APP Fraud
Authorised Push Payment (APP) fraud is when you are tricked into authorising a payment to a fraudster's account. It is now the most common form of bank fraud in the UK.
Send Money
Your bank app
To
HMRC Tax Refund Dept
Amount
£4,750.00
Reference
Tax clearance ref 8821
How APP fraud works
You receive a convincing message appearing to be from your bank, a business, or official body
You're told your funds are at risk or a payment is needed urgently
You authorise the payment yourself — to an account controlled by the fraudster
Banks now have legal obligations to reimburse APP fraud victims
Warning signs
- Urgent request to move money for "safety"
- Payment instructions sent via email that could be intercepted
- Bank details changed at the last minute on an invoice
- You are asked to pay to a new account you have never used
- High-pressure tactics to act before you can think
New 2024 rules
Since October 2024, UK banks are legally required to reimburse APP fraud victims up to £85,000 per claim under the PSR's mandatory reimbursement policy.
Client Success Story
"I received an email that looked exactly like it came from my solicitor asking me to transfer the completion funds for my house purchase to a new account. I had no reason to doubt it — the email address looked identical. I lost my entire house purchase deposit. Refund United took on the case and recovered every penny."
Thomas B.
Sheffield · APP fraud victim
Amount recovered
£47,500
How we helped: We established that the client's bank had failed to apply adequate checks on a large first-time payment to a new payee, and that the bank's own Confirmation of Payee system had not flagged the discrepancy correctly. The FOS found in our client's favour and the bank reimbursed £47,500 in full.
