APP scam claims from 7 October 2024

From 7 October 2024, the Payment Systems Regulator (PSR) is introducing new regulations to protect victims of authorised push payment (APP) scams – that’s where scammers trick people into sending them money by bank transfer.

This page explains how we’ll handle APP scam claims under the new regulations, so you know what to expect. There won’t be much change from the way we handled these claims before, and most people who make an APP scam claim will get their money back. We’ll update our terms and conditions in 2025 to reflect any changes.

The information on this page covers personal accounts, plus payments made by microenterprises and small charities.

If you last paid the scammer before 7 October 2024, you aren’t covered by the new rules, but you can still report the scam and we’ll assess your claim using the Contingent Reimbursement Model code (CRM).

If you’ve paid a scammer by credit or debit card, cash, cheque or international transfer, you aren’t covered by the new regulations or the CRM, but you should still report it, as we review all claims.

How to make an APP scam claim

If you think you’ve been the victim of an APP scam, please call us on 0345 050 4585⁽¹⁾ to report it and start your claim. We’re here 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

You’ll need to make your claim within 13 months of your last payment to the scammer, but it’s best to contact us as soon as possible so we have a better chance of getting your money back.

You might be an APP scam victim if:

A scammer tricked you into thinking you were sending money to someone other than the person who received it.

OR

You knew who you were sending money to, but they tricked you into doing it by lying about what the payment was for.

What happens when you make a claim

We’ll ask you to give as much information as possible, and we might ask you to send any evidence you have. Then, if you’ve been scammed, we’ll:

Share the details of your claim with any banks you sent money to, so we can work with them to investigate
Try to get your money back from the scammer’s account. If we’re successful, we’ll send you any money we get
If we can’t get all your money back, we’ll use the new regulations from the PSR to decide if you’re eligible for us to help cover the amount you’ve lost. If you aren’t eligible, we’ll reject your claim.

We’ll only reject your claim if:

You sent money to a genuine person or company who wasn’t trying to trick or scam you
You acted fraudulently or were part of the scam
More than 13 months have passed since you sent money to the scammer
The account you sent money to is with a credit union, municipal bank or national savings bank
The payment was to your own account with us or another bank

You didn’t provide information we asked for to help us investigate your claim
We asked you to report the scam to the police and you refused
You didn’t take reasonable steps to protect your money. For example if you:
o Knowingly gave us the wrong payment reason
o Ignored warnings we showed you when you were making the payment
o Ignored us if we told you we thought the payment might be a scam.

We’ll contact you within five working days

We’ll contact you within 5 working days of the day you made your claim with our decision or an update.

If we’ve finished our investigation, and we’ve been able to get all your money back, we’ll return the full amount to you. If we couldn’t get your money back, or only got part of it, we’ll let you know if you’re eligible for us to cover what you’ve lost.

If we haven’t finished our investigation, we’ll let you know we need more time and we might ask for more information. If this happens, we’ll aim to make our decision within 35 working days of the day you made your claim.

If you’re eligible for us to help cover your loss
We’ll send a payment within five working days of you making your claim, unless we told you we needed more time to investigate

The most we can cover under the new rules will usually be £85,000, but we assess claims individually and in some cases we might give you more

We might deduct a £100 excess from the amount we pay you, and we might not cover losses that are under £100.

If you aren’t eligible
We’ll reject your claim and explain why we can’t cover what you’ve lost

If you sent money to a genuine person or company, we’ll explain other ways you can dispute the payment

If you were scammed, we’ll still try to get your money back from the scammer. If we’re successful, we’ll send you any money we get.

Common questions

I think I’ve been scammed – what should I do?

Please tell us as soon as possible, so we can start investigating and try to get your money back. Our report a scam page explains how to contact us and what to expect.

How can I help protect myself from scams?

When you make a payment, always give us the correct reason for the payment, read all warning messages and follow any instructions we give you.

It can also be helpful to learn about the different types of scam, so you know what to look for. There’s more information on our fraud and scams page.

I’ve paid a scammer by cash, cheque or international transfer – am I covered?

You aren’t covered by the rules from the PSR, but you should still report the scam as we review all claims.

I paid the scammer from an account I have with another bank – where do I report it?

Please report the scam to the other bank. We can only investigate if you paid the scammer directly from your account with us.

How long do I have to make an APP scam claim?

It’s best to report a scam as soon as possible, so we have a better chance of getting your money back. If you paid the scammer on or after 7 October 2024, you’ll need to report it within 13 months of the last payment you sent them.

What happens if I lose more than £85,000?

If we get your money back from the scammer, you’ll get the full amount. If we can’t get your money back and your claim is eligible, we’ll help cover what you’ve lost. The most we can cover under the new regulations will usually be £85,000, but we assess claims individually and in some cases we might pay you more.

If we get your money back after we pay you, and it’s more than the amount we’ve covered, we’ll send you the extra.

Can I use a third-party company to make my claim?

You can, but using another company to make your claim won’t make things quicker or change the outcome. It’s quicker to talk to us directly than wait for a third party to claim on your behalf.

What can I do if I’m not happy with the outcome of my claim?

If you aren’t happy with our decision, you have the right to make a complaint. Our complaints page explains how to do this.

I’ve sent money to a scammer from a charity or business. Am I covered by the new rules?

If you’ve paid the scammer from a microenterprise, you’re covered. A microenterprise is a business or organisation that employs less than 10 people, and has an annual turnover or balance sheet of less than £1.7 million.

If you’ve paid the scammer from a charity, you’re covered if the charity has an annual income of less than £1 million and is considered a charity under the Charities Act 2011, Charities and Trustees Investment (Scotland) Act 2005 or Charities Act (Northern Ireland) 2008.

If you’ve paid a scammer from a charity or business that isn’t covered, our business page about scams explains what to do.