police, a courier collecting a card, or a fraud team testing an account. Genuine investigations never involve you moving your own money.
8. Report it either way.Tell your bank even if you gave nothing away, and report to Action Fraud. Patterns matter, and a report on your account can flag later attempts.

Tips

• Agree a rule with older relatives in advance: any call about money ends with 'I will call you back', with no exceptions and no embarrassment.
• 159 is a memorable short code that routes you to your own bank securely. Not every bank participates, so check whether yours does before you need it.
• A code arriving that you did not request means someone already has your password. Change it, and never read the code to anyone.

Common mistakes

• Treating the caller ID as proof — Spoofing is trivial and widespread. A call showing the bank's real number is the normal state of this fraud, not a reassurance.
• Verifying by calling a number the caller gave you — It reaches their colleague. Only a number you already had — on the card, in the app, on a statement — is independent.

If it doesn't work

Questions people ask