Anti-Fraud Guide: I've been scammed. What can I do?

bunq

Hey bunqers 🌈

Discovering you’re a victim of fraud is an unpleasant experience. It’s perfectly natural to be angry, but it’s really important to remember that you've the power to help yourself and also help others to avoid becoming a victim. We published this topic to help you understand what you should do if you discover that you’re a victim of fraud.

Need to report a fraud incident to bunq? Fill out this form to report your incident and help us to fight fraud!

I've been scammed, what do I do now?

Report it to your bank’s customer support
Give all available details of the scam and the fraudulent transaction. The details that you should share are all key information of the fraudulent payment (sender's name, sender's IBAN, recipient's name, recipient's IBAN, amount, date, etc). If the payment was made via a credit/debit card, please include the first 6 and last 4 digits of the card used. Also include any relevant screenshots or export of the payment confirmation as shown on your bank statements.
Report it to the police
Also, report the scam to the police to make them aware too. In the Netherlands for example you can report these types of incidents online here. Once a police report has been made forward it both to your bank and the scammer's bank in order to further assist in the case.

Will I be able to get a refund?

Refunds for fraud through your bank or a court decision is possible, but it’s very important that you follow the correct procedures. As stated above, the most important thing to do is report the incident to your bank and the police. Both of these groups can help you through different processes:

The police
The police can start a criminal investigation thanks to the report. The criminal investigation can lead to a trial for the scammer, and a judge can then order the scammer to pay back the victims.
Your bank
Your own bank will be able to contact the bank of the scammer via a special channel, to check if it's possible to get the money back.

Reporting the scam is important not only for your own case but allowing banks and the police to better identify scams in the future to help others.

What to do if you don’t trust a bunq.me link?

If you receive a bunq.me payment link and you suspect it's fraudulent, please use the report button to report the page to our compliance team. The team will immediately take action against the account.