reportfraud.police.uk

Report Fraud is the UK's website for reporting cyber crime and fraud, learning how to prevent it, and finding support if you've been affected. It is the right place to go if you live in England, Wales, or Northern Ireland and need to report an incident to the police. If you live in Scotland, the site directs you to report via 101 instead.

What you can do on the site

The homepage is organised around three main actions:

• Make a report — "Tell us what happened and we'll help you report it to the police." This is the core reporting route for England, Wales, and Northern Ireland.
• Protect yourself — guidance on protecting yourself from different types of cyber crime and fraud.
• Get help and support — resources for people affected by cyber crime or fraud, described as a place "to listen, to help, and to support you."

There is also a search bar for exploring articles and help guides about cyber crime, fraud, and self-protection.

Who it is for

The site states it exists for the 4.6 million people affected by cyber crime and fraud every year. It explicitly names England, Wales, and Northern Ireland as its coverage area. The one clear exception is Scotland: the reporting card says, "If you live in Scotland, please report via 101."

Support organisations listed

If you need to speak to someone about how cyber crime or fraud is affecting you, the site points to several organisations:

How to decide if it's the right place for you

• You live in England, Wales, or Northern Ireland and need to report fraud or cyber crime to the police — start with the "Make a report" route.
• You live in Scotland — report via 101 rather than through this site.
• You want prevention advice — use the "Protect yourself" section or the search bar.
• You need emotional or practical support after an incident — the "Get help and support" section points to the organisations above.

The site does not state that its services carry a charge, but the available information does not confirm pricing either way, so treat cost as unconfirmed rather than assumed free.

To start a report on Report Fraud, use the “Make a report” option on the homepage. You describe what happened, and the site helps you report it to the police. This service is for people in England, Wales or Northern Ireland — if you live in Scotland, report via 101 instead.

Before you start

The site does not publish a detailed checklist of what to prepare, so the following is general good practice rather than a site requirement:

• A clear, factual account of what happened, in date order.
• Any reference numbers, account details, or messages connected to the incident.
• The names or details of any organisations involved (for example, a bank or platform).

Step by step

1. Go to reportfraud.police.uk.
2. Select “Make a report” on the homepage.
3. Tell the site what happened — the page states: “Tell us what happened and we'll help you report it to the police.”
4. Follow the routing the site provides to complete your report to the police.

Expected result: your report is submitted through the site’s reporting route to the police.

Key conditions and exceptions

After reporting: support and prevention

Report Fraud also provides two further routes from the homepage:

• Protect yourself — guidance on protecting yourself from different types of cyber crime and fraud.
• Get help & support — if you’ve been affected, the site says “we’re here to listen, to help, and to support you,” and lists organisations including Age UK, Citizens Advice, Counselling Directory, Stop! Think Fraud, Money Helper and Victim Support.

Common sticking points

• Reporting from Scotland: the homepage explicitly directs Scotland residents to 101, so the online report route is not the right path there.
• Unsure whether it’s fraud: Citizens Advice, listed under Get help & support, can help you check whether something might be cyber crime or fraud.

Report Fraud (reportfraud.police.uk) points people affected by fraud or cyber crime to a "Get help and support" section that lists several organisations, each covering a different need: practical advice, financial guidance, emotional support or specialist help for older people. The site serves people in England, Wales and Northern Ireland; if you live in Scotland, it directs you to report via 101 instead. Use the list below to pick the organisation that matches what you need, and use the site's report tool if you also want to pass details to the police.

Who the support is for

Report Fraud says it is there for the 4.6 million people affected by cyber crime and fraud each year, and that people in England, Wales or Northern Ireland are the ones it can help. The support section is framed around a simple question: do you need to speak to someone about how cyber crime or fraud is affecting you? If the answer is yes, the listed organisations are the starting point.

The organisations listed and what each is for

How to choose

• You are over 60 and the effects are lasting: start with Age UK.
• You are unsure whether what happened counts as fraud: use Citizens Advice to check.
• You need to talk to a counsellor: use the Counselling Directory to find information and local listings.
• You want to avoid it happening again: read the guidance from Stop! Think Fraud.
• Money problems are the main concern: turn to Money Helper.
• You want support as a victim of crime: contact Victim Support.

Reporting and support work together

The site separates two actions. "Make a report" lets you tell the site what happened and get help reporting it to the police. "Get help and support" is for the human side: listening, practical guidance and specialist organisations. If you have been affected, doing both is reasonable: report so the incident is recorded, then use the support list for the help you actually need.

Practical steps

1. Confirm you are in England, Wales or Northern Ireland. In Scotland, report via 101.
2. Decide your main need: reporting, prevention, money, emotional support or specialist help for older people.
3. Open the matching organisation from the table above and follow its own process.
4. If you also want the incident passed to the police, use the site's "Make a report" tool and describe what happened.
5. For general learning, use the site's search bar to explore its articles and help guides on types of cyber crime and fraud.

Common sticking points

• Expecting one organisation to do everything. The site presents a network, not a single service; matching your need to the right organisation saves time.
• Skipping the report because you only want support. The two paths are separate, and reporting does not replace support or the other way round.
• Looking for in-person counselling directly on Report Fraud. The site links out to the Counselling Directory rather than providing counselling itself.
• Assuming the same route applies across the UK. The Scotland instruction to use 101 is explicit and worth checking before you start.

No — Report Fraud (reportfraud.police.uk) covers England, Wales, and Northern Ireland only. If you live in Scotland, the site directs you to report via 101 instead. The site describes itself as being there for the 4.6 million people affected by cyber crime and fraud every year, and explicitly names England, Wales, and Northern Ireland as the nations it serves.

Who the service is for

According to the site, Report Fraud is the place to report, prevent, and learn about cyber crime and fraud. Its stated audience is people affected by cyber crime or fraud who live in England, Wales, or Northern Ireland. For those users, the site says it will help you report to the police, learn how to prevent it, and get the support you need.

Why the route differs for Scotland

Policing is devolved in the UK, so the reporting channel the site points to differs by nation. Report Fraud routes Scottish users to 101 rather than taking their report through its own reporting flow. The site does not explain the arrangement further, so treat the 101 instruction as the practical takeaway rather than a full account of how Scottish reports are handled.

What to do if you are unsure which route applies

Use where you live, not where the incident happened or where you are originally from, as the deciding factor:

• You live in England, Wales, or Northern Ireland — start a report on Report Fraud. The site's reporting flow asks you to describe what happened and says it will help you report it to the police.
• You live in Scotland — report via 101 as the site instructs, even if the fraud or cyber crime occurred elsewhere.
• You are unsure or your circumstances are unusual (for example, you have moved recently or split time between nations) — the site does not address these cases. Calling 101 lets you confirm the right route before you file.

What else the site offers, whichever nation you are in

The location difference applies to reporting. The site's other sections are presented as general resources:

• Protect yourself — guidance on protecting yourself from different types of cyber crime and fraud.
• Get help and support — a list of organisations for people affected, including Age UK (for those aged 60 or over dealing with long-term effects of fraud), Citizens Advice (to check whether something might be cyber crime or fraud), Counselling Directory, Stop! Think Fraud, Money Helper, and Victim Support.
• Search — a search bar for the site's articles and help guides on cyber crime, fraud, and protecting yourself.

If your main need is support rather than a police report, those organisations are worth checking regardless of where in the UK you live.

Report Fraud (reportfraud.police.uk) is the UK's reporting and support service for cyber crime and fraud in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Its "Protect yourself" section is the place to start if you want to reduce your risk: it explains how to recognise different types of cyber crime and fraud and how to guard against them, and it points to partner organisations such as Stop! Think Fraud for further guidance. The site is aimed at people who live in England, Wales or Northern Ireland; if you live in Scotland, it directs you to report via 101.

What the "Protect yourself" section covers

The site describes the section as a way to "find out how to protect yourself from the different types of cyber crime and fraud." In practice, that means:

• Type-by-type guidance — the risks are broken down by category of cyber crime and fraud, so you can look up the specific scenario you're worried about rather than reading generic advice.
• Prevention rather than reaction — the emphasis is on learning how to avoid becoming a victim, alongside the site's separate reporting and support functions.
• A searchable knowledge base — the homepage invites you to "use the search bar to explore our articles and help guides" about cyber crime and fraud and how to protect yourself. This is the fastest route to a specific topic.

Practical steps you can take

1. Start with the "Protect yourself" page

Open the "Protect yourself" section from the homepage and read the guidance for the types of fraud or cyber crime most relevant to you — for example, the kind of contact or transaction you're unsure about. The site's stated purpose for this section is prevention, so treat it as your first reference point.

2. Use the search bar for your specific situation

If you're unsure whether something is a scam, search the site for the scenario (a type of message, purchase, or account issue). The homepage explicitly offers the search bar as the tool for exploring articles and help guides. Expected result: a relevant guide or article rather than a generic list.

3. Check whether it's fraud before you act

The site links to Citizens Advice, which it describes as a service you can use "to check if something might be cyber crime or fraud." If you're uncertain about a contact or offer, this is a sensible cross-check before responding to it or sending money.

4. Build the habit of pausing

Report Fraud links to Stop! Think Fraud, described as helping you "learn how to protect yourself from fraudsters by staying vigilant and taking a moment to stop and think." The practical takeaway is a simple routine: when a message, call or offer creates urgency, stop before you click, pay or share details, and verify through an independent channel.

5. Know where to get support if something goes wrong

Prevention guidance sits alongside the site's "Get help & support" section, which lists organisations including Age UK (for people aged 60 or over dealing with the long-term effects of fraud), Victim Support, Money Helper and the Counselling Directory. Knowing these exist in advance makes it easier to act quickly if you are affected.

Where to go for what

Common sticking points

• Assuming the site is only for reporting. Report Fraud frames itself around three things — reporting, preventing, and learning — so the protection guidance is a core part of the service, not an afterthought.
• Skipping straight to a report when you just want advice. If nothing has happened yet, the "Protect yourself" section and the search bar will get you to relevant guidance faster.
• Forgetting the regional split. The site's reporting and support remit covers England, Wales and Northern Ireland; the site states that people in Scotland should report via 101.

The core message from the site is straightforward: use its type-specific prevention guidance and search tools to recognise risks early, lean on partner resources like Stop! Think Fraud and Citizens Advice when you're unsure, and keep the support links handy in case you or someone you know is affected.