An authorised push payment (APP) scam happens when you're tricked into authorising a payment yourself — to someone posing as a supplier, landlord, family member, investment platform, charity, adviser, or official organisation. At the time, the payment can feel completely genuine, which is what makes these scams work.

How it happens

You receive a message from someone who appears to be a real person or business. They give you payment details and ask you to transfer money, so you authorise the payment yourself because the request seems real. It's often only later that you find out the recipient was controlled by a criminal.

These scams are usually linked to impersonation, romance, investment, purchase, invoice, or property scams. The situation might be a supplier telling you their bank details have changed, a landlord asking you to pay into a new account, an urgent request from someone claiming to be family, or an invoice from a solicitor or builder you were already expecting to pay. Because the story fits something you were already doing, the payment can feel normal the whole way through.

The UK's Payment Systems Regulator (PSR) defines APP fraud as being tricked into sending money by bank transfer to someone posing as a genuine person or organisation. In the UK, reimbursement protections apply to some Faster Payments and CHAPS transfers from 7 October 2024 onward, but eligibility depends on the circumstances of each case — this isn't automatic reimbursement for every payment.

Warning signs

Be cautious if: you're asked to pay a new recipient or changed account details, you're under pressure to act quickly or keep the payment secret, the recipient can't be verified independently, or you're asked to ignore a warning from your bank, Xe, or another provider.

Common examples: a supplier's payment details change, a landlord's account changes, an urgent request from "family," a fake builder's invoice, a fake solicitor's payment request.

How to protect yourself

1. Pause before paying anyone new, or paying into a changed account.
2. Verify the request yourself, using contact details you already have — not the ones in the message.
3. Take any warning you see during the payment journey seriously.

A genuine person or organisation won't mind you taking the time to check.

If you think you've already sent a scam payment

1. Contact your bank or payment provider immediately.
2. Contact us too, if an Xe transfer was involved.
3. Save everything: messages, invoices, account details, payment references, and anything you have about the person or business you thought you were paying.

If you're in the UK, you may be covered by APP scam reimbursement rules depending on the payment type and circumstances — your bank can confirm whether this applies to you.

When you contact us, use our Help Centre.