An APP scam is when you’re tricked into paying money to someone who is not who they say they are, or for something that’s different from what you were told.
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Tackling fraud
Authorised Push Payment (APP) scams
Who is protected?
UK Payment Systems Regulator rules for victims of APP scams protect all Coutts private banking clients, our small business clients who meet microenterprise* criteria, and charities with an annual income of less than £1 million.
The rules ensure that financial companies reimburse customers who are victims of APP scams. They cover payments made using Faster Payments or CHAPS in the UK, with claims up to a maximum of £85,000.
*A microenterprise is a business (or group of businesses of which it forms part) which has an annual turnover and/or balance sheet total that does not exceed €2 million (or the equivalent in sterling) and employs fewer than ten people.
Best practice with APP payments
The Consumer Standard of Caution requires that you take certain steps before and after making an APP payment. You are expected to:
- heed any specific warnings given by us, the police or another law enforcement agency that you’re at risk of being a victim of fraud
- tell us promptly if you think you’ve been a victim, and share any information we request from you
- report the fraudulent activity to the police or allow us to report it for you.
Making a claim
A £100 excess could apply to any eligible claim, which means we would not reimburse this amount of money if the claim was successful. If your claim is under £100 you may not get any money back, but it is important that you still report it to us.
We’ll aim to make a decision on your claim in five business days. In some cases we may need extra time and a decision, including any refund you are due, may take up to 35 business days.
Exclusions
Here’s what’s not covered under the rules
- Payments made using cash, a cheque, or a credit, debit or prepaid card.
- APP scams where the final payment was made more than 13 months before you report it.
- Payments you’ve made to another account you control.
- International payments.
- Payments to an account with a credit union, municipal bank or a national savings bank (a state-owned savings bank in the UK).
- A situation where you have a genuine disagreement with the person or company you’re paying. For example, if you’ve paid a retailer or business but you’re not satisfied with the product or service you received.
- If the payment you made is unlawful, for example, for an illegal item.
- You acted fraudulently — for example, if you have lied or misrepresented your circumstances for financial gain.
- You have not, through gross negligence, met one or more of the measures in the Consumer Standard of Caution.