Dealing with crisis scams
Last updated: 03/08/2026
This Guide is designed to support individuals who have realised that they are the victim of a scam relating to a crisis. The Guide includes what 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 a crisis scam?
Crisis-driven scams are fraud schemes that exploit fear, uncertainty, urgent public events, or major social disruptions. These may include:
Cost-of-living
Energy
Disaster / emergency
Healthcare and medical
Government impersonation
Crisis-driven scams follow these common themes to obtain personal information or money:
A major event creates fear or confusion
Scammers impersonate trusted organisations
Victims are pressured to act quickly
Money, credentials, or personal data are stolen
The scams can happen by phone, text, email, social media, or on websites. Being targeted is never your fault, and many people feel worried, embarrassed, or anxious after a scam, even if they did not lose money.
The Fraud Act 2006 is the primary legislation governing fraud in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland and defines the general criminal offence of fraud.
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How do you know if you have been a victim of a crisis scam?
You may have received an unsolicited contact - a text, phone call or text message about a crisis related issue which states that a payment needs to be made or a refund that is to be given.
Malicious link - You may have been tricked into clicking a link on your phone or another device thinking it was about a specific crisis, but it has actually installed malicious software on your device.
You may have bought an item or service online - such as fake health supplements or medicines, customs fees, subscription for a discount service - but the product never turned up or was faulty.
Contact from a government agency - You have been contacted by a criminal pretending to be from a government body, asking you to pay a fine or fee or asking for money to help in the fight against a specific crisis.
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.
Some offenders may use AI-generated content, such as deepfake images, videos, or cloned voices, to impersonate people or create convincing false material. 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.
Approaches to dealing with a crisis scam
Email, text and phone call scams - If you have been scammed over the phone use our vishing guide, on email use our phishing guide or by text use our smishing guide.
Malicious software & ransomware - if you have clicked a link on a text or email use our malicious software guide. If your files or device has been encrypted use our ransomware guide.
If you have paid money - or provided card/bank details - contact your bank immediately and explain what has happened. Ask your bank to review recent transactions, cancel or block your card if needed, and consider placing extra security checks on your account. See if you can recover money with our guide.
If you have shared secret information like passwords - change these passwords immediately. Make sure that the compromised username and password combination are changed on all online accounts where you use it.
Account security - Where possible, turn on two-factor authentication (2FA) on important accounts such as email, banking, and social media, so that a password alone is not enough to get in.
Communication - Try not to reply to scam messages or phone calls, as responding can encourage further contact. Instead, keep a record of what was sent to you, including screenshots, dates, times, phone numbers, email addresses, and any links or attachments.
Report the crime
If you feel in immediate danger or someone is threatening you, call the police on 999; for non-emergencies you can call 101 or report online via the police website.
If you are in England, Wales or Northern Ireland you should report card fraud and other 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.
How to avoid being a victim of card fraud
You can lower the risk of being a victim of a crisis scam by:
Being suspicious of emails, texts and phone calls - anyone who knows your email address can email you and it is likely your email address is easy to find online. Be suspicious of every email you receive - ask yourself if the email could be a scam. Same with text messages and phone calls.
Use a scam checker - Scam checkers like Ask Silver let you check if the phone numbers, messages, websites or images are known to have been used in other scams.
Check companies/organisations 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.
Trusting your gut - most people who fall for scams had a funny feeling about the email before they clicked the link, shared the information or downloaded the attachment. If it doesn’t feel right it probably isn’t. Delete the email and check directly with the person or organisation that ‘sent’ the email.
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.
Type in the website address into your browser - or use a trusted bookmark, rather than following links in emails, texts, or social media messages, especially if they relate to payments, refunds, or Covid-19 information.
Check any phone numbers online before calling them - if a phone number is provided in an email or text you should go to the organisation's website and call their regular number.
Improve your cyber security - use guidance from the National Cyber Security Centre to improve your overall cyber security. Make sure your devices and apps are up to date, and use antivirus or security software where possible, as this can help block some malicious links and downloads.
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 also get free, confidential emotional and practical support from Victim Support (www.victimsupport.org.uk or 08 08 16 89 111), even if you haven’t reported the fraud to the police.
If you are under 18 and worried about something that has happened to you online, you can talk to Childline for free on 0800 1111 or at www.childline.org.uk . It can also help to tell a trusted adult, such as a parent, carer, or teacher, so they can support you with next steps.
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.
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