Money for Operators field guide / UK edition

Personal Fraud Hygiene

You do not need to outsmart every criminal. You need a small set of defaults that reduce the chance of being rushed, impersonated, locked out or persuaded to move money before you verify the story.

Updated: 1 July 2026
Use: Set up once, review every quarter
Scope: UK personal and founder accounts

Money moving right now?

Stop contact. Call your bank from its app, the back of your card or 159. Ask for the fraud team.

Do not use the number, link or transfer instructions sent by the caller. If money has gone, ask the bank to attempt a recall and open a scam claim immediately.

Most fraud does not begin with a technical masterstroke. It begins with borrowed authority and manufactured urgency: your bank, your boss, HMRC, a platform, a supplier, a friend. The control is not suspicion. It is independent verification.

The house ruleNo unexpected caller gets money, credentials, one-time codes, screen access or a same-call decision.

Threat model

Protect the accounts that can reset everything else

Asset	What compromise unlocks	Priority control
Primary email	Password resets, private documents, identity and contact history	Passkey or unique password, strong 2SV, recovery review
Mobile number	SMS codes, account recovery and impersonation	Carrier account PIN and SIM-swap/port-out controls
Banking	Payments, cards, new payees and personal data	App security, alerts, transfer limits and separate verification
Password manager	Access to every stored credential	Strong master credential, 2SV/passkey and recovery plan
Social / messaging	Trust of friends, family, colleagues and customers	2SV, privacy controls and verified recovery details
Company admin	Invoices, payroll, domains, cloud data and supplier payments	Separate admin accounts and two-person payment changes

Money movement

A protocol for changed details and urgent payments

Stop
Urgency is information. Pause even when the story is plausible.
Leave the channel
Do not reply, click or call the number supplied in the message.
Verify independently
Use the bank app, the number on the card, a saved contact or an official register.
Verify the change
For new bank details, call a known person and confirm account name, sort code and account number.
Add friction
Use a cooling-off period and a second approver for large or unusual payments.
Record
Keep who requested, who verified, the channel used and the payment reference.

My household or company knows that banks and police do not ask for transfers to a “safe account”. No supplier bank-detail change is accepted through email alone. No caller receives a one-time code, PIN, password or screen-sharing access. Large payments have a second-person or next-day check.

Pattern library

The costume changes. The mechanics repeat.

Authority

Bank / police impersonation

“Your account is unsafe.” The transfer is the theft. End the call and contact the bank independently.

Opportunity

Investment / clone firm

Polished material and a real firm's reference number can still be copied. Use the FCA Firm Checker and its listed contact details.

Administration

HMRC / Companies House

Refunds, penalties, identity checks and fake invoices create urgency. Navigate to GOV.UK yourself.

Access

Screen-sharing support

A helpful caller asks you to install software or share a screen. No genuine bank needs control of your device.

Relationship

Romance / family emergency

Trust is built before the financial crisis appears. Verify identity outside the existing conversation.

Second loss

Recovery scam

Victims are targeted again by people promising recovery for an upfront fee. Treat every recovery approach as hostile until independently verified.

Incident response

What to do after the mistake

You clicked, but entered nothing

Close the page.
Do not download or open anything.
Update the browser/device and run its built-in security scan.
Report the URL to the NCSC.

You shared a password or code

From a clean device, secure the email account first.
Change the affected credential and revoke sessions.
Reset reused passwords.
Check forwarding rules, recovery details and recent activity.

You sent money

Call the bank's fraud team immediately.
Ask it to attempt a recall and open an APP scam claim.
Save messages, account details, receipts and timestamps.
Report to Report Fraud or Police Scotland.

You installed remote-access software

Disconnect the device from the internet.
Contact banks from another device.
Remove the software and seek trusted technical help.
Change credentials only after the device is clean.

Your mobile suddenly loses service

Contact the network from another phone.
Ask whether a SIM swap or number port occurred.
Secure email and financial accounts.
Tell banks the number may be compromised.

I have saved my bank's genuine fraud number outside my email inbox. A trusted person knows where my recovery codes and incident plan are kept. I know how to freeze cards and revoke device sessions. I will preserve evidence before deleting messages or resetting a device.

APP scams

Reimbursement helps. Speed still matters.

For qualifying UK Faster Payments and CHAPS APP scam claims, the mandatory regime generally covers consumers, microenterprises and qualifying charities. The standard maximum is £85,000 per claim. Most reimbursable claims should be resolved within five business days, although firms can take longer in some cases.

Standard maximum£85,000

Optional excessUp to £100

Report to bankImmediately

Coverage has exclusions and conditions. Payment firms may assess whether a claim is in scope and whether the consumer standard of caution was met. Vulnerable consumers receive additional protections. If dissatisfied, use the firm's complaint process and then the Financial Ombudsman Service.

Reporting matrix

Send the report to the place that can act on it

What happened	First report	Route
Money or bank credentials at risk	Your bank or payment provider	Official app, number on card or 159
Fraud/cybercrime in England, Wales or Northern Ireland	Report Fraud	Online or 0300 123 2040
Fraud in Scotland	Police Scotland	101; 999 in an emergency
Suspicious email	NCSC	Forward to report@phishing.gov.uk
Suspicious mobile text/call	Mobile network	Forward/report to 7726
Investment or authorised-firm impersonation	FCA	FCA scam reporting and Firm Checker
HMRC impersonation	HMRC	phishing@hmrc.gov.uk; suspicious texts to 60599

Maintenance

A quarterly ten-minute review

Review email forwarding rules, recovery methods and signed-in devices. Remove unused apps and revoke unnecessary third-party access. Check bank and card alerts, limits and saved payees. Update devices and test one backup and one recovery code. Review what public posts reveal about travel, wealth, family and company transactions. Rehearse the payment-verification rule with family or the company finance team.

Official references

Keep these routes somewhere trustworthy

Reporting services and reimbursement rules can change. This guide was checked against official material available on 1 July 2026.