Dealing with investment scams
Last updated: 30/07/2026
This Guide is designed to support individuals who have realised that they have sent money to a scam investment scheme. The Guide includes the practical steps you can take to limit the damage, how to preserve evidence, look after your well-being and where you can get specialist support and report the crime in the UK.
What is an investment scam?
An investment scam is when you are tricked into handing over money in the belief that you are making an investment. You may be contacted out of the blue about this investment, see it advertised online, be told about it by someone online, or be contacted via a social media post ‘comment’ section. There will likely be urgency around making the investment and the promise of returns is likely to be far greater than other investments are offering.
They may also have asked you to keep the investment quiet. Usually the investment opportunity doesn’t exist or the investment does exist, but the criminal takes the money and does not invest it. The criminal may have a website and investment platform that looks legitimate. The website might even have a section where you can see your investment and profits. You may also have an ‘Account Manager’ who is messaging you about your investment. The criminal is likely to disappear with the money and/or ask you to pay taxes or fees to withdraw your profits.
This guide explains practical steps you can take to limit further harm, preserve evidence, try to recover money, and find specialist support in the UK.
Investment scams are a type of fraud under UK law, and can involve offences such as fraud by false representation under the Fraud Act 2006.
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How do you know if you have been a victim of a scam investment scheme?
Investment scams can materialise on social media, emails or even through the post. Although the initial contact may come through different media, they all have similar characteristics:
Guaranteed high returns - most legitimate investments do not promise or guarantee high returns. Investment schemes claiming guaranteed high returns are likely not legitimate.
Use of AI generated content - Some offenders may use AI-generated content, such as deepfake images, videos, or cloned voices, to impersonate people or create convincing false material. Investment scams often involve a well known financial TV or social media personality being impersonated. This can make scams, harassment, or blackmail feel more realistic and harder to identify. If something feels unusual or out of character, try to verify it through a trusted, separate method before taking action or responding.
Social media direct messages & comment sections - if you have found the investment scheme via a social media comment section, or direct message, it may be an investment scam. Many criminals use social media comments / direct messages to promote their investment scams.
Usage of unusual bank accounts or a digital currency address - the criminal may ask you to send funds to a personal bank account or a digital wallet (cryptocurrency / digital currency address), which is typically a sign of an investment scam.
Being approached ‘out of the blue’ - anyone reaching out to you unexpectedly about an investment is likely not representing a real investment opportunity.
Use a scam checker - use a scam checker, like Ask Silver, to check if the phone numbers, messages, websites or images are known to have been used in other scams.
Misuse of an established company’s name and reputation - if the investment is backed by a reputable well-established company, it may be that their name is being misused. Check with the firm directly if they are offering this investment. It is possible that they may not be aware of it.
Check the FCA’s website - The Financial Conduct Authority regulates financial services that operate in the UK. They have useful information on their website, including the warning signs to look out for; a warning list of known unauthorised companies; and a public register where you can check if the company offering you the investment is allowed to do that type of business.
Approaches to dealing with scam investments
Stop all communication with the criminals - do not provide any more information or money. Do not respond to any messages from them.
Contact your Bank - call your bank and explain the issue. If the payment is recent, then they may be able to freeze your money before it goes to the criminals.
Try getting your money back - Use our guide to see different approaches to trying to recover any lost funds.
Change passwords - if you have logged into any accounts as part of the scam or provided passwords, change these immediately (and remember to change the other places you use that password). The National Cyber Security Centre has advice on creating strong passwords and password management.
Enable multi-factor authentication where it is available.
If you did a screenshare, scan your devices - if the criminal asked you to download any software so they could access your computer to help with the investment application, or if you have clicked on a link in a text or email, you should remove this software immediately and run an antivirus scan. You can see our guide on removing malicious software. If your files or device has been encrypted use our ransomware guide.
Gather all communications from the criminals - to support a police or bank investigation, it is important to save all of the evidence. Screenshot all messages and save the images in a secure place. Save any emails to a folder or secure inbox. If you can, build a timeline of events listing what happened and when.
List all information you have shared - while capturing the evidence, review what information you have shared with the criminal and make a list. If email addresses have been shared, be careful of incoming emails. Any financial details shared should be reported to your bank or card issuer.
Contact any impersonated companies - it may be that the criminal was pretending to represent a real company. If so, contact this organisation and explain what happened. If you have an account with that company, ask them to check the security of your account and review any recent activity.
Check your credit report - check what else the criminal has done with your information. A credit report will show you any searches done by a lender, what date the search took place, what name and address it was done against and also for what type of application. It will also show what credit accounts are set up in your name. You can contact any one of these credit reference agencies and receive support in resolving credit report problems caused by identity fraud. Popular companies that can provide your credit report include: Noddle, Equifax, Experian and ClearScore.
Take out CIFAS Protective Registration - CIFAS Protective registration makes it harder for loans and financial credit to be taken out in your name. Adding this protection could limit any further issues.
Beware of recovery scams - Once you stop responding, many criminals will contact you pretending to be the police or your bank offering to help you; but are really attempting to gather more money from you. Be cautious about anyone contacting you offering to assist you to recover money from the criminal. If your bank or the police contact you, you can call them via their legitimate contact telephone number and verify that they are attempting to reach you.
How to avoid being a victim of an investment scam
Don’t be rushed - if you are being rushed to make an investment before you are ready, then don’t invest. Being rushed is a common sign of a scam.
Trust your gut - many victims felt something wasn’t right before investing, but took the chance. Trust your gut and don’t invest if you think something isn’t right.
Never provide personal information over email, text or the phone - Never divulge personal information requested by email such as your password, security code or credit card number. Legitimate organisations will not ask you to do this.
Use a scam checker - use a scam checker, like Ask Silver, to check if the phone numbers, messages, websites or images are known to have been used in other scams.
Check companies are legitimate - You can use the Get Safe Online Check a Website service to check the risk of the website being a scam. You can also check Companies House and the Financial Conduct Authority to check if the company is real and licensed to operate in the UK, or if they are on the FCA Warning Tool .
Use FCA registered financial advisors - where possible, only use regulated financial advisers or firms that you have researched yourself, rather than relying on links or contacts sent to you on social media or messaging apps. You can find registered financial advisors / firms using the FCA Register.
Contact the company directly - if the person says they (or the investment) are connected in any way to a well known financial brand then contact that organisation through its website and check if the contact and the investment are real.
Do some research - search for the company, investment or contact you are dealing with online. See if you can find any reviews or feedback on the investment. Often others will share that they have been scammed online.
Speak to someone - if in doubt, talk to someone who might be able to help you decide if this is a legitimate investment opportunity.
Be careful of unsolicited messages - any messages you receive without asking/signing up that offer an investment may be a scam. Instead of responding, research the official website for that provider and contact them directly.
Generic email domains - be suspicious of firms using generic email domains such as gmail, outlook or yahoo.
Good online security & privacy - Keeping your security and privacy strong online will go a long way to protect you and your information. The National Cyber Security Centre has advice on how to stay secure online.
Report the crime
If you feel in immediate danger or are being threatened, call the police on 999. For non-emergency situations, you can contact the police on 101 or via their online reporting services.
If you are in England, Wales or Northern Ireland you should report all fraud to Report Fraud on 0300 123 2040 or via their website https://www.reportfraud.police.uk/ who can provide a crime reference number and investigate what has happened. In Scotland, report to Police Scotland.
Report to the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA)– they will try to stop the scam and warn others before they fall victim. You can report suspected investment scams via the FCA website at https://www.fca.org.uk/ or via their consumer helpline on 0800 111 6768.
Additional signposting
The National Cyber Security Centre has a suspicious email reporting service – all you have to do is forward suspicious emails to report@phishing.gov.uk .
You can contact Victim Support (https://www.victimsupport.org.uk/ or 08 08 16 89 111) for free, confidential emotional and practical support after fraud or online crime, whether or not you have reported to the police.
If you are under 18, you can speak to Childline on 0800 1111 or via online chat at https://www.childline.org.uk/ if you are worried about money, scams, or pressure to invest.
Consider telling a trusted friend or family member what has happened, if it feels safe to do so, so they can support you and help you keep an eye on your accounts and devices.
To ensure you have a legitimate contact number for your financial services provider, dial “159”, a secure service provided by Stop Scams UK and Global Cyber Alliance. https://stopscamsuk.org.uk/campaign/get-help-now/
If you’re struggling with money, you can get guidance on dealing with debt from MoneyHelper
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