What to do after sending a bank transfer to a scammer

Katerina Galkina · EN · 07/10/2026

Contact your bank immediately

Call the number on your card or use support inside the genuine banking app. Explain that you suspect a fraudulent transfer, ask urgently whether it can be stopped or recovered, and ask the bank to register a reimbursement claim. Do not wait for the seller or police before telling the bank.

Stop making further payments, including supposed release fees or payments to someone promising recovery. Tell the bank if you disclosed a password or installed remote-access software, and secure your accounts. Preserve messages, the advertisement, recipient details, amount, time and transaction reference.

Identify the payment correctly

A transfer you approved because you were deceived may be authorised push payment, or APP, fraud. A payment made without your permission falls into a different category with different rules. Describe events accurately: the FCA explains the distinction ↗.

Bank transfers, cards, cash and international payments do not all receive identical protection. Ask the bank which payment system was used. An ordinary dispute with a genuine supplier over quality or delay is not automatically APP fraud.

Check mandatory reimbursement eligibility

The PSR’s consumer guidance ↗ covers eligible transfers between UK accounts through Faster Payments or CHAPS made from 7 October 2024. The standard maximum is £85,000. Reimbursement should normally take five business days; further investigation can extend the process to 35 business days. An excess of up to £100 may apply.

Conditions and exclusions matter. Gross negligence is a high threshold. The gross-negligence exception and the excess do not apply to vulnerable consumers in the circumstances covered by the rules. Explain circumstances affecting your ability to protect yourself. PSR guidance says to report the fraud as soon as possible and within 13 months of the payment.

Report the crime and challenge a refusal

Report the scam through Report Fraud ↗, or to Police Scotland on 101 if you live in Scotland. Give your bank the report reference and respond to genuine requests for evidence.

If reimbursement is refused, request written reasons and make a formal complaint supported by your evidence. You can then follow the FCA’s guidance on referring a complaint to the Financial Ombudsman ↗, observing the deadline stated in the final response. Complaining is free. A recovery intermediary’s promise of guaranteed success cannot replace the bank’s assessment.