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.
Which? have published research estimating that 7 million people were unable to use their payment card due to IT problems in the past year.
Commenting on the research, Caroline Wayman, chief ombudsman and chief executive of the Financial Ombudsman Service said:
Last year the Financial Ombudsman Service saw a large increase in current account complaints and high profile IT banking failures were a large part of it. In some cases we found that banks hadn’t done enough to make up for the impact that IT failures can have on customers. If you aren’t happy with how your bank has dealt with your complaint, you can contact us and we’ll see if we can help.
25 March 2026
Between January 2025 and March 2026, we received over 500 complaints about romance scams.
16 March 2026
The Financial Ombudsman Service and the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) are strengthening the redress system so consumers get fair and quick compensation when things go wrong, and businesses have more certainty to invest, grow and compete.
10 March 2026
We are urging young drivers across the UK to make well-informed decisions when taking out car insurance.