How to freeze a scammer's bank account

Two different ways to freeze an account

There are two separate routes to stop money moving out of an account: an urgent hold requested through your bank or the National Scam Response Centre, and a formal freezing order obtained through the court. They work differently, and they are not the same tool.

A bank-level hold is fast to request but limited in what it can do. A court freezing order takes longer to arrange but can reach further and hold for longer.

Understanding the difference helps you use the right one at the right moment, rather than waiting for one when the other suits your case better.

The urgent bank-level hold

Contact your bank’s fraud line or call the National Scam Response Centre on 997 as soon as you notice the transfer, and ask about a hold on the receiving account. This route does not need a lawyer and can move within hours if the funds are still there.

Its limit is that it depends on speed and on the receiving bank cooperating quickly. Once funds are withdrawn or moved to another account, this option becomes far less effective.

Read how a bank recall works for more detail on what your own bank can attempt on your behalf.

The court freezing order

A freezing order, sometimes called a Mareva injunction, is a court order that stops an identified account from being moved, withdrawn, or spent while a claim proceeds. It requires a formal legal application, which means working with a lawyer.

This route takes longer to arrange than a bank hold, but it can cover funds a bank alone cannot reach and can hold them in place for a longer period. It also supports a wider claim, not just the immediate transfer, and may be combined with a tracing order if the account holder is not yet clearly identified.

How the two routes work together

A bank hold can protect funds in the first hours, buying time while a lawyer assesses whether a freezing order is worth pursuing. The bank hold is the fast first move, and the court order is the more durable follow-up.

If a freezing order becomes necessary, it often runs alongside a civil claim against the account holder, since the order protects the money while the claim is decided.

Neither route guarantees the outcome, and both depend heavily on how quickly the receiving account is identified and acted on.

What to do next

If the transfer was recent, contact your bank or call 997 immediately, since this is the step where speed matters most. Gather the receiving account details and your own transfer records while you do this.

If the amount is significant or the bank hold alone is not enough, a conversation about a freezing order can clarify whether that formal route is realistic for your case.