How it works

What ScamFendr does, screen by screen.

Three things you can do: check a business before you pay, check a chat that worries you, and get help after a scam. Here is every step, what we check, and what we don't.

Every screen, in order

Before you pay · free, no sign-up

Check a business

  1. Type the nameOn the homepage or the Check page, exactly as it was given to you.

  2. Three registers, at onceThe FCA, Companies House and HMRC. A register we can't reach is never counted as clear.

  3. One answer, with the evidenceWhat each register said, what to do now, and similar names in case it's a clone firm.

  4. Who to contactIf you're worried: your bank's fraud number and where to report, from official sources.

Before you reply · on Telegram, free

Check a chat

  1. Agree onceThe first time, the checker shows a short privacy notice. Type /private and we store nothing you send, but each message is then checked on its own. The checker confirms when it's on.

  2. Forward the chatForward or paste the messages. An AI model reads them as you wrote them. Personal details are removed before we store anything.

  3. The stage it has reachedWhich of the six stages of an investment scam the chat shows, and what to do now.

After a scam · free, with a sign-in

Start your case

  1. Sign in with a codeWe email you a code. No password, and your email is never stored in plain text.

  2. Five short stepsWhat happened, timeline, losses, the scammer's details, then a review. Saved on your device as you go.

  3. Your case packThree documents to read and download as PDFs, with what to send first.

  4. My casesCome back any time. Your cases page lists your documents and explains the Ombudsman time limits. The dates are yours to track.

What we check, and what we don't.

A check can only find what the registers and the chat show. Knowing the limits is part of using it well.

We do

  • Search the FCA Financial Services Register, and the FCA Warning List, which we refresh daily
  • Search Companies House for the company and its status
  • Search HMRC's register of businesses it supervises for money laundering, refreshed monthly
  • Read forwarded chats for the six stages of an investment scam
  • Draft your Report Fraud report, your complaint to your bank, and your complaint to the Financial Ombudsman Service

We don't

  • Call any business "safe". No warning signs is not the same as honest, and scammers copy real firms' names
  • Check chats for romance, job, delivery or other scams yet
  • Send anything for you, or contact your bank on your behalf
  • Decide whether you're reimbursed. Your bank decides, and the Ombudsman can review it
  • Give legal or financial advice

Words we use.

The official names, so you can recognise them in letters from your bank or the police.

APP fraud
Authorised push payment fraud: when you're tricked into sending a payment yourself, for example by bank transfer.
Reimbursement
Money your bank or payment firm pays back under the APP fraud rules: up to £85,000 per claim, for Faster Payments and CHAPS payments made since 7 October 2024.
PS23/3
The Payment Systems Regulator's policy statement that set those rules. The government plans to fold the regulator into the FCA; the rules stay in force.
FCA Financial Services Register
The public record of firms and people the Financial Conduct Authority has authorised.
FCA Warning List
Firms the FCA has warned the public about, because they are operating without permission or running scams.
Clone firm
A scam that copies the name, address or registration number of a real, authorised firm. Always use the contact details on the official register entry.
Companies House
The UK's register of companies. Being on it means a company was set up, not that it is honest.
HMRC money laundering supervision
HMRC supervises some businesses, such as money transfer firms, estate and letting agents and accountancy services, to stop money laundering.
Report Fraud
The UK's national fraud and cyber crime reporting service, which replaced Action Fraud in December 2025. It covers England, Wales and Northern Ireland. In Scotland, call Police Scotland on 101.
Financial Ombudsman Service
A free, independent service that settles complaints between people and financial businesses, including banks.
159
A phone number that connects you safely to your bank's fraud team, if your bank is part of the 159 service.

Start with a check.

It takes a few seconds and needs no sign-up.

Check a business