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 for scam signs.
   Treat it as suspicious if it pressures you to pay immediately, asks for unusual payment methods, asks for one-time codes, or gives bank details that do not match your lender’s usual details.

2. Contact the lender through a trusted route.
   Use the number on your latest statement, the lender’s secure app, or the official website typed into your browser. Ask them to confirm:

   • the exact instalment date and amount they believe is unpaid
   • whether a payment was received but not allocated because of a wrong reference, wrong account, or posting delay
   • that the account is noted as disputed while they investigate

3. Save proof of what happened.
   Keep copies of:

   • the payment confirmation or bank transfer receipt
   • the bank statement line showing the outgoing payment, failed payment, reversal, or refund
   • any message about changed payment details, changed card details, a new due date, or a new bank account Share copies only, not originals.

4. If it should have been a Direct Debit, check the transaction history.
   Look for whether the Direct Debit was taken, rejected, reversed, refunded, or not attempted. If money was taken on the wrong day, for the wrong amount, or in error, ask your bank or building society about a Direct Debit Guarantee refund. The Guarantee can help with collection errors, but it does not decide a wider dispute about whether you owe the lender money.

5. Ask for a status snapshot before the call ends.
   Ask the lender:

   • what amount they show as outstanding
   • what fees or arrears interest have been added
   • whether anything has already been reported to a credit reference agency
   • whether they can pause fees, collection activity, or credit-file reporting while they check a possible error

6. If the notice is from a debt collector, slow it down.
   Ask for written details of the alleged missed payment and the original lender. Say: “I dispute this and I am contacting the original lender directly.” Do not pay the collector until you have checked the debt is genuine and correctly assigned to them.

7. Create a paper trail today.
   After any call, send a short secure message or email summarising the date, time, who you spoke to, what you said, and what they agreed to check. Save screenshots or copies.

8. Check your credit file if the lender says a missed payment was reported.
   UK credit reference agencies can hold different information. If a missed-payment marker is wrong, raise it with the lender and with the agency showing the error.

9. Use the formal complaints route if it is not being fixed.
   Send the lender a complaint saying the payment was made or attempted, the account has been treated as missed, and you want the account status, fees, collection activity, and any credit reporting corrected. A financial business usually has up to 8 weeks to answer most complaints; some payment-services complaints have shorter response times.

10. If you think it is fraud, report it through a trusted route.
    Contact your bank immediately if you paid money or shared security details. Use Take Five and Report Fraud routes for suspected fraud; in Scotland, you can also use Police Scotland or 101 where appropriate.