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uk Money & financial emergencies

What to do if…
someone calls claiming your bank will send a courier to collect your card

Produced and maintained by PanicStation.org Published: Last reviewed: Editorial policy UK guide

Short answer

Hang up now. Do not hand over your card, PIN, cash, valuables, password or one-time passcode; contact your bank using a trusted route such as 159 if your bank is covered, the number on your card, your banking app, or a bank statement.

Do not do these things

  • Don’t give your PIN, online banking password, memorable information, or any one-time passcode from a text or app.
  • Don’t agree to a courier collecting your card, cash, cheque book, jewellery or valuables.
  • Don’t stay on the line while you “verify” the call.
  • Don’t call back on a number the caller gives you.
  • Don’t cut up your card or leave the chip intact because the caller told you to.
  • Don’t move money to a “safe account”.
  • Don’t lie to your bank or keep the call secret because the caller told you to.
  • Don’t trust the call because they know your name, address, bank, card details, or the number looks genuine.

What to do now

  1. End the call. Say “I’m hanging up now” and disconnect.
  2. If you were using a landline, use a different phone to call your bank if you can. If you cannot, wait at least five minutes and make sure you hear a fresh dial tone before calling.
  3. Keep hold of your card, cash and valuables. Your bank or the police will not send a courier to your home to collect your card, PIN, cash or valuables.
  4. Contact your bank using a trusted route. Use 159 if your bank is covered, the number on the back of your card, your banking app, a statement, or the bank’s official website typed in yourself.
  5. Tell the bank: “I’ve had a call saying a courier will collect my card. I think this is courier fraud.” Ask them to cancel or freeze the card, check recent and pending transactions, check for new payees, and review any recent changes to your account details.
  6. If you shared anything, tell the bank exactly what you shared, including PIN, passcodes, passwords, card details, login details, address, phone number or email address. Ask the bank what security needs resetting.
  7. If someone may come to your home, keep the door locked and do not open the door to them. If someone is at the door or nearby and you feel in immediate danger, call 999. If the person is nearby or still in the area and it is not an emergency, call 101.
  8. Write down the caller’s number, the time of the call, what they asked for, any names or ID numbers they used, whether they knew your address, and whether they mentioned a courier time.
  9. Report it to Report Fraud online or by calling 0300 123 2040. If you live in Scotland or the crime happened in Scotland, contact Police Scotland on 101 instead.

What can wait

  • You do not need to decide now whether to take any legal action.
  • You do not need to work out how they got your details today.
  • You do not need to contact every organisation at once.
  • You do not need to explain yourself to the caller, be polite to them, or answer any more questions.
  • If someone is at your door or you feel in immediate danger, safety first. Otherwise, bank first, then reporting.

Important reassurance

These calls are designed to make sensible people feel rushed and afraid. Hanging up and calling your bank back through a trusted route is a safe and normal thing to do.

Scope note

These are first steps only to stop contact, protect your card and account, and get the incident reported. Later decisions may need help from your bank, Report Fraud, the police, or another specialist service.

Important note

This guide is general information, not legal, financial, medical, therapeutic, or other professional advice. If you feel in immediate danger, call 999.

Additional Resources

Closely connected guides that may be useful during the same situation or its immediate aftermath.

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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