Not upheld: fraud claim - Authorised Push Payment (APP) scam complaint against TSB Bank plc

Decision detail

Summary

Mr S complained that TSB Bank refused to refund £650 he paid to a scammer posing as a clothing company employee via faster payment on 23 October 2025. TSB Bank initially treated it as a civil dispute, then declined the fraud claim citing insufficient evidence of a scam. The ombudsman found the payment did not meet the definition of an Authorised Push Payment scam under the Faster Payments Scheme reimbursement rules, as the payment went to the intended recipient and there was no persuasive corroborative evidence of deception or fraud. The complaint was not upheld.

The Ombudsman's reasoning

The ombudsman applied the Faster Payments Scheme reimbursement rules definition of an APP scam, which requires that either the recipient is not who the consumer intended to pay, or the payment is not for the purpose intended. The ombudsman found that the payment went to the person Mr S intended to pay and there was no persuasive corroborative evidence of deception or mismatch regarding payment purpose. The ombudsman distinguished between a civil dispute (non-delivery of goods) and a scam involving fraud or dishonesty, concluding this was a civil matter rather than an APP scam.

How this compares

Source

Read the original decision on the Financial Ombudsman Service website