uk Legal, police, prison & official contact

What to do if…
police or investigators say your phone number or email is linked to a case

Produced and maintained by PanicStation.org Published: 21 July 2026 Last reviewed: 15 August 2026 Editorial policy UK guide

Short answer

Do not panic, guess, or give a detailed account immediately. Verify the contact through an independently obtained official route, keep a record of what was said, and seek advice from a criminal defence solicitor before agreeing to a formal interview or answering questions that may concern your involvement.

Do not do these things

Do not assume that contact details appearing in a case means you are accused of an offence.
Do not rely only on the telephone number, email address, link, or callback instructions in an unexpected message.
Do not share passwords, security codes, banking details, or remote access to a device.
Do not transfer money or buy vouchers because someone claiming to be an investigator tells you to.
Do not delete messages, call records, accounts, files, or information because you feel frightened.
Do not contact other people to coordinate accounts or ask them to alter or delete information.
Do not speculate about who used the number or email.
Do not give information you know is false or claim certainty about facts you do not remember.
Do not agree to an interview under caution without first asking about legal advice.
Do not post details of the contact or case on social media.

What to do now

Move to a calm place. Record the caller’s or sender’s name, organisation, department, identification number if supplied, contact details, case reference, time of contact, and what they asked you to do.
Ask in what capacity they are contacting you, such as a witness, possible victim, person helping with enquiries, or suspect. They may not provide full details, but you can still ask.
Verify police contact independently. Find the relevant force through an official police website or call 101 and ask the force to confirm the officer, department, and reference number. Call 999 only if there is an immediate danger or emergency.
For another investigating body, find its official website yourself and use its published switchboard or contact route. Do not use only the details supplied in the unexpected message.
Preserve the original contact. Keep emails, envelopes, voicemails, screenshots, call details, reference numbers, and requests for information without editing or forwarding them widely.
Make a short factual note about the number or email. Record whether it is yours, when you used it, whether it was shared, reassigned, compromised, controlled by an employer, or no longer accessible. Clearly separate what you know from what you are unsure about.
Before answering detailed questions, ask whether the conversation is voluntary, being recorded, or intended to be an interview under caution. You can say that you want legal advice before discussing the facts.
Contact a criminal defence solicitor promptly if investigators say you may be suspected, request an interview, ask for a device or account access, or present paperwork requiring a response. The applicable procedure depends on whether the matter is in England and Wales, Scotland, or Northern Ireland and on which organisation is investigating.
If police in England or Wales invite you to a voluntary interview under caution, ask how legal advice will be arranged. You are not under arrest and do not have to consent to the interview, and official guidance states that legal advice is free.
In Scotland, ask Police Scotland or a Scottish criminal defence solicitor about your rights before any interview. Official Scottish guidance states that free legal advice is available when you are due to be interviewed by police at a police station.
In Northern Ireland, ask the Police Service of Northern Ireland or a Northern Ireland criminal defence solicitor to explain the interview arrangements and how to obtain legal advice before answering substantive questions.
If you believe the number or email account may have been taken over, preserve the investigator’s contact first. Then use a trusted device to change the account password, enable multi-factor authentication, review recovery details and active sessions, and contact the provider if you have lost access. Do not erase the account or device.

What can wait

You do not need to reconstruct every past call or email, decide who is responsible, prove your innocence, replace your phone, close every account, contact everyone you know, or make a public statement now. First verify the contact, preserve what you have, clarify why you are being contacted, and obtain legal advice where needed.

Important reassurance

A phone number or email can appear in a case for many reasons, including ordinary contact, shared access, reassignment, spoofing, account compromise, or information supplied by another person. Its appearance alone does not establish who used it, what happened, or what you knew.

Scope note

This guide covers immediate first steps after unexpected contact. Decisions about interviews, devices, account access, statements, searches, formal notices, or responding to a particular investigating body may require advice from a solicitor familiar with the law and procedure in the relevant UK nation.

Important note

This is general information, not legal advice. Your rights and the correct procedure depend on your status in the investigation, the organisation involved, the type of request made, and whether the matter is in England and Wales, Scotland, or Northern Ireland.

Additional Resources

About this guide

This guide was produced and is maintained by PanicStation.org using its published editorial process. Official and specialist sources are checked where relevant, and AI-assisted tools may be used for drafting, organisation, and consistency checks. The site operator remains responsible for publication, revision, and removal decisions.

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