Scam Awareness: How Authorised Push Payment Fraud Works
Authorised push payment fraud involves persuading someone to transfer money voluntarily to an account controlled by a criminal. Because the payment is authorised by the account holder, it sits outside the protections that apply to unauthorised card fraud.
Losses in this category are substantial and have grown, and the techniques are considerably more sophisticated than the caricature of a badly written email suggests.
The common patterns
Impersonation of a bank or fraud team, calling to say your account is compromised and money must be moved to a safe account. Banks do not do this, and the safe account does not exist.
Invoice interception, where a genuine supplier's email is compromised or spoofed and bank details on an invoice are altered. This affects businesses and anyone paying for building work, conveyancing or similar.
Purchase scams, where goods advertised online never arrive.
Investment scams offering returns that are implausible, often with professional-looking materials and cloned firm details.
Romance and relationship scams built over months before any money is requested.
Why the techniques work
Urgency and authority. The caller creates time pressure and presents as someone whose instructions you should follow.
Number spoofing makes calls appear to come from a genuine institution's published number.
Criminals frequently have some genuine information — recent transactions, partial card numbers — obtained from data breaches, which establishes credibility.
Isolation: victims are often told not to discuss it with branch staff or family, framed as part of an investigation.
The single most effective defence
Stop and verify independently. End the call, wait several minutes, and ring the institution back on a number you obtain yourself from a statement or card, not from the caller.
For invoice and bank detail changes, telephone the supplier on a number you already held, never one supplied in the email requesting the change.
No legitimate organisation asks you to move money to a safe account. That request alone identifies the call as fraudulent.
Reimbursement
Regulatory reimbursement schemes for this type of fraud have been introduced or strengthened in several jurisdictions, requiring banks to refund victims in defined circumstances subject to conditions.
Rules vary and typically consider whether the customer ignored clear warnings. The position continues to develop, so checking current rules with your bank or regulator is worthwhile.
If it happens
Contact the bank immediately — speed materially affects the chance of recovery. Report to the relevant national fraud reporting service.
Keep all evidence: messages, numbers, account details, screenshots.
Ask the bank formally about reimbursement, and escalate to the ombudsman if refused. Many initial refusals are overturned on review.
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