How to report a dating scam in the UK

If you think you've been scammed by someone you met online, act today rather than after a night's sleep. Money moves fast, and banks and police can do far more in the first few hours. Every number below was checked on 17 and 18 October 2026.

A dating scam, or romance fraud, is when someone builds a connection with you online in order to get money, financial details or intimate images from you. It's reportable even if you didn't lose anything.

Who to contact, at a glance

1. If you've sent money, call your bank first

Ring your bank before anyone else. Use 159, which connects you to most major UK banks and, according to Stop Scams UK, can't be spoofed by fraudsters; or use the number on the back of your card. Tell them it's a scam and ask them to stop or recall the payment.

If you paid by UK bank transfer (Faster Payments or CHAPS) on or after 7 October 2024, you're covered by the Payment Systems Regulator's reimbursement rules:

• Banks must reimburse most victims, up to £85,000 per claim.
• You must report it to your bank within 13 months of the payment.
• Banks can deduct an excess of up to £100, but not for vulnerable customers.
• Card, cash and cheque payments have separate protections; ask your bank what applies.

For a card payment, Citizens Advice explains that you can ask your card provider for a chargeback, the process for reversing a card payment, and that it's best to ask in writing. If you're unhappy with your bank's decision, you can take your complaint to the Financial Ombudsman Service, free of charge.

2. Report it to the police

Where you report depends on where you live: Report Fraud for England, Wales and Northern Ireland, and Police Scotland for Scotland.

England, Wales and Northern Ireland: report to Report Fraud, online or on 0300 123 2040.

Scotland: report to Police Scotland on 101, or through its online contact form. Report Fraud asks people in Scotland to report via 101.

In danger, or a crime happening now: call 999 anywhere in the UK.

3. Report the profile on Local Slags

Report the member through the members help centre with their username, the date you were in touch, and screenshots if you have them. Profiles are shared across partner sites in the same network, so mention if they contacted you from one of those. Report Fraud's own advice is to report anyone who asks for money to the dating service straight away.

4. Report the messages and links

• Scam texts: forward them free to 7726.
• Scam emails: forward them to report@phishing.gov.uk.

Don't click links or reply first; just forward and delete.

If you shared card details, passwords or ID

Money isn't the only thing scammers are after. If you handed over card details, log-ins or a photo of your ID:

1. Call your bank on 159 or the number on your card, and ask them to block the card and watch the account.
2. Change passwords for any account whose password you shared or reused, starting with email and banking.
3. Check your bank statements regularly for anything unusual, as Report Fraud advises.
4. Check your credit file every few months, and follow up anything you don't recognise.
5. Consider Cifas services, from the UK fraud prevention service, which Report Fraud suggests for extra protection against fraud.

If it's sextortion

If someone is threatening to share intimate images or video of you unless you pay, the steps change slightly:

• Don't pay. Report Fraud says paying doesn't guarantee the threats stop and often leads to more demands.
• Stop contact and block them, but keep the messages, usernames and any payment details as evidence.
• Report it to the police on 101, or 999 if you're at immediate risk.
• Get help with the images from the Revenge Porn Helpline, and if you were 18 or over in them, StopNCII.org can help stop copies appearing on participating platforms.

Our guide to spotting a fake profile explains how these approaches usually start, and the discretion guide covers keeping your images and identity under your control.

What to have ready

You'll get a quicker, more useful report if you gather:

• The profile name and username, and the site or app where you first spoke
• Screenshots of messages, especially any request for money or images
• Phone numbers, email addresses and social media accounts they used
• Dates, amounts and methods of every payment, with bank details or wallet addresses
• Any photos they sent you

Don't delete the conversation, even if you want to. It's evidence.

Watch out for the second scam

After a scam, victims are sometimes contacted by people claiming to be from a recovery firm, a law firm or the police, offering to get the money back for a fee. Report Fraud warns that fraudsters re-establish contact with previous victims in exactly this way: end the call with anyone claiming they can get your money back. Never pay someone to recover a loss.

Getting support

Romance fraud hurts in two ways: the money, and the feeling of having been played. Report Fraud is clear that it's never the victim's fault, and notes that for almost a third of people targeted, the fraud spans more than a year, so you're far from the only one who didn't spot it straight away.

• England and Wales: Victim Support offers free, confidential help on 08 08 16 89 111.
• Scotland: Victim Support Scotland's free helpline is 0800 160 1985, 8am to 8pm Monday to Friday and 10am to 4pm at weekends.

When you're ready to date again, the meeting safely checklist and the safety and consent page are good places to start.