What is APP fraud?

APP fraud is a type of fraud in which the victim is tricked into making payments from their account to the scammer’s account.

‘APP’ stands for authorised push payments, and it’s called this because of the fact that the victim authorises these payments from their account to the scammer’s account. 

Common APP fraud scams include impersonation scams, in which the scammer will pretend to be someone they’re not, and use the victim’s trust in them to make payments to their account.

• Make sure the description of the goods and services you provide are clear and there is no room for them to be misinterpreted.

• When a sale is made, make sure all your communication is clear and replies to your customers are sent promptly.

For example, a scammer could pose as the victim’s bank, and pressure the victim into making payments from their account to a ‘safe account’. This ‘safe account’ will be the scammers account, and the victim will lose their money.