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uk Money & financial emergencies

What to do if…
you receive a text or email demanding immediate payment for a fine or fee

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

Short answer

Pause and treat the message as suspicious until you have checked it independently. Do not click links, scan QR codes, call numbers, or pay from the message; use contact details you find yourself.

Do not do these things

  • Don’t click any link, scan a QR code, or open attachments from the message.
  • Don’t call the phone number in the message or use any “live chat” link it provides.
  • Don’t pay by bank transfer, crypto, gift cards, vouchers, or any other method suggested in the message.
  • Don’t share your address, date of birth, driving licence details, National Insurance number, card details, banking details, passwords, or one-time codes.
  • Don’t reply with “confirm”, “STOP”, “YES”, or anything else unless you already know it is a genuine service you use.
  • Don’t forward the message to friends or family to ask what they think.
  • Don’t panic-pay “just in case”; real fines can usually be checked through official channels.

What to do now

  1. Create a short safety pause. Put the phone down, step away from the payment screen, and decide: “I will verify before I act.”
  2. Check whether the message fits a scam pattern. Treat it as suspicious if it uses urgent wording, shortened links, odd spelling, generic greetings, threats of enforcement today, or pressure to pay immediately.
  3. Preserve it without interacting with it. Take screenshots showing the message, sender details, date and time. Do not open links or attachments to get more information.
  4. Verify the claim through a route you choose.
    • If it claims to be a council, parking, traffic, or penalty charge notice, type the council or official service address yourself, or use details from a letter you already received.
    • If it claims to be from a court, bailiff, enforcement agent, or HMCTS, do not pay from the message. Use GOV.UK or an official letter to find the court or organisation’s real contact details.
    • If it claims to be from HMRC, do not use the link in the text or email. Use GOV.UK to check HMRC contact and scam-reporting routes.
  5. If you already clicked, entered details, or paid, limit damage now.
    • Contact your bank immediately using the number on the back of your card, the bank’s official app, or another route you already trust.
    • You can also dial 159 to reach many UK banks safely if the situation involves an unexpected financial contact.
    • Tell the bank you may have responded to a scam and ask what they can do about payments, cards, account security, and monitoring.
    • If you gave away a password, change it immediately, starting with your email account, then turn on two-step verification where available.
  6. Report it through the right route.
    • Forward scam texts to 7726 to report them to your mobile provider.
    • Forward suspicious emails to [email protected].
    • If the message claims to be from HMRC, suspicious HMRC texts can be forwarded to 60599 and suspicious HMRC emails to [email protected].
    • If you lost money, shared personal details, or need an official fraud record, report to Report Fraud if you are in England, Wales or Northern Ireland. In Scotland, report to Police Scotland, for example by calling 101.
  7. Block the sender after recording and reporting what you need. This helps stop repeat pressure from the same number or address.

What can wait

  • You do not need to decide right now whether to appeal, complain, dispute a real fine, or prove your whole case.
  • You do not need to keep re-reading the message or searching for similar screenshots online.
  • Longer clean-up, such as checking all passwords, watching accounts over time, or checking your device, can wait until your bank and key accounts are secure.

Important reassurance

These messages are designed to make careful people act too quickly. Pausing, refusing the message’s route, and checking through official channels is the safest first move.

Scope note

These are first steps only: they are meant to help you avoid irreversible mistakes, protect your money and accounts, and get onto trustworthy channels. Later decisions about a real fine, an appeal, a complaint, or fraud follow-up may need help from the relevant organisation, your bank, or a specialist adviser.

Important note

This guide is general information, not legal, financial, technical, or professional advice. Processes can vary by organisation and location, so use official contact routes you find yourself and contact your bank promptly if payment or account details were involved.

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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