Claim Refunds for Authorised Push Payment (APP) Fraud

There are a number of red flags to look out for, so you can protect yourself from fraudulent romance scams:

• Fraudulent online dating profiles – their profile might have very few images, they may work or live in another country and there may be limited profile information.
• Being asked to move to another form of messaging, away from the app – means they avoid any safety checks the app has in place.
• Lots of flattery and early declarations of love – this is a manipulation technique and preys on vulnerable people. This is also known as ‘love bombing’.
• Avoiding video chat – if their profile images are fake, they will not want to appear on camera, live chat or FaceTime.
• Apparent legitimate confirmation of their identity at an early stage of the relationship, including providing a copy of their passport, driver’s licence or other official documents.
• Requests to send money to someone you’ve never met in person, particularly if you’ve only recently met them through an online dating app. These requests may come with a sense of urgency – unplanned travel, medical assistance, paying off debt, or an investment opportunity.
• Requests to open a bank account, take out a loan or make an investment on the other person’s behalf.
• Requests to share your personal identification documents such as your passport or driving licence.

If you are the victim of a romance scam, it is important to put any embarrassment aside and contact your bank and Action Fraud, the National Fraud and Cyber Crime Reporting Centre. If you have lost money, then that may lead to a criminal investigation by the police.

Banks should conduct an investigation and try to recover the money from the receiving bank. But, given that most scammers quickly move the money on, it is usually not possible to get a refund.

There have been some important recent decisions made by the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS) about push payment fraud and the banks’ responsibility to their customers. FOS is an independent body set up to settle disputes between financial institutions and their customers. If you disagree with the bank’s investigations following a romance fraud, you can take your case to FOS and they will carry out their own investigation.

There are an increasing number of decisions focusing on the banks’ duty of care to their customers, particularly with regard to carrying out due diligence checks on large or unusual payments where their customers are vulnerable such as the elderly or bereaved.