To report a pension scam, tell Report Fraud (Police Scotland in Scotland) and the FCA. If money or a transfer is at risk, call your bank and provider now.
If money has left your account, ring your bank straight away on the number printed on your card or statements; if a pension transfer has not gone through yet, ring your provider too. Then call Report Fraud on 0300 123 2040 (Scotland: Police Scotland on 101). The full list follows.
The Pensions Regulator (TPR) says anyone can fall for a pension scam, however financially savvy they think they are, so there is nothing to be ashamed of in reporting one. It also says to report whether a scam has already happened or you only suspect one is under way. You do not need to be certain before you pick up the phone.
Nothing in a scam report decides what happens to the pension you still hold. When you want to talk it over, an FCA-authorised adviser is a call away, with the form on this page as the way to request the call.
Who to contact when you report a pension scam
Several bodies take reports, each for a different purpose. The numbers below are as each organisation prints them.
- Report Fraud (the service formerly called Action Fraud) on 0300 123 2040, textphone 0300 123 2050, Monday to Friday, 8am to 8pm, according to GOV.UK. You can also report online.
- In Scotland, Police Scotland (call 101) or Advice Direct Scotland (0808 164 6000), according to the FCA and TPR.
- The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) on 0800 111 6768, or through the contact form on its pension scams page.
- The Pensions Regulator, through its avoid and report pension scams page, for the narrower cases covered below.
- MoneyHelper: its financial crimes and scams unit on 0800 015 4402, open Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm.
- Your pension provider or scheme, using the contact details on your own statements.
The FCA's report-a-scam page says to go to Report Fraud in the first instance and to the FCA after that. The sections that follow say when each of the others fits.
What to do straight away if money has gone
Speed matters most for the money itself, so start with the people who can act on it.
- Your bank. The FCA's instruction is: "If you’ve given scammers any of your personal information, or you’ve made a payment, tell your bank immediately using the contact details on your card or statements."
- Your pension provider. MoneyHelper says: "Contact your pension provider straight away. They might be able to stop a transfer that hasn’t taken place yet." If a transfer has not gone through yet, make that call as soon as you can.
- Report Fraud, then the FCA. The FCA puts it this way: if you have lost money, contact Report Fraud and then report it to the FCA. MoneyHelper adds that Report Fraud collects the information and gives you a police crime reference number, which is handy to quote to your bank and provider.
Keep a note of names, phone numbers, websites, emails, brochures and anything you signed. TPR asks for exactly this kind of material to be included in a report, including the name and contact details of those involved.
Be careful about the offers that follow. Fraudsters may target you again or sell your details to other criminals, the FCA warns, and a later offer to win the money back after you pay a fee is what it calls a recovery room scam. Hang up on anyone who rings you with that kind of offer.
How to report a pension scam to the FCA
The FCA takes reports about scams involving the financial services it regulates, and its own list includes being contacted about your pension. Call 0800 111 6768 or use the contact form; the FCA also asks you to report pension cold calls to the Information Commissioner's Office.
Name the firm if you can. The FCA's Firm Checker shows whether a firm or individual is authorised, and the FCA wants the reference number and contact details you were given to match its entry. A firm you cannot find on the Firm Checker is another reason to call the FCA. TPR's page also asks anyone aware of unauthorised pension transfer advice to report that adviser to the FCA.
When to tell The Pensions Regulator
TPR's page is written mainly for trustees and administrators, but the cases it lists are useful for a saver to know. It says to report to TPR a statutory transfer payment that appears to meet every requirement on paper but where the warning signs of a scam are too strong, and breaches of pensions law. Unauthorised advice and transfer concerns go to the FCA instead.
If your worry is that your employer or workplace scheme is involved in wrongdoing, TPR has a separate whistleblowing route for savers. It says to raise the concern with your employer or scheme first, usually through its internal dispute resolution procedure, and to report to TPR if you feel unable to do that or still have concerns afterwards. You can choose to be anonymous when you report.
What happens after you report
The expectations differ from body to body. TPR says each authority reviews a report for opportunities to investigate, builds a picture from many reports and may contact you for more detail. It adds: "It is unlikely that they will be able to comment on ongoing investigations due to legal reasons." So silence after a report does not mean it was ignored. MoneyHelper adds that if a regulated adviser or firm advised you, you can make a formal complaint, and its scams unit can talk through your options.
The FCA is plain about its own limits: "We can't help you get your money back, but we look into every report we receive and it could help protect others."
Free help from MoneyHelper, and what your own scheme can tell you
MoneyHelper is the government-backed guidance service. Its scams unit on 0800 015 4402 deals with fraud and scam worries; for wider questions about your pension options it runs a guidance line on 0800 011 3797, which the Pension Scams Action Group's leaflet recommends for free, impartial guidance. An appointment with Pension Wise, for those 50 or over with a defined contribution pot, also covers how to spot and avoid scams, and other free routes to pension help are listed separately.
Your scheme can answer questions about your own account. TPR says trustees must carry out certain checks when they deal with pension transfer requests, and calls trustees and administrators the first line of defence against scammers. Providers also publish their own routes: the Mineworkers' Pension Scheme, for instance, tells members who doubt a caller claiming to be from the scheme to put the phone down and ring its own number. How a transfer check works is covered in pension transfer guidance, and how pension scams work goes through the warning signs.
Looking after the pension you still have
A report deals with the scam; it does not settle what to do with the savings that remain. If part of your pension is still where it was, how pensions are protected and the steps for a genuine transfer are good places to read first.
What to do with what remains turns on your age, your scheme and what the money is for. Rebuilding from the savings that survived is ground an FCA-authorised adviser can cover in a free call, prompted by the form on this page.
Practical questions on where and when to report
Is Action Fraud still where I report a pension scam?
It is the same service under a new name: Action Fraud is now Report Fraud, and the FCA switched its own pages to the new name on 16 December 2025. The phone number the FCA and GOV.UK print for Report Fraud is 0300 123 2040.
Should I report a pension scam if I have not lost money?
Yes. TPR says to report if you suspect a scam is taking place, and the FCA asks anyone who is worried about a potential scam, or who has been contacted by a fraudster, to report it.
Can the FCA get my money back?
No. The FCA says it cannot help you get your money back, though every report it receives is looked at. For help with your immediate needs and with whether recovery may be possible, MoneyHelper points to its scams unit.
Where do I report a pension scam advert?
The FCA's report-a-scam page asks you to report an investment you are suspicious about, including one seen online, to the FCA.
Is there a Pension Scams Action Group leaflet I can print?
Yes. The Pension Scams Action Group (PSAG) published a two-page leaflet, "Steps to stay scam safe", dated March 2026, and TPR hosts it. Its last line tells readers who suspect a scam to report to Report Fraud, and in Scotland to call 101.