How do I protect myself from scams?

Last updated: 20 August 2026

Everything you need to know to spot, avoid, and report scams when sending money.

Common types of scams

Recruitment scams. You receive a job offer or task opportunity online. You are asked to send money as part of the process, for example to "unlock" a payment, purchase equipment, or cover a fee.

Legitimate employers never ask you to transfer money.

Romance scams. Someone you met online builds a relationship with you over time. They ask you to send money, often with urgent or emotional reasons.

Be cautious if someone you have never met in person asks you to transfer funds.

Crypto and online platform scams. You are persuaded to send money to invest in a platform, or to recover funds you have already sent.

Scammers often ask for increasingly larger amounts, promising bigger returns each time.

Social media and impersonation scams. Someone contacts you on Facebook, WhatsApp, or Instagram pretending to be Taptap Send, a bank, or a government agency. They may ask you to send money urgently or share your account details.

Taptap Send will never contact you via social media to ask you to send money or share personal information. Always verify through the official app.

"Money flipping" scams: you see an offer online promising to turn a small amount into a large return, for example "send £100, receive £500". These are always scams.

Once you send the money, the person disappears and the funds cannot be recovered.

Red flags to watch out for

You may be dealing with a scam if:

  • Someone you don't know personally is asking you to send money
  • You are being pressured to act quickly before you have time to think
  • The reason for sending keeps changing or doesn't quite add up
  • You are being asked to send to a new recipient you have never sent to before
  • Someone is offering returns that seem too good to be true, or promising to multiply your money
  • You receive a message claiming to be from Taptap Send asking for your password, PIN, or account details: we will never ask for this

How Taptap Send helps protect you

We monitor transfers for signs of unusual activity. If a transfer looks like it could be a scam, we may show you a warning in the app before you confirm, take these warnings seriously. We will never ask you for your password, PIN, or one-time passcode, by any channel. If anyone contacts you claiming to be Taptap Send and asks for this information, do not share it and report it to us immediately through the app.

What should I do if I think I've been scammed?

If you think you've been scammed, act immediately:

  1. 1Contact us through the app as soon as possible. Speed matters, the sooner we know, the better our chances of helping. We will contact our local partner to request a recall of the funds and block the recipient from using Taptap Send in the future.
  2. 2Report it to your local police. Keep a record of all messages, names, and transfer details.
  3. 3Report it to your national fraud authority using the table below.

Please be aware that recovering funds sent to scammers is very difficult and in most cases unfortunately not possible. Scammers typically cash out funds immediately after receiving them, which means a recall is unlikely to succeed. We will always do our best, but we cannot guarantee a refund.

This is a list of organisations that you contact to help you if you have been a victim of a scam.

Country Organisation Website / Notes
UK Action Fraud actionfraud.police.uk national fraud and cybercrime reporting centre. You can also call 0300 123 2040
USA FTC & FBI IC3 reportfraud.ftc.gov and ic3.gov
Canada Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre antifraudcentre-centreantifraude.ca
UAE eCrime portal u.ae (Abu Dhabi Police). Dubai Police has a separate e-crime reporting channel: ecrimehub.gov.ae
France Cybermalveillance cybermalveillance.gouv.fr official national platform for online fraud reporting
Germany BKA (Federal Criminal Police) No single national portal, reports typically go through local police. Some Länder have dedicated cybercrime portals.
Belgium Point of Contact police.be
Netherlands Fraudehelpdesk fraudehelpdesk.nl
Italy Polizia Postale commissariatodips.it handles cybercrime and online fraud
Spain Policía Nacional & Guardia Civil GDT No single URL. Reports go to the Policía Nacional cybercrime unit or the Guardia Civil's Grupo de Delitos Telemáticos (GDT).
Bahrain General Directorate of Anti-Corruption and Economic & Electronic Security bahrain.bh (Ministry of Interior eServices portal) - handles cybercrime, fraud, and online scam reports

Still need help? Contact our support team through the app.