Fraud help in Israel: take the first steps
Discovering an unfamiliar transaction or a convincing impersonation attempt can be unsettling. If you have been affected by fraud in Israel, first secure exposed accounts and preserve the messages or documents that explain what happened. This fraud help guide for Israel brings together practical steps and official resources so you can decide whom to contact and what information to prepare.
Start with the most immediate risk. If money or bank access is involved, contact your bank promptly. Keep the original messages and documents, and write down what happened while it is fresh in your mind. You can ask for help before you have gathered every piece of evidence.
Use the right reporting service
Israel Police receive criminal complaints. The National Cyber Directorate provides a separate cyber incident service, and consumer authorities address matters within their own remit. Start with the official reporting guidance for Israel, then follow the relevant sections below for banking, identity protection and consumer complaints. Keep copies of reports and reference numbers so you can follow up consistently.
Check suspicious letters and payment requests
A real company name, familiar logo or official-looking document is not enough to establish authenticity. Read our guide to company letterhead security and impersonation scams, and learn how secure business communication can help organisations make correspondence easier to verify.
Contact the claimed sender through details you find independently before taking further action. Be cautious of unsolicited recovery offers that demand an advance payment or promise guaranteed results. For incidents involving another jurisdiction, visit the country-by-country Fraud Help directory.
1. Stop Further Losses
If someone is in immediate danger or urgent emergency assistance is needed, call 100 for urgent police assistance. Use the police reporting routes below for non-emergency complaints.
Stop communicating with the suspected scammer and do not send more money. Contact your bank immediately if money, card details or account access are involved. Save messages, payment records and suspicious documents. If someone has remote access to your device, disconnect it from the internet and contact your bank from another trusted device.
2. Contact Your Bank or Payment Provider
Use your bank’s official app or a trusted telephone number. Explain whether a payment was unauthorised or you were deceived into approving it. Ask about securing cards and online banking, tracing transactions and any available recall or dispute process. Keep a written record of your notification and the bank’s response. Do not send money to a caller’s supposed “safe account”. Recovery depends on the circumstances and is not guaranteed.
Tell the bank which credentials or identification methods were exposed, whether you installed remote-access software and whether you approved any payment. Ask for a case reference and written instructions. If you disagree with its response, request its formal complaint procedure and the relevant dispute-resolution route.
3. Report the Fraud to Police
Use Israel Police's official online complaint service where eligible, or visit a police station. Check identification requirements and follow any request for an interview or additional evidence. Treat online submission as a request to file a complaint until police confirm the reporting process is complete.
Prepare a short timeline, payment records, recipient account details, original messages, website addresses and copies of suspicious documents. Explain how the contact began and what money or information you shared. Keep the complaint reference and any instructions for providing additional evidence.
4. Report Cybercrime and Online Fraud
Report suspected criminal fraud to police. For phishing, compromised accounts or other cyber incidents, the Israel National Cyber Directorate provides reporting and technical assistance contacts, including [email protected]. A cyber incident notification does not replace a police complaint or a payment dispute with your bank.
Keep original evidence and use a trusted device to secure affected accounts. Do not send passwords, one-time codes or full payment-card details in an incident report.
5. Protect Your Identity
Notify every bank, lender, telecom provider or online platform where your identity was misused. Dispute unfamiliar accounts or debts in writing and keep the replies. Change compromised passwords from a trusted device, secure your email first and enable two-factor authentication. If an identity document is lost or stolen, contact its issuing authority about reporting, blocking or replacement.
Report suspected criminal identity misuse to police and list the affected accounts or contracts. Notify the issuer of any compromised digital identity or electronic signature. Keep unfamiliar credit notices and invoices, and dispute fraudulent agreements directly with the organisation concerned.
6. Protect Your Credit
Review unfamiliar loan applications, credit enquiries, invoices and collection letters. Contact the lender and any credit-information provider named in the correspondence, ask for access to the information held about you and dispute inaccurate entries in writing. Keep your police reference and supporting documents. Ask each provider about available fraud alerts or protective measures and their scope. Do not assume that one request freezes every account or removes an existing debt.
7. Consumer-Protection Resources
Use the authority's official service for consumer complaints or enquiries within its remit. Keep the trader's details, contract, receipts and correspondence. Regulatory reporting is not a guarantee of individual compensation. For a dispute with a bank or card company, request its formal complaints process and the applicable financial-regulator route.
Consumer Protection and Fair Trade Authority: https://www.gov.il/en/service/filing_a_complaint_to_fair_trade_authority
For a purchase dispute, keep the order confirmation, receipts, advertised terms and correspondence. Ask your payment provider about any available dispute or chargeback process without waiting for a regulator’s response. Recovery depends on the circumstances.
8. Employment and Immigration Fraud
Verify the employer through independently sourced contact details. Keep the job advertisement, offer letter, recruiter messages and payment requests. Report fraudulent adverts to the hosting platform. If you paid money or shared identity documents, contact your bank and police and follow the identity-protection steps above. For immigration claims, confirm the procedure and official fees with the responsible authority or consulate; a professional-looking letter does not prove that it is genuine.
Do not receive or forward money through your personal account for an unverified employer. For a claimed job or permit in Israel, independently contact the employer and the responsible government authority or consulate. Preserve forged offers and payment requests for police.
Official Contacts and Telephone Numbers
Emergency assistance: 100 for urgent police assistance.
Police or formal complaint guidance: https://www.gov.il/en/service/request-file-complaint-online-during-emergency
Cybercrime or technical incident guidance: https://www.gov.il/en/Departments/israel_national_cyber_directorate
Consumer Protection and Fair Trade Authority: https://www.gov.il/en/service/filing_a_complaint_to_fair_trade_authority
Report the Fraud
Israel Police
Official Sources
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Check whether a document issued through VerifiableLetter is authentic.
Important: This guide provides general information, not legal, financial or emergency advice. Procedures and contact details can change. Confirm requirements with the relevant authority. Reporting does not guarantee investigation, reimbursement or recovery.