Authorised push payment fraud
Fraud in which the victim makes the payment themselves, having been deceived — as opposed to unauthorised fraud, where the criminal takes the money directly.
The distinction matters enormously for whether you get your money back. In unauthorised fraud — a stolen card, a hijacked account — the loss usually sits with the bank. In authorised push payment fraud you pushed the payment, which historically meant you carried the loss.
That has been changing. The United Kingdom introduced mandatory reimbursement rules for APP fraud, and several other jurisdictions are moving in the same direction. Reimbursement is not automatic and depends on the circumstances, but the assumption that “I sent it, so it is my problem” is increasingly out of date. Ask your bank explicitly about reimbursement, and do not accept a first refusal as final.
Where it shows up
- Bank impersonation and the safe account — A call from your bank's real number, telling you your money is at risk and must be moved somewhere safe.
- Ticket and marketplace scams — Goods that were never there — and a seller whose only real skill is getting you off a payment rail that protects you.
- Fake investment platforms — A trading dashboard that shows everything except the one thing that matters — that no trade ever happened.