The Co-operative Bank phishing scams: reporting, refunds and recovery

A convincing call, text or email that uses The Co-operative Bank's branding is still untrusted until you verify it independently. The safest rule is simple: stop the contact, open the bank through a channel you already know, and never approve a payment or reveal a one-time code because an inbound caller says your account must be secured.

Do not trust branding, caller ID or security codes

Fraudsters can copy The Co-operative Bank logos, use realistic language and spoof a phone number so it appears familiar. Treat the content of the request as the test: a demand for a full password, PIN, verification code, remote-access software or a transfer to protect money is a reason to stop.

Do not let the caller tell you how to verify them. If they say 'call the number on the back of your card but stay on the line', disconnect and use another phone if necessary. The verification route must be independent of the person who initiated contact.

A one-time code from The Co-operative Bank is not a password you can safely read to a fraud investigator. The message often states what the code is authorising - a payment, new device, wallet or profile change. If that action is not yours, do not approve it and contact the bank.

Scammers deliberately create panic so customers read only the digits. Slow down and read the whole message. A genuine code can still be used by a criminal if you hand it over.

Safe-account transfers and remote-access scams

If somebody says £1,150 is at risk and must be moved from The Co-operative Bank to a new 'secure', 'holding' or 'police' account, stop. Banks and police do not protect deposits by instructing customers to transfer them to an account controlled by a caller.

If you already sent the transfer, switch from phishing prevention to APP-scam response immediately: contact the bank, give the exact payment details and ask it to start recovery and register the scam claim. Preserve the caller number and messages. When the sending bank is The Co-operative Bank, use The Co-operative Bank's official fraud-reporting route immediately and do not continue the conversation with the caller or message sender.

If the caller persuaded you to install AnyDesk, TeamViewer or another remote-control tool, disconnect the device from the internet and use another trusted device to contact The Co-operative Bank. The criminal may have seen banking screens, email, saved passwords and authentication messages.

Removing the app icon is not necessarily enough. Follow trusted device-security guidance, change important passwords from a clean device and review email forwarding rules or new devices. Your email account is often the key to resetting multiple financial services.

Worked example and provider security cues

A text says '£75 card payment blocked - if this wasn't you call now' and shows a number that looks like The Co-operative Bank. You call it, and the adviser knows your name before asking for a verification code. End the call. Open The Co-operative Bank independently and check whether any real transaction or secure message exists.

If nothing exists, report the phishing attempt through the bank's current route and forward the text to 7726 where appropriate. If a real unknown transaction is present, report the fraud separately; the suspicious message and the transaction may be connected but require different actions.

The Co-operative Bank explicitly warns customers never to share one-time passcodes and tells customers that unexpected verification codes should be treated as suspicious; it also supports reporting scams through 159.

The Co-operative Bank combines mobile and online banking with branch and telephone support, so customers can preserve a digital record while still escalating urgent security problems by phone. Never assume an app notification is safe merely because it appears at the same moment as a phone call; criminals may be attempting a real login and asking you to approve it.

Protect data, record the incident and follow up

Tell The Co-operative Bank what information was exposed: card number, security code, online-banking details, one-time code or remote access. The bank can decide which credentials need replacing or which transactions need closer monitoring.

Also secure the mobile network and email if the criminal learned enough personal data to attempt account recovery. Fraud prevention is easier before the first transfer than after it.

Write down when the contact started, the number or address used, what the scammer claimed, what information you shared and whether any payment was made. If a complaint or reimbursement claim follows, that chronology is more useful than trying to reconstruct the conversation days later.

Keep screenshots but do not continue engaging with the scammer to collect more evidence. Once you have enough to report the incident, block the contact and let the bank or police handle further investigation.

• Stop the inbound contact
• Verify the bank independently
• Never share one-time codes
• Never move money to a safe account
• Secure the device if remote access was installed
• Write down what information or money was exposed

Create a short incident timeline while the details are fresh: the number or address that contacted you, what they claimed, every code or piece of information you disclosed, each payment and the moment you realised the contact was false. Give The Co-operative Bank that sequence rather than repeatedly retelling the story from memory; it is clearer for both the fraud team and any later complaint.

Even when no money has moved, shared details still need a response. Secure the email address linked to The Co-operative Bank, change any compromised credentials from a trusted device and review cards and payees for changes you did not make. Be particularly cautious if someone later contacts you claiming to be the bank's recovery or fraud team; a second approach can be built from information disclosed in the first one.

After the immediate incident, add the genuine The Co-operative Bank contact route to your own records and use that route next time, rather than trusting a search advert, text link or caller. Recovery is also the moment to establish a safer routine for future alerts.

After the immediate incident, add the genuine The Co-operative Bank contact route to your own records and use that route next time, rather than trusting a search advert, text link or caller. Recovery is also the moment to establish a safer routine for future alerts.

After the immediate incident, add the genuine The Co-operative Bank contact route to your own records and use that route next time, rather than trusting a search advert, text link or caller. Recovery is also the moment to establish a safer routine for future alerts.

Sources and verification

• The Co-operative Bank - official website
• Financial Ombudsman Service - banking and payments
• Financial Ombudsman Service - complaint time limits

The Co-operative Bank: fraud contact methods evolve quickly. Use the bank's current security centre and verified contact page rather than phone numbers or links supplied in an unexpected message.