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Payment Scams UK: Bank Transfer & APP Fraud

Sent money to a scammer, or unsure about a payment request? Spot UK bank-transfer, APP, advance-fee and overpayment scams — how to check, stop and report them.

Authorised push payment (APP) fraud is a major form of UK payment scam — the scammer doesn't hack your account, they trick you into authorising the payment or sending a bank transfer yourself, often by posing as your bank, a seller, a builder, or even the police. The golden rule: never move money because a call, text or email told you to — verify any payment request through a separate, trusted channel first.

Got a payment request you're unsure about? Paste it into our free AI scam checker for an automated second opinion. It is not a verdict and does not replace checking through an official route yourself.

The most common UK payment scams

Bank-transfer scams include 'safe account' fraud, in which a caller claims money must be moved to protect it — our bank transfer and APP fraud guide explains the pattern and recovery options. Other frequent tricks include advance-fee scams, overpayment scams, invoice fraud, PayPal 'friends and family' scams, QR-code (quishing) scams and chargeback fraud.

Fake banking-app messages impersonate the apps people trust — Monzo, Revolut, Starling, Wise and Apple Pay — to push you into sending money or sharing codes.

How APP (authorised push payment) fraud works

In APP fraud the criminal convinces you to send the money yourself, so it looks authorised:

  • They impersonate someone you trust — your bank's fraud team, a tradesperson, a solicitor mid-house-purchase, a seller, or 'the police'.
  • They invent a reason to move money now: your account is 'compromised', an invoice's bank details have 'changed', or a fee is due.
  • The classic line is to move your money to a 'safe account' — there is no such thing, and your bank will never ask you to do this.
  • Because you pressed send, the payment is harder to reverse than a stolen-card transaction — which is exactly why scammers prefer it.

How to check a payment request safely

  • Stop and verify independently. Hang up or close the message and contact the bank, company or person on a number or address you already have — never one supplied in the message.
  • Use Confirmation of Payee. If the account name doesn't match who you think you're paying, don't send.
  • Beware changed bank details. For invoices or deposits, confirm any 'new' account details by phone with a known contact before paying.
  • Call 159. Dialling 159 yourself connects you to a participating bank to check whether a call or request is genuine. Your phone provider sets the price of a 159 call and it may not be included in your allowance, so check its current charges.
  • Ask the checker. Run the message through our free AI scam checker first.

What to do if you've sent money to a scammer

  • Contact your bank immediately — the sooner you report, the better the chance of stopping or tracing the payment. A claim normally must be made within 13 months of the last relevant payment.
  • Under the Payment Systems Regulator's protections, qualifying UK-to-UK Faster Payments and CHAPS APP claims made by individuals, microenterprises and charities have been covered since 7 October 2024. Reimbursement is normally expected within five business days of a claim, but a stop-clock of up to 35 business days, a possible excess of up to £100 (not for vulnerable consumers) and an £85,000 mandatory cap can apply. Card, cash and cheque payments, unauthorised fraud and ordinary civil disputes are outside this APP scheme. Complicity or gross negligence may prevent reimbursement; the PSR describes gross negligence as a high bar and says it does not apply to vulnerable consumers.
  • Report it to Report Fraud, or Police Scotland on 101 in Scotland, and keep all evidence — messages, payment details, account numbers.
  • Change passwords for any account whose details you shared and turn on two-step verification.
  • Watch for a follow-up 'we can recover your money' approach — recovery scams target people who've just been defrauded.

How to report payment fraud in the UK

Report to your bank first — they hold the reimbursement process and can try to stop the payment. If your bank supports it, call 159 to be connected safely to your bank, or use the number on your card. Your provider sets the price of a 159 call. Then report to Report Fraud at reportfraud.police.uk or 0300 123 2040 (in Scotland, Police Scotland on 101). Forward any scam texts to 7726, and report phishing emails to report@phishing.gov.uk.

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Common questions

What is APP fraud or a push payment scam?

Authorised push payment (APP) fraud is when a scammer tricks you into sending money yourself, by bank transfer, rather than stealing it. They impersonate your bank, a seller, a tradesperson or the police and invent an urgent reason to pay — often telling you to move money to a 'safe account'. Because you authorised the payment, it can be harder to reverse. UK Finance recorded £576.4 million lost across 248,070 APP cases reported by its members in 2025 — a major high-loss category within payment fraud, measured on that dataset rather than across all UK crime.

Can I get my money back if I was scammed into a bank transfer?

Possibly. Mandatory protections apply to qualifying UK-to-UK Faster Payments and CHAPS APP claims by individuals, microenterprises and charities. Reimbursement is normally expected within five business days of a claim, but exclusions, a stop-clock of up to 35 business days, a possible excess of up to £100 (not for vulnerable consumers) and an £85,000 mandatory cap can apply. Report promptly and normally within 13 months of the last relevant payment.

What is the 159 number?

159 is a service backed by Stop Scams UK and participating banks and phone providers, much like 101 for the police. If you get a call, text or email about a payment and you're unsure, hang up and, if your bank supports it, call 159 to be connected safely to your bank before moving any money. If it does not connect, use the number on the back of your card or another official bank route you find independently. Your phone provider sets the price of a 159 call, so it is not necessarily free and may not be included in your allowance.

Someone overpaid me and wants a refund — is it a scam?

Treat it as likely fraud until your bank, payment provider or marketplace verifies the original payment and tells you how any reversal should be handled. The overpayment scam works by 'paying' you too much (often with a fake transfer, cheque or reversed payment) and asking you to refund the difference before the original payment is shown to have failed. Do not send a separate refund, and never return money to different details from the ones it arrived from. Check the transaction only in your provider's official app or service, and ask your bank, payment provider or the marketplace to verify it and, if it is not good, reverse the original payment through its own route. Do not release goods while the provider shows the payment as pending or disputed, and be wary of any buyer who overpays 'by mistake'.

Sources checked

Last reviewed . Reporting routes are checked against our verified canon of official UK sources. Read about how Beat the Scam writes guides.

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