Can I get my money back after being tricked into a bank transfer?

The UK reimbursement regime for authorised push payment fraud in plain terms — what is covered, what is excluded, the excess, the standard of caution, and where the current limits are published.

Difficulty: beginner
Time: 15 min
Read: 4 min
Safety: caution

Short answer

For most sterling payments between UK accounts, banks must reimburse victims of authorised push payment fraud, with the sending and receiving banks sharing the cost. There is a maximum claim limit, an optional excess, and a consumer standard of caution that can reduce or remove reimbursement — but not for customers who are vulnerable. Claim through your bank, in writing, promptly.

Authorised push payment fraud is where you make the payment yourself, having been deceived. For years that meant the loss was yours. Since the Payment Systems Regulator's mandatory reimbursement rules came into force, the position has changed substantially, and a great many people do not know that they have a claim.

Safety

There is a time limit on making a claim, and it runs from when the payment was made. Do not delay a claim because you are still gathering information or still hoping the money reappears. Raise it with the bank straight away and add detail afterwards.

Which recovery route applies to a scam payment

Step by step

Check that what happened is authorised push payment fraud.You were deceived into making a payment yourself, to an account controlled by someone other than who you thought. That covers impersonation, purchase scams, romance fraud, investment fraud, invoice redirection and safe-account scams.
Check the payment type is in scope.The rules cover payments made through Faster Payments and CHAPS, in sterling, between UK accounts. They do not cover international payments, card payments (which have their own routes), cash, cryptocurrency transfers made from your own wallet, or payments between accounts in your own name.
Raise the claim with your own bank, in writing.Your sending bank handles the claim, even though the money went elsewhere. Ask explicitly for it to be treated as a reimbursement claim under the mandatory rules, and keep a copy of what you send.
Know the timescale the bank works to.The rules require reimbursement within a short number of business days of the claim, with the ability to extend where more investigation is needed, up to a longer stop. Ask the bank for the deadline that applies to your claim and hold them to it.
Understand the limits and where they live.There is a maximum reimbursable amount per claim, set by the Payment Systems Regulator and periodically reviewed, and firms may apply an excess, which many have chosen to waive. Do not rely on a figure from an article — ask your bank what the current cap and excess are, and check the regulator's published position.
Understand the consumer standard of caution.Reimbursement can be refused where a customer was grossly negligent — for example ignoring a specific, clear warning from the bank, or failing to report promptly, or not cooperating with the bank and the police. This is a high bar, not ordinary carelessness, and "you should have known" is not the test.
Know that the standard of caution does not apply if you are vulnerable.Where a customer is vulnerable — through age, health, disability, bereavement, capacity or circumstances — the standard of caution exception and the excess do not apply. Say so explicitly if it is relevant, and say why.
Gather the evidence the claim will need.Payment details and times, the messages or call log, screenshots, the name the account was in, when you realised, and when you reported. A clear timeline is the difference between a slow claim and a fast one.
Report to Action Fraud as well.Or Police Scotland on 101 in Scotland. Cooperating with the police is one of the requirements, and the reference number is routinely asked for.
If the answer is no, escalate.A refusal is not the end. Complain formally to the bank, then take it to the Financial Ombudsman Service. There is a separate guide here on that route.

Tips

First-party fraud — claiming reimbursement for a payment you knowingly made — is excluded and is itself an offence. So are civil disputes: a genuine trader who supplied late or badly is a consumer rights matter, not fraud.
If you paid by card, do not use this route. Chargeback and Section 75 apply to card payments and are often stronger and faster.
Reimbursement is shared equally between the sending and receiving banks under the rules, which is why your bank will ask questions that seem to be about the other bank's customer.

Common mistakes

Assuming there is no claim because you made the payment yourself — That is exactly what the rules are for. The whole category is called authorised push payment fraud because the victim authorised it.
Waiting to claim until the police have investigated — The claim runs on its own timetable and there is a deadline. Claim now, supply detail later.
Accepting a verbal refusal — Ask for the decision and the reasons in writing. You cannot challenge reasoning you have not been given.

Questions people ask

Does this cover buying something that never arrived?

Yes, where the seller never intended to supply — that is a purchase scam and is in scope. It does not cover a genuine business that failed to deliver, which is a consumer rights dispute.

Does it cover cryptocurrency losses?

A transfer from your bank to an exchange account in your own name is generally outside the rules, because it is a payment to yourself. What happens after that is usually outside them too. Report it anyway and take advice.

How long do I have to claim?

There is a deadline running from the payment, set by the rules. Do not test it — claim as soon as you realise.

Is the excess compulsory?

No. Firms may apply one up to a set maximum, and several have chosen not to. Ask your bank what it applies.