Hundreds of people falling victim to romance scams, the Financial Ombudsman Service warns
25 March 2026
Between January 2025 and March 2026, we received over 500 complaints about romance scams.
Welcome to the latest edition of Ombudsman News. In this edition we highlight that our plans and budget consultation for 2023/24 closes soon, but there is still time to respond. We also share our latest blog about helping to resolve complaints from small businesses, as well as information about how we can help with complaints caused or affected by the rising cost of living.
See our previous editions of Ombudsman News.
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Our Plans and Budget for 2023/24: consultation closing soon
Our plans and budget consultation for 2023/24 provides an opportunity to feedback on how we deliver and fund our service in the coming financial year. The consultation is closing on 31 January 2023 and there’s still time to send us your response. Read the full consultation and find out how to respond, on our website.
Helping small businesses resolve complaints
In our latest blog, we share examples of the work of our small business team. The blog covers the types of complaint we helped resolve, the difference we’ve made, and ways we share insight and engage with stakeholders.
Cost of living complaints
We can investigate a wide range of complaints about financial products and services. This includes complaints caused or affected by the cost of living such as financial difficulties, unaffordable lending or fraud and scams.
Latest news
Financial Ombudsman Service warns people to be on high alert for online investment and employment scams
19 February 2026
We are urging people to remain vigilant for scams, as fraudsters increasingly target those looking to improve their financial situation through online opportunities.
Financial Ombudsman Service sets out ambitious targets for resolving cases in 2026/27
13 January 2026
We have proposed ambitious targets for the next financial year, and would like to remind stakeholders that our consultation closes on 21 January 2026.