Report a marketplace scam (UK)

Who to report a UK scam to — and in what order

UK fraud reporting is fragmented across four bodies. Reporting to all four in parallel is the standard advice from Action Fraud, the National Cyber Security Centre and consumer groups like Which?.

1. 01

   Your bank fraud team — first, within hours

   If money has left your account, call the number on the back of your card immediately. UK retail banks have 24/7 fraud lines. Under the Contingent Reimbursement Model some authorised push payment fraud can be refunded. Speed matters.

2. 02

   The platform — file a report inside the app

   Vinted, eBay, Depop, Marketplace and Gumtree all have a Report this listing / Report this user button. This protects other buyers and can pause the scammer's account while the platform reviews.

3. 03

   Action Fraud — the UK national reporting body

   actionfraud.police.uk or 0300 123 2040. In Scotland call 101. Action Fraud aggregates UK fraud intelligence and passes investigations to the police. Your report counts even if you never hear back individually.

4. 04

   NCSC and 7726 — if a phishing email, link or text was involved

   Forward phishing emails to report@phishing.gov.uk (NCSC SERS). Forward scam texts to 7726 (free across all UK networks — Mobile UK's national reporting number). Report scam websites at ncsc.gov.uk.

The free PDF evidence pack (SilentID Pro)

Each of the four reporting bodies wants the same evidence in a slightly different format. SilentID Pro’s Report a Scam tool compiles all of it into a single PDF designed to be accepted by all four:

• Timeline of communications — every message, dated and timestamped, in chronological order.
• Screenshots — listing, profile, chat thread, payment receipts. Captured with metadata.
• Transaction records — amounts, dates, recipient bank account or card last-4, payment method.
• Video evidence — packing, parcel, label, handover clips from SilentID Video Evidence with tamper-sealed timestamps.
• Reporting checklist — the exact contact details for Action Fraud, NCSC, your bank and the platform, with what to send each.

Generated in seconds, no PDF skills required. Free users can still flag listings, links and accounts to the SilentID community — contributing to the 50,000+ reported UK scams in the SilentID Safety Check database.

Will I get my money back?

Cifas reports that only 18% of UK marketplace fraud victims ever recover their money (Source: Cifas). Recovery depends on speed (the first 24 hours are critical), the payment method (card chargebacks have the strongest path; bank transfers via Faster Payments are usually irreversible) and the bank (the UK Contingent Reimbursement Model covers some authorised push payment fraud). The single biggest action you can take is to call your bank fraud team the moment you realise.

Reporting guides by scam type

• Report a scam email (UK guide — NCSC SERS)
• Report a scam text (UK guide — forward to 7726)
• Report a marketplace scam (Vinted, eBay, Depop, Marketplace)

UK fraud reporting — the numbers

Related

• Free scam checker UK — Is it a scam?
• Safe payment for UK marketplace pickup
• Facebook Marketplace safety guide
• Vinted safety guide