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What to do if…
you receive a fraud text or call claiming your account will be closed unless you act now

Short answer

Stop engaging. Don’t click, reply, or share codes. End the call or close the message and contact your bank using a trusted route (dial 159 or the number on your card/statement).

Do not do these things

  • Don’t click any link, scan any QR code, or install any “security” app they suggest.
  • Don’t read out one-time passcodes, card reader codes, PINs, or full passwords — even if they say they’re “verifying you”.
  • Don’t approve anything in your banking app because someone on the phone told you to.
  • Don’t move money to a “safe/secure account” because someone told you to.
  • Don’t call back the number shown in the text/call or press keys to “confirm” anything.
  • Don’t keep talking to “prove” it’s real. The urgency is the trick.

What to do now

  1. Break contact immediately.
    • If it’s a call: hang up.
    • If it’s a text: don’t reply; don’t tap anything; just leave it.
  2. Check your account using your normal, trusted method.
    Open your banking app (the one you already use) or type your bank’s web address yourself. Look for:
    • payments you don’t recognise (including “pending”)
    • new payees/beneficiaries you didn’t add
    • changes to your contact details (email/phone)
  3. Contact your bank safely (not via the message).
    • Dial 159 (works for most major UK retail banks; if it doesn’t connect you, use the number on your card/statement), or
    • Call the number on the back of your card / your statement.
      Say: “I received an urgent ‘account will be closed’ text/call. Please check my account for fraud and note this on my file.”
  4. If you clicked, shared details, or approved anything, say so plainly.
    Tell the bank if you: entered details in a link, shared a code, approved a payment, moved money, downloaded an app, or allowed screen sharing/remote access. Ask them to:
    • secure/freeze the account and reset security
    • cancel/replace cards
    • remove suspicious payees and review recent payee changes
    • stop/recall any payments that haven’t completed yet
  5. Secure your access (from a safe device).
    Change your banking password and your email password (email is often the reset route). Turn on the strongest sign-in security your bank offers.
    • If you installed an app you didn’t already have, or allowed remote access/screen sharing, stop using that device for banking until it’s been checked/cleaned.
  6. Report the text so it can be blocked.
    Forward suspicious texts to 7726 (free). Then use your phone’s block/report-spam options (blocking won’t stop spoofing, but it can reduce repeats).
  7. Report it to the UK reporting route for your nation.
    • England, Wales, Northern Ireland: report via Report Fraud (Action Fraud) (online or by phone).
    • Scotland: report to Police Scotland by calling 101.
      Keep a screenshot of the message, the number (if visible), and the time/date.

What can wait

  • You don’t need to decide right now whether to change banks, change your phone number, or replace your handset.
  • You don’t need to “investigate” who contacted you or confront them.
  • You can do fuller reporting after your account is secured; the priority is stopping loss and locking down access.

Important reassurance

These “act now or your account closes” scams are designed to trigger panic and push you into rushing. Hanging up and contacting your bank through a trusted route is the safest response — even if the message looks convincing.

Scope note

This is first-steps-only guidance to stop immediate loss and secure access. If money has left your account or your identity details were shared, you may need extra steps with your bank and the relevant reporting/support services.

Important note

This is general information, not legal or financial advice. If you’re unsure whether a message is genuine, treat it as suspicious and verify using contact details you already trust (159, or numbers on your card/statement).

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