You check your banking app and realise a transfer you made went to a scammer. The money has gone, but that does not necessarily mean your refund rights have gone too. UK rules protect many victims of bank transfer fraud, even when they authorised payment.
The key questions are when you paid, how the money moved and whether you were deceived. Acting quickly can help your provider recover funds.
What counts as authorised push payment fraud?
Authorised push payment (APP) fraud occurs when a criminal tricks you into transferring money from your account. You approve the transaction, but the recipient’s identity or reason for paying is fraudulent.
Examples include a fake bank employee telling you to move savings, a fraudster impersonating a solicitor with replacement payment details, or a seller advertising goods that do not exist. Romance and investment scams may also qualify.
APP fraud differs from an unauthorised payment, where someone takes money without permission. It also differs from a dispute with a genuine trader over defective goods or poor work. Those situations have different protections.
When do UK bank transfer scam refund rights apply?
For eligible scam payments made on or after 7 October 2024, mandatory reimbursement rules generally cover transfers between UK accounts through Faster Payments or CHAPS. They protect individuals, microenterprises and qualifying charities, across banks, building societies and various payment firms.
Under the Payment Systems Regulator’s framework, eligible victims can normally recover up to £85,000 per scam claim. Providers may voluntarily reimburse more. The cap applies to the scam claim, not separately to each transfer forming part of that scam.
Firms may deduct an excess of up to £100. They cannot apply it to a consumer vulnerable to the particular scam. For a loss smaller than £100, the excess could prevent reimbursement under these rules.
Which payments are excluded?
The mandatory scheme does not automatically cover international transfers, card payments, cash, cryptocurrency or transfers between accounts held with the same provider. Payments first made to an account you control can also fall outside it, as can civil disputes. Larger businesses generally do not qualify.
Different protections may still apply. Ask your provider what payment route was used instead of assuming you have no claim.
What to do as soon as you discover the scam
Report it to the sending provider
Contact your bank using its official app, website or number printed on your card, never details supplied by the scammer. State that you are reporting APP fraud and requesting reimbursement. Ask it to alert the receiving institution and attempt recovery immediately.
Supply every transfer date, amount, recipient and reference. Request a case number and written acknowledgement. If you made several payments, explain how they belong to the same deception.
Keep evidence and secure your accounts
Preserve emails, messages, screenshots, invoices and banking warnings. Write down events while they are fresh. Report the incident to the police or Report Fraud and cooperate with reasonable requests from your bank.
If you disclosed a password or security code, secure your account and tell your bank. Ignore anyone demanding an upfront fee to recover stolen money; recovery scams frequently target existing victims.
How long does APP scam reimbursement take?
Eligible claims should generally be reimbursed within five business days. Where a provider needs more information, it may pause the timetable, but must reach an outcome within 35 business days under the scheme.
Report promptly and within 13 months of the last scam payment to qualify under the mandatory rules. Do not treat that as a reason to wait: early reporting gives banks a better chance of freezing funds.
Can the bank refuse because you authorised the payment?
No. Authorising a transfer is part of the definition of APP fraud. A provider may reject an otherwise eligible claim if it proves fraud involvement or gross negligence in breaching the applicable consumer standard of caution.
Gross negligence means substantially more than an ordinary mistake. The provider must consider the circumstances and quality of its warnings. This exception does not apply to consumers vulnerable to the particular scam.
Ask for a written explanation if refused: which rule was applied, what evidence supports it and how was vulnerability assessed? A general accusation that you should have been more careful is not enough by itself.
A practical example: the changed solicitor invoice
Imagine an email apparently from your conveyancing solicitor says the client account has changed. You transfer £12,000 by Faster Payments, then learn the real solicitor never sent the message. If the money reached a scammer’s UK account after 7 October 2024, mandatory reimbursement may apply.
Provide the fake instruction and the solicitor’s confirmation that it was fraudulent. Explain what account-name checks and warnings appeared. If the claim is accepted and a £100 excess applies, reimbursement could be £11,900, depending on the facts.
For future payments, verify changed details by calling the intended recipient on a number independently obtained beforehand. Our guides to spotting fake bank messages and checking suspicious invoices offer further practical checks.
What about scams before October 2024?
Mandatory reimbursement does not operate retrospectively. Some older losses may fall under the voluntary Contingent Reimbursement Model Code if the payment provider was a signatory and its conditions were met. Banks’ other responsibilities may also be relevant.
Ask your provider to investigate. The Financial Ombudsman Service can assess how older cases were handled against the standards applicable at that time.
How to challenge a refusal
Submit a formal complaint explaining the payment timeline, supporting evidence and why you dispute the decision. Ask for a final response. Payment-services complaints generally have a 15-business-day response period, extendable to 35 business days in exceptional circumstances.
If dissatisfied, or if the complaint deadline passes without a proper response, refer the case to the Financial Ombudsman Service for free. Usually you must do so within six months of the firm’s final response. The ombudsman can consider cases outside the mandatory scheme too.
Keep letters and case references together. Our guide to making a financial services complaint explains how to organise an effective escalation.
Frequently asked questions
Can I get an APP scam refund in the UK if I sent the money willingly?
Potentially, yes. APP fraud involves an authorised transfer made because of deception. Eligibility depends on the payment date, destination, method and circumstances.
Is £85,000 available for each bank transfer?
No. The maximum under the mandatory scheme is generally per eligible scam claim, rather than per payment made during one scam.
Can I complain if the transfer falls outside the new rules?
Yes. A provider may have other responsibilities, and the Financial Ombudsman Service may investigate its handling of the fraud.
How long do I have to report a bank transfer scam?
For the mandatory APP scheme, report promptly and within 13 months of the last scam payment. Other complaint limits may differ.
Getting your refund claim moving
Start with a clear report to your payment provider, supported by the transaction details and evidence. UK bank scam reimbursement rights are stronger for eligible APP fraud, but exclusions, the £85,000 limit and possible excess still matter. If a decision appears unfair, request the reasoning and challenge it.
