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The Money Desk · Blog
Re:

Are banks quietly refusing reimbursements to fraud victims? What UK evidence shows

Some UK fraud victims have received an initial refusal later overturned, but complaint totals do not establish a refusal rate. The payment type and date determine which rules apply.
From TheFinanceBase Team6 min to read
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Are banks quietly refusing reimbursements to fraud victims? In the UK, there are documented cases where a bank initially refused to refund someone and later changed its decision after an appeal or Financial Ombudsman Service review. But available evidence does not show that banks are coordinating refusals or establish how often eligible claims are refused. A complaint count is not a refusal rate.

The first question is what happened: did someone make a payment without your consent, or did a scammer deceive you into authorising a transfer? Those situations follow different rules.

What evidence is there that victims have been refused?

There are documented examples of initial refusals, including decisions later overturned. They show that a refusal can be challenged; they do not establish how common refusals are.

A bank reversed an initial decision after an appeal

In qualitative victim-journey research, the UK Home Office described a woman whose bank initially refused reimbursement because it believed she had willingly moved the money and taken out a loan. After she appealed and explained that she had been frightened into acting, a bank manager reversed the decision and refunded her. This is one interviewee’s account, not evidence of a general bank policy or a measure of refusal frequency.

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The Ombudsman found that authorisation did not settle one case

In a Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS) case study, “Anna” authorised a £14,500 transfer after a fraudster impersonated her bank and told her to move money to a safe account. Her bank initially said it was not liable because she had authorised the payment. The Ombudsman considered whether the bank should have recognised the risk and asked further questions, and concluded that it should refund her. That outcome illustrates how one complaint was assessed; it does not mean every authorised transfer qualifies for a refund.

Complaint totals and reimbursement figures do not reveal a refusal rate

The FOS received around 31,300 fraud and scam complaints in 2025, including around 20,000 about authorised payments. In April–June 2025, the first quarter of 2025/26, it received 6,800 fraud and scam complaints, around 3,400 involving APP scams. These figures count complaints received, not reimbursement claims refused, eligible claims, or all scam incidents.

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Measure Figure and period What it tells you
FOS fraud and scam complaints Around 31,300 in 2025; around 20,000 involved authorised payments. Source: Financial Ombudsman Service, 2025. Complaint volume, not the number or share of eligible reimbursement claims refused.
FOS fraud and scam complaints 6,800 in April–June 2025; around 3,400 involved APP scams. Source: Financial Ombudsman Service, Q1 2025/26. Complaints received during that quarter, not a refusal rate or a count of all victims.
Money returned under the APP scheme 88% of money lost to in-scope APP scams in the scheme’s first ten months, October 2024–June 2025. Source: HM Treasury, 2026 response reporting. A scheme outcome metric; it does not show the outcome for every type of fraud or identify a bank-by-bank refusal rate.
Claims closed within five business days 83% in the scheme’s first ten months, October 2024–June 2025. Source: HM Treasury, 2026 response reporting. Processing time for claims in that reporting period, not whether every claimant was reimbursed.
Claims made 126,000 in the scheme’s first ten months, October 2024–June 2025. Source: HM Treasury, 2026 response reporting. Claim activity, not a count of refusals.
In-scope APP fraud losses reimbursed 88% (£173 million) in the first year. Source: UK Home Office, 2026 Fraud Strategy. A first-year scheme result, not proof that refusals are widespread or absent.

Together, the case examples and published figures show that individual disputes happen and that the APP scheme has returned a substantial share of in-scope losses. They do not answer how often an eligible claimant is refused, because the figures do not provide a denominator of eligible claims and final reimbursement decisions.

Which reimbursement rules apply to your payment?

Do not treat “I was scammed” as enough to identify the route. Consent, payment method, date and claim circumstances matter.

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What happened Relevant route Key distinction
A payment was made without your consent Unauthorised-payment protections This is a separate framework from APP scam reimbursement. Contact your provider promptly and ask it to assess the transaction as unauthorised.
You were deceived into authorising a transfer Potential authorised push payment (APP) scam claim The UK reimbursement scheme described below applies to qualifying Faster Payments and CHAPS transfers, subject to its conditions.
You paid by card, cash or cheque, or used another payment route Not covered by these APP scheme rules Other protections may apply, but do not assume the APP scheme applies to these payment types.

For qualifying APP transfers made on or after 7 October 2024

The UK Payment Systems Regulator’s APP reimbursement protections began on 7 October 2024. They cover qualifying Faster Payments and CHAPS transfers between UK accounts. Eligible claimants include individuals, microenterprises and charities. The normal maximum reimbursement is £85,000 per claim; a provider may choose to reimburse more than the scheme minimum.

  • Report the scam to your payment provider promptly and within 13 months of the relevant payment.
  • A provider may apply an optional excess of up to £100. The excess cannot be applied to vulnerable consumers.
  • Providers usually should reimburse within five business days. They can pause that clock to gather specified information, but must reach an outcome within 35 business days.
  • The claim must meet the scheme’s criteria. The fraud exception and gross-negligence exception can affect eligibility; the PSR describes gross negligence as a high bar and says that exception does not apply to vulnerable consumers.

FOS decision DRN-5857289 summarises other coverage tests, including whether the payment was connected with fraud rather than a private civil dispute and whether the claimant was a party to the fraud. The decision and the applicable scheme criteria—not simply the fact that the customer authorised the payment—matter to the assessment.

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For APP payments made before 7 October 2024

The current mandatory rules should not be assumed to apply retrospectively. An older APP payment may be considered under the former voluntary Contingent Reimbursement Model (CRM) Code if the provider was a signatory and the claim meets the relevant conditions.

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What should you do if your provider refuses?

  1. Contact the provider promptly through a trusted channel. Use a number from your bank card or official statement rather than a number in a suspicious message. Report the scam and ask it to secure the account and try to trace or stop the payment where possible.
  2. Ask which payment route and rules it assessed. Explain whether you authorised the transfer, how it was made, when it happened, and whether you believe it was fraud or an unauthorised transaction. Ask the provider to identify the scheme or framework it applied.
  3. Keep the evidence. Save transaction details, messages, call records, emails, and any documents showing how the fraudster persuaded you to act. Note when you reported the incident and what the provider told you.
  4. Request the reasons in writing. Ask the provider to explain the facts and rules behind its decision, including whether it says the payment was authorised, outside the scheme’s scope, or affected by an exception.
  5. Make a formal complaint if you disagree. Set out what happened, why you think the decision is wrong, and what evidence supports your account. Follow the provider’s complaint process.
  6. Check whether you can refer the complaint to the FOS. The Ombudsman considers complaints individually. It may reach a different view from the provider, but a referral does not guarantee a refund.

What a refusal does—and does not—mean

An initial “no” is not always the end of the matter: the Home Office account and the FOS case show decisions changing after more information or independent review. But neither example proves that a particular refusal is wrong. Some claims may fall outside the relevant scheme, and an authorised transfer is not automatically reimbursable.

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When assessing a refusal, keep these questions separate: whether you consented to the payment; whether the payment type and date are covered; whether the claim meets the applicable conditions; and whether the provider handled the payment or complaint appropriately. A provider’s explanation should make clear which issue led to its decision.

The evidence is specific to the UK. It does not establish the reimbursement rules or refusal patterns in the United States, the EU or other countries.

Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.

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