The campervan looked perfect. Carl, a bus driver from Sheffield, sent a £900 deposit by bank transfer on a Friday night. By Saturday morning the listing had vanished and the seller’s number was dead. A few years ago that money would almost certainly have been gone for good. Not any more. UK rules now force banks to pay a bank transfer scam refund in most cases, up to £85,000 — and this guide walks you through exactly how to claim yours.
Bank Transfer Scam Refunds at a Glance
| Rules started | 7 October 2024 (payments on or after this date) |
| Maximum refund | £85,000 per claim |
| Payments covered | Faster Payments and CHAPS, UK account to UK account |
| Deadline to claim | 13 months from the last fraudulent payment |
| Decision time | 5 business days (up to 35 if the bank needs more information) |
| Possible excess | Up to £100 — never applied to vulnerable customers |
| If the bank refuses | Financial Ombudsman Service, free, within 6 months |
The Morning the Campervan Vanished
Carl blamed himself, which is what almost every victim does. He had typed in the sort code, checked the amount and pressed send. Fraud experts call this an authorised push payment scam, or APP fraud — the official name for push payment fraud, where a criminal tricks you into sending money to an account they control. The trap might be a fake marketplace seller, a bogus “bank security team” phone call, a romance scam or a builder’s hijacked invoice. The scale is enormous: UK Finance recorded £576.4 million lost to APP scams across 248,070 cases in 2025. For years banks could shrug because the victim technically approved the transfer. That defence collapsed in October 2024, and the change is the reason Carl saw his money again.
The Rules That Changed on 7 October 2024
Since 7 October 2024, reimbursement has been mandatory rather than a favour. The Payment Systems Regulator now requires every UK bank and payment firm to refund APP scam victims, with the cost split 50/50 between the bank that sent the money and the bank that received it. Before that date, everything rested on the voluntary CRM Code, which ran from 28 May 2019 and only bound the banks that chose to sign it, so payouts varied wildly. Transfers made before 7 October 2024 are still judged under those older, weaker arrangements, which means the date on your payment matters. You can read the rules on the official FCA fraudulent payments page, and if you handed over your login details instead, see what to do if you gave a scammer your bank details.
Which Payments Qualify for the £85,000
The scheme covers money sent by Faster Payments or CHAPS from one UK account to another — which is how almost every everyday transfer, including Carl’s £900 deposit, actually travels. Personal customers qualify, and so do micro-businesses and charities with under £1 million in annual income; every kind of push payment scam counts, from fake sellers to bogus investment schemes. Each claim is capped at £85,000, and the regulator says more than 99% of claims come in below that line, so the cap rarely bites. One deadline matters above all: you must report the scam to your bank within 13 months of the last fraudulent payment. Miss it and the right to a refund disappears. The full consumer rules are set out on the Payment Systems Regulator’s APP fraud page, in plainer language than you might expect from a regulator.
What the Rules Won’t Cover
Some losses sit outside the scheme, and knowing the boundaries saves heartache. International transfers don’t qualify, and neither do cash, cheques or cryptocurrency payments. Card payments follow different protections entirely: chargeback through your bank, or Section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act for credit card purchases between £100 and £30,000 — the route to use if a fake site took your card number in something like the Royal Mail “delivery fee” text scam. Two other gaps catch people out. “Me-to-me” scams, where you were talked into moving money to another account in your own name, fall outside the rules. So do civil disputes — paying a real business for goods that turn up late or disappoint is a consumer problem, not fraud.
How to Claim, Step by Step
Contact the bank you sent the money from, the moment you realise. Use your banking app’s fraud option, the number on the back of your card, or dial 159, the safe-dial service that connects you to your bank. Say clearly that you are reporting APP fraud and want to claim under the reimbursement rules. Gather your evidence while it’s fresh: the scammer’s messages and adverts, screenshots, the sort code and account number you paid, the dates and amounts. Answer the bank’s questions promptly and agree to the fraud being reported to the police — both are conditions of the scheme. If the scam began with a dodgy message, report the scam text to 7726 as well. Then wait: the decision should arrive within 5 business days.
The £100 Excess and the Carelessness Test
Two things can shrink a payout, and neither is as scary as it sounds. First, your bank may deduct an excess of up to £100 from the refund — some charge less, some none at all. Second, the rules set a “consumer standard of caution”: listen when your bank or the police warn you mid-payment, report within 13 months, answer information requests, and consent to a police report. A bank can only refuse for a significant degree of carelessness, a deliberately high bar — being fooled by a convincing scam does not count. In the first quarter of 2026 just 2% of claims were rejected on those grounds. Vulnerable customers get extra protection: no excess, and no caution test. If you’re turned down unfairly, you can appeal a bank’s fraud refund decision.
If Your Bank Says No
A refusal letter is not the end of the road. Start by making a formal complaint to the bank itself — it then has up to 8 weeks to investigate and send you a final response letter. Still unhappy? The next step is taking a complaint to the Financial Ombudsman, the free and independent service that settles disputes between customers and banks. Call 0300 123 9123 or apply online, but do it within 6 months of the final response, because after that the Ombudsman usually cannot take the case. One warning from Carl’s experience: adverts for claims firms appeared in his social feeds within days, offering to fight his corner for a cut of up to 30%. Ignore them. Everything they charge for, the bank and the Ombudsman already do for free.
Report It — and Watch the Numbers Move
Reporting the crime strengthens your claim and starves the scammers. Contact Report Fraud, the national reporting service, at reportfraud.police.uk or on 0300 123 2040 — in Scotland, call Police Scotland on 101 — and keep the crime reference number for your bank. Our guide to how Report Fraud works explains what happens after you file. The system is genuinely working. In the first quarter of 2026, banks returned £72.6 million to scam victims, 89% of the money claimed, with 82% of decisions made inside 5 business days. The regulator’s July 2026 evaluation found scam losses fell by roughly 21% in the scheme’s first year, and a consultation on strengthening the rules further is due in December 2026.
Where This Leaves You
Five days after Carl reported the scam, £800 landed back in his account — his £900 minus the £100 excess — along with a new rule he now repeats to his passengers: the money isn’t gone until your bank says so. A bank transfer scam refund is no longer a long shot; it’s a legal right with deadlines and phone numbers attached. If a transfer of yours has gone to a fraudster, call your bank today, not next week. The 13-month window is generous, but the trail cools quickly.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long do I have to claim a bank transfer scam refund?
You must report the scam to your bank within 13 months of the last fraudulent payment. After that deadline passes, your right to reimbursement under the APP rules ends.
How much money can I get back under the APP rules?
Banks must refund up to £85,000 per claim, minus an optional excess of up to £100. More than 99% of claims fall below the £85,000 cap.
Can I get a refund if I paid a scammer by card?
Card payments sit outside the APP scheme. Ask your bank about chargeback instead, or use Section 75 protection for credit card purchases between £100 and £30,000.
What happens if my bank refuses to refund me?
Complain to the bank first, then go to the Financial Ombudsman Service on 0300 123 9123 within 6 months of its final response. The service is completely free.
Does the scheme cover international transfers or crypto?
No. Only Faster Payments and CHAPS transfers between UK accounts qualify. Money sent abroad, cash, cheques and cryptocurrency payments all fall outside the mandatory reimbursement rules.
Disclaimer: This article is general information, not financial or legal advice. Refund decisions depend on your circumstances — check the Payment Systems Regulator and FCA websites or speak to your bank. Figures correct as of September 2026.