What it is
Authorised push payment (APP) fraud happens when a criminal persuades you to send money from your own account to one they control. Because you authorise the payment, banks’ traditional fraud checks — designed for stolen cards and hacked accounts — often don’t stop it.
How it works
- The scammer makes contact: a call, text, email, dating profile or advert.
- They build a believable story: your bank, a builder’s invoice, an investment or a partner in trouble.
- They create urgency or emotional pressure so you act before thinking.
- You send a bank transfer, often to an account set up by a “money mule”.
- The money is moved on within minutes, frequently abroad.
Red flags
- Pressure to pay right now.
- A new payee, or “updated bank details” by email.
- Being told to lie to your bank about why you’re paying.
- Name-check warnings (“the name doesn’t match”) that the caller tells you to ignore.
A real-world example
In the UK, APP fraud losses rose 19% in 2025 while case numbers grew just 7%, according to UK Finance — each scam is taking more money. Since October 2024, UK banks must reimburse most victims, which has made prevention a priority for the whole industry.
How to protect yourself
- Check payment details by calling a known number — never one in the message.
- Pay attention to Confirmation of Payee / Verification of Payee warnings.
- Take five minutes before any large or unusual payment.
- Never move money because someone “from your bank” tells you to.
If it happened to you
- Call your bank now using the number on your card. Speed is the biggest factor in getting money back.
- Stop all contact with the scammer and don’t send more money — including “fees” to recover losses.
- Keep evidence: screenshots, numbers, emails, transaction references.
- Report it to the police and your national fraud reporting service.
Step-by-step help by country: I’ve been scammed — what now?
The rules
The UK requires reimbursement of most APP scam losses up to £85,000. The EU’s Instant Payments Regulation introduced Verification of Payee, and proposed EU payment rules (PSD3/PSR) would extend refunds for bank-impersonation scams. The US has no equivalent reimbursement law yet.
Source: www.ukfinance.org.uk
