Scammed Into Sending Money? The New APP Fraud Refund Rules (UK)

If a scammer tricked you into authorising a bank transfer — a fake invoice, a "safe account" call, a bogus seller — you may now be entitled to your money back. Since 7 October 2024, UK banks face mandatory reimbursement rules for authorised push payment (APP) fraud. Here is what they mean.

What the rules cover

The reimbursement scheme applies to APP scams — where you were deceived into sending money via Faster Payments to a fraudster — between UK accounts. Under the rules:

• Your bank must reimburse you, usually within five business days.
• The cost is split 50/50 between the bank that sent the money and the bank that received it.
• There is a per-claim cap (set by the regulator), and a small "excess" may apply in some cases.
• Vulnerable customers get enhanced protection, with no excess or caps applied against them.

When a bank can refuse

Reimbursement can be declined only in limited circumstances — chiefly if you acted with gross negligence (a high legal bar, not just "you should have known"), or if the claim is itself fraudulent. Simply being tricked by a convincing scam is not gross negligence.

How to claim

1. Tell your bank immediately — the moment you realise, so they can try to recover funds.
2. Report it to Action Fraud (or Police Scotland) and keep the reference.
3. Give your bank the details: who you paid, when, how you were deceived, and any messages or calls involved.
4. Ask explicitly for reimbursement under the APP fraud rules.

A complaint letter template

Dear [Bank],

Re: APP scam reimbursement claim — account [number]

On [date] I was deceived into authorising a payment of £[amount] to [recipient]
in the following circumstances: [briefly describe the scam]. This is an
authorised push payment scam covered by the mandatory reimbursement rules.

I did not act with gross negligence. Please reimburse me under the scheme and
confirm within the required timeframe. If you decline, please issue a final
response so I can refer the matter to the Financial Ombudsman Service.

Yours faithfully,
[Your name and contact details]

If your bank refuses

Escalate free to the Financial Ombudsman Service, which has consistently sided with scam victims where banks apply the "gross negligence" test too harshly. Move quickly and keep every message — the rules now put the starting presumption in your favour.