NatWest Scam Texts: How to Spot a Fake NatWest SMS (UK)
Criminals are sending convincing text messages that look like they're from NatWest—but they're designed to steal your login details and access your bank account.
7726 or 88355.The fake NatWest text - and what it is really after
A NatWest fraud-text scam is smishing: a fake SMS that pretends to be from the bank so you tap a link and give away login details, card details, or a one-time passcode. An example of the style is: NatWest: We blocked a £420 payment from a new device. If this wasn't you, confirm here: natwest-secure-login.example.
The story varies - a blocked payment, payment on hold, new device, frozen card, or suspicious activity - but the aim is to frighten you into acting before you check.
Why it slips past your guard
Scammers can use familiar-looking sender names and bank-style wording. A fake may appear near genuine messages on your phone, so sender display and message position are not reliable proof.
NatWest's official text-scam guide says it will never ask you to call a number in a text message to confirm or cancel payments. It also warns not to click links or download files from sudden text messages, and not to share bank account details, passwords, or one-time passcodes.
Red flags in a NatWest scam text
- It creates urgency: a payment "blocked", a device "added", or access lost unless you act now.
- It sends you to a link to "confirm", "restore", "secure", log in, or re-enter card details.
- It tells you to call a number in the text to confirm or cancel a payment.
- It asks for bank account details, passwords, PINs, card details, or one-time passcodes.
- It tells you to move money to a new, holding, or "safe" account.
- The link goes to a lookalike or unfamiliar domain. Do not use text-message links for banking.
- Errors can be clues, but a polished text can still be fraudulent.
Step by step: how the scam works
First, a text appears to be a NatWest alert about a blocked payment, new device, or suspicious login. Second, it pushes you to a link or phone number. Third, the link opens a copycat page or the caller asks for security details. Fourth, the criminals capture what you provide. Fifth, they may trigger a real one-time passcode and ask for it. Finally, they try to access the account, approve a payment, or use your details for further fraud.
How to check a NatWest text safely
Do not use a number or link from the text. Use one of these independent routes:
- Call 159. Stop Scams UK lists NatWest as a 159 participant.
- Open the official NatWest app and check activity, messages, or My Security Profile.
- Type
natwest.comyourself, or use a trusted bookmark. - Use the phone number on your card or a recent statement.
NatWest's own guidance says to check transactions in the mobile app or call the number on the back of your card.
The email version of this impersonation is covered in our NatWest Phishing Emails: Spot a Fake NatWest Email (UK) guide; to judge the linked site itself, see Is This Website a Scam? A Practical Checklist Before You Buy.
Already responded? Do this now
If you gave away login details, card details, or a one-time passcode, call 159 or the number on your card now and tell NatWest the account may be compromised. Reset your NatWest password only from inside the app or from an address you typed yourself, and replace it anywhere you reused it.
Work through our scam recovery checklist for the rest, including getting the card stopped and reissued, reviewing payments and payees, and the routes to recover money.
If you bank elsewhere, the same checks apply — see, for example, our Barclays Scam Texts: How to Spot a Fake Barclays SMS (UK) guide.
Where to report a NatWest scam text
NatWest says suspicious texts referring to NatWest can be forwarded to 88355, the bank's own reporting route; standard network rates apply and it is not a premium-rate number. Scam texts can also be forwarded free of charge to 7726, the spam-reporting shortcode run by the UK mobile networks.
If you lost money, shared sensitive information, or were hacked, report it to Report Fraud at reportfraud.police.uk or on 0300 123 2040 if you are in England, Wales, or Northern Ireland. In Scotland, report to Police Scotland on 101.
If the same scam also reached you by email, send it to the NCSC at report@phishing.gov.uk. Keep screenshots before anything is deleted, and let NatWest know through the app.
Frequently asked questions
Is a NatWest text with a link always a scam?
NatWest says it will never ask you to call a number in a text to confirm or cancel a payment, or ask you to disclose your full PIN, full password or security code. A genuine code message is not permission to give the code to a caller or enter it on a page reached from an unexpected text.
Can a fake NatWest text land with real alerts?
Yes. Sender IDs can be forged, so a fake can sit in the same thread as real NatWest alerts. Its position there is not evidence — check in the app or on 159 instead.
What is the safest number to call to check?
159, or the number on your NatWest card. Do not ring a number the text gave you, however official the number looks.
Can I get my money back after a NatWest text scam?
Possibly. Eligible UK bank transfers over Faster Payments or CHAPS made on or after 7 October 2024 may be covered by APP reimbursement rules, subject to limits and exclusions. Card payments have different protections, such as chargeback.
How do I report a NatWest fraud text?
Forward suspicious texts referring to NatWest to 88355, which is NatWest's own reporting route. Any scam text can also go to 7726, the spam-reporting shortcode run by the UK mobile networks. If you lost money or shared sensitive information, report it to Report Fraud in England, Wales, or Northern Ireland, or Police Scotland on 101 in Scotland.
Sources checked
- NatWest — Text message fraud
- NatWest — My Security Profile
- Stop Scams UK — Get help now (159)
- NCSC — Report a scam text message