Authorised Push Payment Fraud

The term is used mainly in the United Kingdom. Unlike unauthorised fraud, where a criminal takes money without permission, in APP fraud the victim authorises the payment themselves, believing it to be genuine.

Common types include purchase scams, where goods are paid for but never delivered; investment scams; romance scams; impersonation scams, where fraudsters pretend to be from a bank, police or tax authority and persuade victims to move money to a so-called safe account; and invoice scams, where fraudsters intercept or fake invoices to redirect payments.

For example, a person receives a call from someone claiming to be from their bank’s fraud team, warning that their account has been compromised and instructing them to transfer their savings to a new account, which is actually controlled by the fraudster.

Historically, victims often struggled to get their money back, because they had authorised the payments. Since October 2024, UK rules require payment firms to reimburse most victims of APP fraud through Faster Payments, up to a maximum amount, with the cost shared between the sending and receiving firms. Other countries, such as Australia, have introduced or are developing their own scam protection frameworks.