Authorised push payments (APP) fraud

Authorised Push Payments – or APP – are where a fraudster tricks you into transferring money to them. They may pose as a legitimate service provider, reputable business or even your family and friends. They usually ask you to send money to an account which they control.

They will want you to do it in a hurry, so you don’t have time to think. And they may ask you to lie to your bank or building society about any withdrawals or transfers. Alternatively, they might pose as your bank or even the police. Any messages they send can be made to look like they come from a genuine email address or phone number.

Fraudsters may also try to convince you they are a genuine well-known business that’s contacting you about a legal or fraud issue. They are likely to ask you to lie to your bank or building society about any withdrawals. A genuine business would never ask you to do this.

Examples of an Authorised Push Payment could include:

• Someone posing as a member of a fraud investigation team for a bank, building society or the police, who asks you to transfer money to a “safe” account.
• Someone posing as an agent of HMRC, who says you are going to be prosecuted if you don’t make an overdue payment.
• Someone posing as a builder, who asks you for a large cash transfer to buy supplies.
• Someone impersonating a family member or friend, who asks you to transfer money into a bank account you didn’t open or that you don’t control personally.

How to protect yourself

If someone asks you to make a payment, don’t automatically presume it’s genuine. Don’t give away any of your security details. And if you’re unsure about making the payment, delay it until you’ve checked with your bank.

We ask you to nominate an account you’ll send money to from your savings account. Never send money to an account you didn’t open yourself and that you don’t personally have control of.

If someone asks you to lie to us about the reason you’re making a withdrawal, it is very likely that this is a scam. Don’t send any money to someone who has asked you to lie to your bank or building society. 

What to do if you've been scammed

If something doesn’t feel right or you’re worried about a transaction, the best thing to do is act quickly. The first three steps to follow are:

1. Stop the payment. Contact your bank or building society so they can try and stop the payment.
2. Contact us. You can get in touch by calling us on 0345 850 0469, messaging us on live web chat or by emailing reportscam@skipton.co.uk
3. Report it. Phone the Police Action Fraud line on 0300 123 2040. They’ll give you a reference number.

New reimbursement rights

New reimbursement rights for Authorised Push Payment (APP) fraud for certain payments made using Faster Payment Systems (FPS) and/or Clearing House Automated Payment System (CHAPS) came into force on 7 October 2024.

Under the new rules, any claims made after 7 October must be made within 13 months of the final payment made to a fraudster as part of a scam.

What are your new reimbursement rights?

The Payment Systems Regulator (PSR) have introduced a new requirement which supports people affected by APP fraud

Under the new regulations, if you have been targeted by APP fraud, you may be entitled to the following:

• Reimbursement within five days, subject to a successful investigation, if further information is needed, this can take up to 35 days.
• A maximum claim amount of £85,000 for each payment.
• Any payment service providers involved will share the cost of reimbursement claims equally.
• The right to complain, should you be unhappy with our final decision.

When do the reimbursement rights not apply?

We treat every case seriously and we’ll review them individually. However, there are some key reasons where you may not be reimbursed:

• If the claim you make is not true.
• You have acted with a significant lack of care on your part, such as ignoring warnings by us, other payment service providers or law enforcement. Or failing to report the scam right away.
• If you're making a claim for something that happened before 7 October 2024 and if it has been over 13 months since you've made the last payment to the wrong person.
• When you send a faster payment to an account which you have control of.
• You have not authorised the payment.
• For cash, cheques or international payments.

What happens if you're not satisfied with our decision?

If you're not satisfied with our decision, we want to know so we can put things right and improve our services. You can contact us to make a complaint in writing, by email or phone.

You can find out details of what happens next and how we will deal with your complaint on our Contact us page or by calling our Contact Centre on 0800 085 0459.

If we do not resolve your complaint internally to your satisfaction and you are eligible, you may be able to refer it to the Financial Ombudsman Service. Details about their service and how to refer a complaint to them can be found on their website at financial-ombudsman.org.uk. 

Useful links

Here are some other official websites and resources dedicated to keeping you safe from fraud.

Take Five to stop fraud

Take Five is a national campaign that offers straight-forward and impartial advice to help everyone protect themselves from preventable financial fraud.

Do you think you can tell a scam from the genuine thing? Put your ability to spot a scam to the test with the Take Five quiz.

Take Five quiz

takefive-stopfraud.org.uk is an external website. Skipton Building Society cannot be held responsible for the content of external websites.