Someone calls claiming to be from your bank, the police, or even a relative in trouble. They sound convincing, they know some details about you, and they need your help right now. It feels real, but it’s actually one of the most common ways criminals steal money and personal information.
Impersonation scams work because they copy organisations and people you already trust. Instead of trying to convince you to trust a stranger, they pretend to be someone you already have a relationship with. When your “bank” calls about suspicious activity, your first thought isn’t usually suspicion – it’s worry about your money.
That split second of concern is exactly what scammers need to get past your usual caution. They create a crisis, offer to help solve it, and guide you through steps that seem reasonable in the moment but are actually designed to steal from you.
Common types of impersonation scams
Understanding the most frequent approaches can help you recognise them:
Financial institution scams:
- Claim suspicious activity on your account
- Ask you to move money to a “safe account”
- Request card details to “verify” your identity
- Create urgency about immediate action needed
Police impersonation scams:
- Claim your money needs to be withdrawn as “evidence”
- Ask for cash payments as part of fake investigations
- Use official-sounding language and reference numbers
- Pressure you not to discuss the “investigation” with others
Family emergency scams:
- Pretend to be relatives in trouble abroad or in hospital
- Use information from social media to sound convincing
- Create emotional urgency about needing money immediately
- Often target grandparents claiming grandchildren need help
Government department scams:
- Fake HMRC calls about tax refunds or money owed
- Claim immediate action needed to avoid penalties
- Request payment via unusual methods like gift vouchers
- Create artificial deadlines to pressure quick decisions
How to spot the warning signs
Real emergencies involving your money or official matters rarely require you to act within minutes. Most legitimate issues can wait while you verify what’s actually happening through proper channels.
Be suspicious of anyone who discourages you from talking to family, friends, or other professionals before taking action. Genuine authority figures understand that people want to double-check important financial decisions.
Pay attention to requests that don’t match how organisations normally operate. Banks don’t ask customers to move money to “safe accounts” because they have better ways of protecting accounts. Police don’t collect evidence by asking for cash payments. Government departments have established processes for handling tax issues that don’t involve gift vouchers or emergency payments.
If someone claims to be from an organisation you deal with, ask specific questions about your account or situation. Real representatives can give you detailed information about your actual circumstances, while scammers often give vague answers or deflect these questions.
Simple steps to protect yourself
The most effective protection is independent verification through these steps:
The verification process:
- End the suspicious contact – hang up or stop responding to messages
- Look up official contact details independently – don’t use numbers or links provided by the caller
- Contact the organisation directly using verified phone numbers or websites
- Ask about the claimed issue – real problems will still exist when you call back
For family emergency claims:
- Hang up and call the person who supposedly needs help directly
- Contact other family members to verify the situation
- Remember that real emergencies don’t disappear when you take time to check
Questions to ask yourself:
- Does this request match how this organisation normally operates?
- Am I being pressured to act immediately without time to think?
- Would they really handle this situation in this way?
- Why won’t they let me verify this independently?
If something feels wrong, even if you can’t identify exactly what it is, trust that feeling. It’s better to double-check a legitimate contact than to fall victim to a sophisticated scam.
Don’t try to outsmart scammers
You might be tempted to play along with obvious scams to waste the criminal’s time or teach them a lesson, but this can actually put you at more risk. Engaging with scammers, even if you think you’re being clever about it, can confirm that your phone number is active and lead to more scam attempts.
It can also be harder than you think to stay in control of these conversations. Scammers are experienced at manipulation and might trick you into revealing information even when you think you’re being careful.
The safest approach is to end any suspicious contact immediately and verify the situation through official channels.
If you’ve been targeted
If you receive suspicious contact from someone impersonating an organisation or person you know, report it even if you didn’t fall for the scam. You can contact Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040 or through their website to report attempted fraud.
If you think you’ve given personal or financial information to a scammer, act quickly. Contact your bank immediately to secure your accounts and consider whether you need to change passwords or take other protective steps.
Don’t feel embarrassed about being targeted – these scams are sophisticated and can fool anyone. The important thing is to get help quickly if you think you might have been caught out.
Why awareness matters
Understanding how these scams work helps protect not just you, but also your friends and family. Scammers often target the same communities repeatedly, so sharing knowledge about their tactics can help protect everyone.
Some people are more vulnerable to certain types of scams – elderly relatives might be targeted with fake emergency calls about grandchildren, while people in financial difficulty might receive fake offers of help from banks or government agencies.
Having open conversations about these tactics creates a network of informed people who can spot and avoid these scams. It also means that if someone does fall victim, they have support from people who understand that these criminals use sophisticated psychological techniques.
The bottom line
Impersonation scams succeed because they exploit our trust in institutions and our care for people we’re close to. But once you know what to look for, they become much easier to spot and avoid.
The key is remembering that legitimate organisations have proper procedures for handling real problems, and these procedures don’t involve asking customers to do complicated or stressful things over the phone.
When in doubt, always verify independently. Real emergencies don’t disappear when you take a few minutes to check whether they’re genuine, but fake ones usually do.
Your natural caution isn’t something to overcome – it’s something to trust. If a situation feels wrong or rushed, there’s probably a good reason for that feeling.
