Scams, Fraud & Money Recovery
After a scam in the UK: call 159, report to Action Fraud, claim under Section 75 or the mandatory APP fraud reimbursement rules, and escalate free to the Financial Ombudsman.
Covered in this guide:
The UK has the strongest consumer money-recovery regime in the English-speaking world. The Payment Systems Regulator's mandatory APP fraud reimbursement rules took effect on 7 October 2024 — sending banks must now refund authorised push payment scam victims up to £85,000 per claim on Faster Payments and CHAPS, with cost split equally between the sending and receiving banks. Section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act 1974 makes the credit-card issuer jointly liable with the merchant for breach of contract or misrepresentation on any credit-card transaction where the cash price was more than £100 and not more than £30,000. The Payment Services Regulations 2017 (regulation 76) require unauthorised-transaction refunds by close of next business day. The Financial Ombudsman Service resolves all of it for free and its decision is binding on the firm if you accept.
The pages below walk you through the first 24 hours, reporting to Action Fraud, and recovering money under the right route for how you paid.
Key Laws
Consumer Credit Act 1974, s. 75
c. 39
Joint and several liability of credit-card issuer and merchant for cash-price transactions over £100 and up to £30,000.
Payment Services Regulations 2017
SI 2017/752, regs. 76–77
Unauthorised-transaction refund by end of next business day; consumer liability cap.
PSR APP scams mandatory reimbursement (PS24/7)
PSR Policy Statement PS24/7 (in force 7 October 2024)
Faster Payments and CHAPS APP fraud reimbursement up to £85,000 per claim; £100 excess (waived for vulnerable consumers).
Financial Services and Markets Act 2000
c. 8
Statutory basis for the Financial Ombudsman Service; binding awards on firms.
First 24 Hours After Being Scammed in the UK
Three actions in the first 24 hours decide the rest. Call 159 — the Stop Scams UK short code routes you directly to your bank's fraud team and cannot be spoofed, so it works even if a scammer is still...
Reporting Fraud to Action Fraud and the FCA
Action Fraud is the UK's single national point of contact for fraud and cybercrime. It is run by the City of London Police on behalf of all UK police forces and feeds the National Fraud Intelligence B...
Recovering Money After APP Fraud, Card Fraud, or s.75 Disputes
The UK has three distinct money-recovery routes and you pick the one that matches how you paid. For authorised push payments (Faster Payments / CHAPS bank transfers) made on or after 7 October 2024, t...
How to Complain to the Pensions Ombudsman
The Pensions Ombudsman is the statutory dispute-resolution body for occupational and personal pensions in the UK. It was established under the Pension Schemes Act 1993 and operates as a free, independ...
How to Complain to the Property Ombudsman (TPO)
The Property Ombudsman (TPO) is the largest of the two government-approved redress schemes for the UK property industry. The other is the Property Redress Scheme (PRS). Every UK estate agent, letting...
How to Complain to the Legal Ombudsman About a Solicitor
The Legal Ombudsman (LeO) is the statutory complaints body for legal services in England and Wales, established under the Legal Services Act 2007, Part 6. It covers solicitors, barristers, licensed co...