UK Bank Transfer Fraud Refunds: What to Tell Your Bank When You Report It

The money has left your account. Only now does the story you were told about the payment start to come apart.

You don’t need a perfect explanation before you call your bank. Get the transfer details in front of you and make the call.

Overview

You pressed Send because someone misled you

Authorised push payment fraud, usually shortened to APP fraud, can happen when you approve a bank transfer because a criminal lied about who would receive it or why.

For example, you may think you’re paying a builder whose account details changed. The builder is real. The bank account on the replacement invoice isn’t theirs.

A different case is someone getting into your account and transferring money without your permission. Your bank needs to know which of those descriptions fits, or whether both happened.

Which UK transfers the rules cover

The Payment Systems Regulator’s guidance explains the protections for eligible transfers through Faster Payments and CHAPS between UK accounts on or after 7 October 2024.

Individuals, microenterprises and charities can qualify. The rules are about the payment and the circumstances, so don’t assume every loss involving a UK bank is covered.

A payment showing as completed in your app is still worth reporting. Recovery from the receiving account and reimbursement under the rules are two different questions.

What your bank needs first

Your first call is for identifying and securing the payment. There will be time for a fuller account once you know how the bank wants evidence sent.

• The amount, date and approximate time of each transfer.
• The recipient shown in your bank app and the person you believed you were paying.
• Whether you approved the payment or found it after it had gone through.
• Whether anyone still has access to your device or banking details.
• What the other person told you that made the payment seem genuine.

You can report a transfer without being sure which payment system it used. Ask the bank to identify it and to explain which protections it’s considering.

An early report also helps with anything still unfolding. If there’s another payment pending or someone is still talking to you, say so at the start.

What to Do After Sending Money to a Scammer

1. End the call or chat and contact your own bank. Open your banking app yourself or call a trusted number from the card. Don’t ring back the caller.
2. Identify the transfer and ask for urgent action. Give the amount and time, say it was induced by a scam, and ask the bank to try recovering the funds.
3. Ask it to log a reimbursement claim. Get a case reference, confirm what evidence is needed and ask which payment rules apply. Recovery efforts are not the whole claim.
4. Flag device or account access. Tell the bank if you shared codes, installed software or showed your screen. Use a different trusted device if the first is compromised.
5. Save the evidence in order. Keep messages, invoices, confirmation screens and bank correspondence. Send them through the secure method the bank gives you, not to a caller.
6. Follow up in writing. Record the date you reported it, note what the bank asked for, and request a written outcome if the claim is refused or reduced.

If you are not sure which number is real, don’t look for a bank fraud number in an ad. The app or the number on your card is safer.

Say “I approved it because I was deceived” if that’s what happened. Don’t describe your approval as unauthorized just because you never intended to pay a criminal.

You may be asked to report the fraud to the police, or to allow the bank to do so. Check what it needs and keep any reference it gives you.

If a fraudster directed you into your bank app, tell the bank exactly what happened. That includes any warning you saw and any explanation you were given.

Ask where to upload sensitive records. The bank doesn’t need you to forward an entire inbox or send passwords alongside the evidence for a transfer.

How to Describe the Payment So It Reaches the Right Team

Explain who you meant to pay

Start with the simplest version of the story. “I thought I was sending the balance to my builder” gives the bank a person and a purpose.

Then say why the instructions looked right at the time. Maybe the new invoice had the correct quote number and arrived just before the agreed payment date.

Finally, say what exposed it. A call to the real builder asking when the work could start may be the moment you learned where the money went.

Keep evidence for all three parts. The transfer proves money moved; the invoice and the later call explain why it moved and when you realized something was wrong.

Don’t lump separate payments together

You might pay a deposit by card and send the rest by bank transfer. List the payments separately because the route for challenging them can be different.

If two transfers went from different accounts, identify each sending provider. Don’t assume one bank can deal with the payment another bank sent.

If you approved the first payment but later saw a transfer you didn’t make, make both facts clear. Ask the bank to record them separately.

Even the account name can be useful. If the app shows a trading name different from the invoice, record it exactly instead of making the two match.

Preserve the conversations as they happened

Keep the original invoice and the replacement instructions. Mark which one you acted on, but don’t write over the actual document or remove the original email.

If you received several calls, note when each happened and what was said. Distinguish notes you made at the time from details you remember afterward.

Give your screenshots clear names for yourself. A screenshot showing a changed destination account is easier to find later than ten files all called “payment.”

If you lose access to a chat, don’t delay the report. Say what you remember and tell the bank what records are still available to you.

What the UK Reimbursement Rules Can and Can’t Do

The usual timing and maximum

The regulator says eligible claims should usually be reimbursed within five business days. The bank can pause that timing to obtain information it needs to assess the case.

The published rules allow up to 35 business days for an outcome when additional investigation is needed. Ask the bank what is outstanding and when it expects to decide.

The standard maximum under these rules is £85,000 per claim. If you lost more, report the full amount and get guidance about the remaining loss.

A provider may apply an excess of up to £100. The regulator says that excess does not apply to vulnerable consumers in circumstances covered by the protections.

Don’t estimate your refund by subtracting £100 and assuming the rest is settled. Whether the loss qualifies, and whether an excess applies, depends on the claim.

Where a payment can take a different route

An international transfer, card payment or cash payment doesn’t become a protected domestic bank transfer just because it was arranged on a phone in the UK.

If you paid an overseas account, ask about recall and the provider’s own fraud process. Report it promptly even if the domestic reimbursement rules don’t apply.

A genuine seller failing to deliver can be a civil dispute rather than APP fraud. A seller invented to collect payments presents a different set of facts.

Explain what supports your account. A late package alone proves less than a false identity confirmed by the business that was impersonated.

If the bank says you paid an account you control, explain any subsequent transfers too. A chain of payments can require more assessment than a single transfer.

The Financial Conduct Authority’s guidance distinguishes transfers you approved after being tricked from payments you did not authorize at all.

Tell the bank about circumstances that mattered

The bank may ask about warnings, what you did after discovering the fraud and whether you can provide information that helps assess the claim.

If a health condition, coercion, disability or another circumstance affected how you could respond, explain that. Ask for a safe way to discuss details privately.

If you need someone present while calling, ask the bank about support or reasonable adjustments. Having trouble with a call shouldn’t stop you from reporting the fraud.

No one should tell you to invent a story or omit a warning to get reimbursed. Give the facts and explain how the fraudster made them seem harmless.

If the Bank Refuses or Offers Less Than You Lost

Ask the bank to put the decision in writing. You want to know whether it disputes what happened, considers a payment out of scope or applied a limit.

Read each reason next to your evidence. If it assessed a card payment instead of the subsequent bank transfer, show the two records and ask for clarification.

Use the bank’s complaints process if you disagree. Include the case reference, the decision you’re challenging and any facts or records you think it missed.

Keep the original decision and later replies. The Financial Ombudsman Service explains how to take a complaint further if the provider hasn’t resolved it.

A follow-up doesn’t require paying a third party who says it has special access to the bank. Be especially wary of fees to release recovered funds.

If a caller knows the amount you lost, that does not prove they are from the bank. Hang up and go back to the case through a trusted channel.

While the claim is open, check for unfamiliar payments or new payees. Keep the bank informed of any separate activity rather than waiting for the original claim to finish.

What to Do When the Caller Is Still in Your Phone

Some people discover the fraud before the conversation ends. A caller may insist that ending screen sharing will interrupt a refund or lock your money in transit.

End the call anyway. If someone can still see or control the device, disconnect it from the network and call the bank from another phone.

Tell the bank what software you installed, if any, and whether you entered details while the other person could see. Don’t open the banking app on that device.

If you shared your screen but didn’t approve a second transfer, don’t assume that means nothing else happened. Ask the bank to check for unfamiliar activity.

Check with the bank before using that device for sensitive accounts again. Keep records somewhere safe, but don’t reopen a remote session to obtain them.

If the caller claims to be a police officer handling your case, verify that through a public police contact you locate independently. Don’t call their extension back.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I get a refund if I approved the transfer myself?

You may qualify. The APP rules are meant for certain transfers the customer approved after being deceived, so pressing Send does not by itself rule out reimbursement.

Report what happened promptly and ask your bank to assess the claim. You shouldn’t have to decide eligibility before asking it to investigate.

What if the transfer has already cleared?

Report it anyway. Ask the bank to try recovering the money and to consider reimbursement. A completed transfer doesn’t tell you what the bank can do next.

Keep checking messages from your bank through its own app or another trusted channel. A fraudster may contact you again while you are waiting.

Should I call the bank that received the money?

Start with the bank or provider that sent the money. It can identify your payment and coordinate with the receiving provider through its own procedures.

Do not contact the recipient to ask for the money back. That can expose you to another demand or give the recipient warning that you’ve reported the transfer.

What if I paid for something and the seller stopped replying?

Tell the bank what you bought, when it was due and why you think the seller deceived you. A genuine dispute and fraud aren’t treated the same.

Gather the order confirmation and any evidence that the identity, invoice or offer wasn’t real. Report the payment method accurately and ask which process applies.

Will I get a decision in five business days?

Five business days is the usual reimbursement timetable for eligible claims, not a promise that every claim will be decided by then.

If the bank needs more information, ask exactly what it wants. Keep a record of when you sent it so you can follow up on the right case.

What if I don’t have all the messages anymore?

Call now, not after you reconstruct the chat. Your transfer record, the account name and the story you remember are enough to start reporting what happened.

List anything you can still retrieve and tell the bank where the gaps are. Don’t ask a suspected scammer to resend a document or reconnect.

The Bottom Line

Call the bank that sent the transfer. Ask it both to try recovering the money and to assess your claim under the UK reimbursement rules.

Give a straightforward account of who you thought you were paying and why. If the bank refuses reimbursement, get the reason in writing and challenge any factual error.