What to do if…
you receive an urgent notice about a missed loan payment you thought was covered

What to do now

1. Pause and check whether the notice could be a scam.
   Red flags include: heavy pressure to pay “right now”, unusual payment methods, or requests for passwords/one-time codes. If you’re unsure, treat it as suspicious until you confirm.

2. Contact the lender using a trusted route (not the notice).
   Use the phone number on your latest statement, your lender’s secure app, or the lender’s official website (typed into your browser). Ask them to:

   • confirm the exact instalment date/amount they believe is unpaid
   • check whether your payment was received but not allocated (wrong reference, wrong account, posting delay)
   • note the account as disputed while they investigate

3. Pull together “proof in 3 minutes”.
   Gather and save copies of:

   • the payment confirmation (bank transfer receipt, card confirmation, Direct Debit entry)
   • the bank statement line showing the outgoing payment (or the failed attempt)
   • any recent message about changed details (new bank account, new card, changed due date)
     Keep originals—share copies only.

4. If it should have been a Direct Debit, check for “taken / rejected / refunded”.
   In your bank transactions, look for the Direct Debit and whether it later shows as unpaid/reversed/refunded. If money was taken on the wrong day, for the wrong amount, or in error/without proper authorisation, ask your bank about using the Direct Debit Guarantee for a refund.
   If your issue is a wider dispute with the lender (not a collection error), the Guarantee generally won’t decide that dispute—but it can still help if the collection itself was wrong.

5. Ask for a clear “status snapshot” while you’re on the line.
   Ask the lender to tell you:

   • what they show as outstanding (amount and due date)
   • what fees/arrears interest have been added (and to pause/waive if this is their error)
   • whether anything has already been reported to a credit reference agency, and if not, to hold off while it’s investigated

6. If the notice is from a debt collector, slow it down and get it in writing.
   Confirm who the original lender is and ask for written details of the alleged missed payment. State plainly: “I dispute this and I’m contacting the original lender directly.”

7. Create a paper trail today.
   After the call, send a short secure message/email summarising: date/time, who you spoke to, what you said, and what they agreed to do. Save it.

8. Check your credit file once the lender confirms what happened.
   If the lender says they have reported a missed payment—or you suspect they might—check your file with the UK credit reference agencies (they can differ). If something is wrong, raise it with the lender and also with the agency showing the error.

9. If it isn’t resolved promptly, move to the formal complaints track.
   Submit a complaint to the lender stating: payment made/attempted on [date], treated as missed, request correction of account status/fees/any credit reporting, and written confirmation.
   If you still can’t get it resolved, you can usually take it to the Financial Ombudsman Service after the lender issues a final response or after the lender has had the allowed time to respond (often up to 8 weeks; some payment-related complaints can have shorter timeframes).

10. If you think it’s fraud, report it through the national fraud reporting service.
    If you’re in England, Wales or Northern Ireland, you can report suspected fraud to Report Fraud (formerly Action Fraud). If you’re in Scotland, consider reporting via the police non-emergency route (101) or follow the Scotland-specific options on the fraud reporting service.