This is the most common type of financial scam in the UK. Authorised push payment fraud happens when you are tricked by a criminal into sending money by bank payment to an account that they control and which you do not.

It works by scammers tricking account holders into sending money under false pretences.

Scammers manipulate their victims into sending payments or sharing their details. They often pose as legitimate businesses or authorities - to help them appear trustworthy.

The type of fraud is referred to as authorised - because the victim voluntarily transfers the money.

Reimbursement is not guaranteed in all cases, with some specific exemptions applied.

Every year thousands of people and businesses are victims of APP fraud. Common types of APP fraud include:

• purchase fraud, where criminals pretend to sell things that don’t exist.
• impersonation fraud, where criminals claim to be someone from a bank, the police or another trusted organisation to steal money.
• investment fraud, where you’re convinced to move your money into a fictitious fund or to pay for what later turns out to be a fake investment.
• romance fraud, when criminals use a fake dating profile to start a relationship with you and then ask for money.
• invoice fraud, where fraudsters send false invoices.

If a payment is taken from your account by someone else without your permission, it is called unauthorised fraud. For example, if your bank card is stolen and used to buy something in a shop or online. There are separate rules for reimbursing unauthorised fraud, including credit and debit card fraud, and you should seek advice in this instance. Contact your bank immediately if you spot any transactions that you do not recognise.

Remember, fraud affects people from all walks of life, and you should never be embarrassed if you have been scammed. Your bank will be there to help you.

What is covered?

• Payments made within the UK. You are not covered for a payment sent overseas.
• Payments made using Faster Payments.
• Payments made using CHAPS.
• Payments from personal bank accounts and payments made by micro-enterprises and certain charities.

Note: Transfers between Harpenden Building Society Savings Accounts are not covered under the scheme.

For existing customers, we will write to you no later than 9th April 2025 with updated terms and conditions informing you of your rights under the reimbursement scheme.

Are you eligible for the reimbursement scheme?

• The new scheme applies only to payments on or after 7th October 2024.
• You must raise your claim within 13 months of the final payment made to a fraudster (as part of the same scam).
• Every claim will be assessed on a case-by-case basis considering evidence provided by you, information received from the receiving account provider, and where relevant - any third party such as the police.
• Exclusions may apply.

Tip: You should still take care when you make a bank payment.

Reimbursement is not guaranteed in all cases, with some specific exemptions applied. There’s more information about how to protect yourself against authorised push payment fraud in the Consumer Guide.

There are some situations where you won’t be able to get your money back under this reimbursement scheme. This includes if:

• You paid using cash, a cheque, or a credit, debit, or prepaid card.
• You paid using a payment system not covered under this scheme.
• It’s a civil dispute: for example, if you’ve paid a genuine retailer or business but you aren’t satisfied with the product or service you’ve received.
• You have acted fraudulently yourself – including if you have lied or misrepresented your circumstances for financial gain.
• It’s a payment you have made to another account that you control.
• The payment you made is unlawful: for example, if the payment was for an illegal item.
• It is a payment to and from an account with a credit union, municipal bank, or a national savings bank (state-owned
  savings bank in the UK).

Transfers between Harpenden Building Society Savings Accounts are not covered under the scheme.

Tip: remember, you may have reimbursement options under other rules, so always seek advice.

Practice being cautious…

You should always be careful and cautious when making payments. This means meeting the Consumer Standard of Caution:

• You need to follow any advice or warnings we provide and law enforcement. This may include advice on how to check that your payment is genuine, or an alert to advise that they think it may be fraud. Harpenden Building Society and law enforcement will never ask you to transfer money to protect yourself from fraud.
• You must report the fraud as soon as you can, and no more than 13 months after the last fraudulent payment was made.
• We may ask you for additional information about your claim. You need to make sure you respond to these requests.
• Once you have made a claim, we may ask you to report the details of the fraud to the police, or we may offer to do this on your behalf. You should consent to these steps being taken where possible and reasonable.

Note: Your bank does not have to reimburse money lost in an APP fraud if you have shown a significant degree of carelessness (known as ‘gross negligence’) when making a payment.

This would mean you would not have met the Consumer Standard of Caution.

Criminals are experts at impersonating people, organisations, and the police. They spend hours researching you for their scams, hoping you’ll let your guard down for just a moment.

Stop and think. It could protect you and your money.

Criminals are experts at impersonating people, organisations, and the police. They spend hours researching you for their scams, hoping you’ll let your guard down for just a moment.

Stop and think. It could protect you and your money.

Before making a payment, follow the advice from Take Five to Stop Fraud:

• Take a moment to stop and think before parting with your money or personal information. It could keep you safe.
• Ask yourself, could it be fake? It’s ok to reject, refuse or ignore any requests. Only criminals will try to rush or panic you.
• Do your research and be suspicious of any too-good-to be-true offers or prices.
• Remember, your bank or the police will never ask you to transfer money to a safe account.
• If you’re unsure or are suspicious then talk to a trusted friend or family member before making your payment.

Tip: When you are making a payment: Always follow any advice or warnings from your bank or payment service provider.

Your bank or provider might ask you extra questions about a payment. This is to help keep you safe. Always answer these questions truthfully. If someone is asking you to lie or telling you what to say to your bank, then it’s very likely to be a scam.

It might take slightly longer for a payment to leave your account. This is so your bank has time to do extra checks to keep you safe from fraud.

Here are some more precautions to take to help you avoid falling victim to a scam:

• Using Confirmation of Payee to complete a name check on the account you are sending the payment to
• Consider what the money is going to be used for, and do you know the person you are sending it to?
• Have you received a call or been approached by somebody you don’t know?
• Have you been contacted by somebody claiming to be from the police, bank staff, or an official organisation such as a utility provider, HMRC etc?
• Are you making the payment to keep your money safe, or for an investment, or have you been asked to help a friend or family member in an emergency?
• Have you been threatened with arrest or visits by bailiffs if you do not make the payment?
• Have you recently been asked to download any software to your computer or phone?
• Have you been told to lie to bank staff about the real reason for this payment, did they say your money isn’t safe?
  If you feel any of these precautions are relevant to you or you have been unable to check the name on the account you are paying using Confirmation of Payee, then please contact us before making the payment, we may advise you not to make the payment.

There are additional protections in place for customers who, due to their personal circumstances, may be more vulnerable to being tricked by criminals. This can include a health condition, or a life event such as a bereavement.

It could also include personal factors, such as your knowledge of financial matters, your personal financial situation, your ability to withstand an emotional shock or your levels of capability – such as literacy or digital skills.

If these circumstances have had an impact on your ability to spot or protect yourself from fraud, then you can still be reimbursed even if you did not take all the steps required under the Consumer Standard of Caution.

We will also consider your personal financial circumstances when deciding how – or if - to apply an excess to your reimbursement.

If you are a vulnerable customer there will be no excess applied.

Contact us immediately if you have lost money in an APP fraud.

It is important that you do this as soon as you realise that you may have been scammed as delays can cause problems when trying to recover your funds.

You can do this by visiting one of our branches, calling Member Services on 01582 765411, or emailing enquiries@harpendenbs.co.uk

We will need to ask you for information to support your claim and it is important you provide this to us promptly to enable us to assess your claim and or potentially prevent any further fraudulent activity.

You must report the fraud no more than 13 months after the last fraudulent payment was made.

The maximum amount of money you can claim under the rules is £85,000.

We may ask you to report the scam to the police or ask you to allow us to do so on your behalf.

Once you tell us you may have been the victim of a scam, we will be on hand to support you. We understand this is a difficult time and we will make the reimbursement process as easy as possible for you. We understand that certain vulnerabilities could mean you are less able to protect yourself from a potential scam, we will take this into consideration when assessing your claim.

When you make a claim, we will ask you any relevant questions to understand the circumstances surrounding the payment in order for us to assess your claim. We are required to share information with the receiving account provider, this information will include your name and account information.

In order for us to reimburse within the time scales needed under the scheme - it is important you provide us with any information requested as soon as possible. Where a claim is successful, we will reimburse the money into the savings account the payment originated from.

Every claim will be assessed on a case-by-case basis. As part of the process your bank or payment service provider will consider the evidence presented by you, any service providers involved and – where relevant – a third party, such as the police.

If your claim is valid, in most cases you should be reimbursed within five business days of making a claim. Business days are Monday to Friday, excluding Bank Holidays.

In some cases it can take up to 35 business days to be reimbursed. This is when your bank or provider needs extra time to gather information from you, the bank that received the payment, or a statutory body (such as the Financial Conduct Authority) to inform their assessment of the case.

An excess of up to £100 may be deducted from any money that is reimbursed. Your bank or payment service provider may choose a different excess up to the maximum of £100, or not apply any excess at all. Your bank will confirm the exact amount and how this will be applied.

Your bank or payment service provider should be your first point of contact – and you should use a number for them you know to be genuine, such as the one on the back of your card.

You should also report fraud to Action Fraud, the national fraud and cybercrime reporting centre for the police. You can contact Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040 or at www.actionfraud.police.uk

If you are in Scotland, please report it to Police Scotland directly by calling 101.

Being scammed can also be traumatic and upsetting, so be sure to ask for help and support if you need it.

If you have been a victim of fraud and are finding it hard to recover from the experience, you can find further support via:

• Age UK
• Citizen’s Advice Consumer Service
• Victim Support

Below are a series of links to useful third-party websites with more information about types of frauds and scams, and ways you can avoid falling victim to them.

• Take Five
• Get Safe Online
• Action Fraud
• OFCOM

If you are dissatisfied with the outcome of the claim, please contact us in the first instance to raise a complaint. We will explain our complaint process and keep you informed of our progress.

If we do not deal with your complaint to your satisfaction, you can refer it to the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS) which is independent and impartial. They will review your complaint by weighing up all the facts. This is a free service.

Financial Ombudsman Service, Exchange Tower, London, E14 9SR
Telephone: 0300 123 9 123 or 0800 0234567

E-mail: complaint.info@financial–ombudsman.org.uk

Website: www.financial-ombudsman.org.uk

Building Society
A customer-owned financial organisation that provides services including savings, mortgages and other lending.

CHAPS
CHAPS (Clearing House Automated Payment System) is a payment method used to transfer large amounts of money.

CHAPS is commonly used by solicitors and conveyancers to complete housing and other property transactions.

Individuals may use CHAPS to buy high-value items such as a car or pay a deposit for a house.

Certain Charities
Charities covered by these reimbursement rules have an annual income of less than £1 million.

Credit Unions
A financial co-operative that is owned and controlled by its members, providing members with services including savings and lending.

E-money organisation
A financial organisation that is authorised to issue or redeem electronic money - cash or money in digital form.

Faster Payments
A quick way of sending money between bank accounts.

Financial Conduct Authority
The organisation that regulates financial services in the UK.

Fintechs
A financial organisation that uses financial technology to provide products and services to customers.

Micro-enterprises
A micro-enterprise is a business that employs fewer than ten persons and whose annual turnover and/or annual balance sheet total does not exceed €2 million.

Payment service provider
A third-party company that facilitates electronic payments.

Statutory body
An organisation that can check the activities of a business or organisation are legal and follow the rules.

Vulnerable customer
Someone who, due to their personal circumstances, is especially susceptible to harm. This could include a health condition, a life event such as a bereavement, low resilience to financial or emotional shocks, and low capability, such as poor literacy or numeracy skills.