What to do if…
your credit card statement shows a cash advance you did not make

What to do now

1. Contact your card provider’s fraud team using an official route.
   Say: “There is an unauthorised cash advance on my credit card statement.” Ask them to:

   • freeze or cancel the card and issue a replacement;
   • block cash advances or cash withdrawals on the account if they can;
   • confirm the date, time, amount, and ATM or location details they can see;
   • tell you whether they need a form, written confirmation, or a crime reference number.

2. Treat the PIN and account access as possibly compromised.
   Ask the provider how to reset or replace your PIN. From a trusted device, change your online banking password and remove any unfamiliar trusted devices if your app lets you see them.

3. Check whether this looks like card theft, card cloning, or account takeover.
   Physically check whether your credit card is still with you. In your account settings, check whether your phone number, email address, postal address, or login details have been changed.

4. Look for other suspicious activity on the same account.
   Check recent and pending transactions, cash advance fees, and cash advance interest. Turn on instant transaction alerts if your provider offers them.

5. Save what you can see now.
   Screenshot or photograph the statement line. Note the amount, date, time, reference, and location shown. Write down when you contacted the provider and any case or reference number.

6. Report the fraud through the correct police route for where you live.

   • England, Wales, or Northern Ireland: report it to Report Fraud online, or call 0300 123 2040.
   • Scotland: report it to Police Scotland on 101.
   • Use 999 only if there is immediate danger or a crime is happening now.

7. Consider an identity fraud warning only if your wider details may be exposed.
   Cifas Protective Registration may be worth considering if you have missing post, unknown new accounts, several unexpected credit checks, or other signs that your identity details may be being used.

8. If the provider refuses to help or delays, start a formal complaint.
   Tell the provider you want to make a formal complaint and ask for the complaint reference. You can usually take the complaint to the Financial Ombudsman Service after a final response, or if the relevant response deadline has passed. Some payment complaints have shorter response times; most other complaints have an eight-week response period. After a final response, there is usually a six-month limit to refer it.