The Financial Ombudsman Service has published details on protecting your personal information and what to do if you have a complaint about a fraud or scam, and don’t think you’ve been treated fairly by a financial business. 

Every year we see thousands of complaints involving fraud and scams. The circumstances are wide-ranging, from disputed card transactions and cash-machine withdrawals to online banking fraud and identity theft. The type of complaint is constantly evolving too, as fraudsters develop new – and increasingly sophisticated – methods, or seek to exploit events, like the current impact of Covid-19.

Some fraud and scams can be very convincing – for example, using fake websites that look identical to banks’ online systems, or text messages that to look like they’re from someone’s bank.

We’re sharing what we see in complaints about fraud and scams to help consumers protect their personal information. We also explain how we can help if consumers have a complaint and don’t think they’ve been treated fairly.

Latest news

Redress system reforms to prevent compensation delays and provide predictability needed for innovation

15 July 2025

The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and Financial Ombudsman Service are seeking to modernise the financial redress system to help prevent it becoming overwhelmed, delaying consumer compensation.

Press release

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Financial Ombudsman Service announces change to compensation interest levels

15 July 2025

Today we announced plans to change the interest rate applied to the compensation awarded to consumers.

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Financial Ombudsman Service receives over 305,000 complaints in 2024/25

2 July 2025

Financial complaints are at their highest level in six years, according to new annual figures.

Annual data Complaints data Annual report Press release CMC

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