ONLINE SCAM REPORT LETTER
Important jurisdiction and formalities warning
This fictional letter is an educational example, not legal advice and not a universally effective fraud report or claim for reimbursement. In England and Wales, a bank, police force, fraud-reporting service, insurer or court may require a different form, time limit, identity check, evidence format or reporting route. A report does not itself establish criminal liability or guarantee recovery of money. Contact the bank promptly using an official number, preserve original evidence, and obtain advice about any civil claim or financial-services complaint before relying on this sample.
Date and recipients
14 October 2026
To: Fraud Investigations Team, North Coast Bank, 18 Castle Street, Leeds LS1 2AB
Copy to: Action Fraud, using its official reporting process, and West Yorkshire Police if directed by the reporting service
From: Daniel Marcus Avery, 42 Rowan View, Headingley, Leeds LS6 3PR
Account number: ending 4821 Telephone: 0113 555 0186 Email: daniel.avery@example.test
1. Purpose of this report
I write to report an online impersonation scam that caused me to disclose information and send £8,740 from my North Coast Bank current account on 12 October 2026. The person who contacted me falsely represented himself as an employee of North Coast Bank’s fraud department. I ask the Bank to investigate urgently, protect my accounts, attempt recall of the payment, and tell me what further information it needs. I also ask the appropriate reporting authority to record the incident and assess whether it forms part of a wider fraud.
I have not knowingly authorised any transfer to the scammer as a genuine payment for goods or services. I acted because I was deceived by a person who appeared to have access to information about my account. I understand that the Bank and authorities will decide the legal classification and outcome after investigation.
2. How the contact occurred
At approximately 10:18 a.m. on 12 October 2026, I received a text message appearing to come from North Coast Bank. It stated that a payment of £3,280 to “R. Harlow Motors” was awaiting confirmation and gave a telephone number ending 7714. The message appeared in the same message thread as earlier genuine bank alerts on my phone. I did not click a web link.
At 10:23 a.m., I called the number in the message. A man who called himself “Martin Cole” said he was a senior fraud investigator. He knew my name, the last four digits of my card, and that I had recently made a payment to a pharmacy. He said criminals were trying to empty my account and that I had to move funds to a “secure holding account” while the Bank investigated. He instructed me not to use the ordinary telephone number because it would delay the security process.
The caller sent a second message containing the name North Coast Security Operations and an account number. He asked me to read out a one-time code that appeared on my mobile. I now understand that this code may have approved a payment or changed a security setting. I did not give the caller my full password or card PIN, and I have since changed my online-banking credentials through the Bank’s official website.
3. Payments and discovery
Following the caller’s instructions, I made a Faster Payment of £8,740 at approximately 10:41 a.m. from my current account ending 4821 to Oakbridge Trading Solutions, sort code 40-16-29, account ending 9036. The payment reference was SECURE HOLD. The destination did not belong to a business with which I had any relationship.
At 11:02 a.m., the caller demanded another payment of £6,000. I became suspicious, ended the call and telephoned North Coast Bank using the number printed on my debit card. The genuine adviser confirmed that the first payment had been made and that no bank employee had called me. At 11:19 a.m., the adviser placed a fraud marker on the account, blocked my card and raised a payment-recall request. I have not sent any further money.
My current account balance immediately before the transfer was approximately £12,460. The payment caused direct financial loss of £8,740 and left me unable to pay a scheduled £1,180 boiler repair invoice on 13 October. I have not yet paid that invoice and do not claim it as a loss, but I mention the practical effect of the incident.
4. Evidence retained
I have retained the original text messages, telephone log, online-banking payment confirmation, destination account details, screenshots, and a contemporaneous note made at 11:35 a.m. I have not edited the screenshots. My mobile phone is a Linden 8 Pro, and the relevant telephone number displayed was 07700 900714. I can provide copies through a secure upload route and will preserve the phone and messages in their present form.
The Bank’s genuine adviser gave me case reference NCB-FR-261012-44. Please link this letter to that case. I consent to reasonable sharing of relevant information with the receiving bank, the police, fraud-reporting services and my insurer for investigation and recovery, subject to applicable data-protection law. Please tell me before making any disclosure that is not necessary for those purposes.
5. Requested action and confirmation
Please confirm in writing whether the recall request was sent, whether the receiving bank has responded, whether my account and online-banking access are secure, and what complaint or reimbursement process applies. Please preserve relevant call records, message metadata, login records, payment data and account notes. If you decline reimbursement, please give the reasons, evidence relied upon and details of the next complaint or review stage.
I confirm that the facts above are true to the best of my knowledge and that I will cooperate with reasonable identity checks and a police or bank investigation. I understand that knowingly giving false information may have legal consequences.
Yours faithfully,
Daniel Marcus Avery
Signature: ____________________ Date: 14 October 2026