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

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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Consultation on compensation interest levels launched by the Financial Ombudsman Service

4 June 2025

Today we opened a consultation on the interest rate applied to the compensation awarded to consumers.

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Financial Ombudsman Service celebrates raising more than £30,000 for baby loss charity

22 May 2025

We have raised more than £30,000 for Sands, the UK’s leading pregnancy and baby loss charity – hitting our two-year fundraising target in just 12 months.

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