Not upheld: Fraud reimbursement (APP scams) complaint against Santander UK Plc

Decision detail

Summary

Ms R fell victim to an investment scam after responding to a social media job advertisement. She made multiple payments totalling over £11,000 between February and July 2025 to accounts in her own name, which were ultimately transferred to scammers. Ms R also obtained a loan under false pretences and provided false information to other financial providers about the purpose of her payments. While the ombudsman found Santander should have intervened further by the sixth payment on 7 April 2025, it concluded that any intervention would not have prevented the scam because Ms R was deliberately providing misleading information as directed by the scammer. The complaint was not upheld and no refund was ordered.

The Ombudsman's reasoning

While Santander should have intervened further when Ms R made her sixth payment on 7 April 2025 by discussing the transaction and providing appropriate warnings, the ombudsman found that any further intervention would not have prevented the scam. This is because Ms R was heavily guided by the scammer on how to answer questions and was willing to provide false information to established financial institutions. Ms R told other providers she was making payments to her own account, investing in cryptocurrency, and using her own experience, when in fact she was being directed by the scammer. Even with Santander's intervention, there is insufficient evidence that Ms R would have provided honest information that would have uncovered the scam. Additionally, the ombudsman found no evidence that Santander was aware of Ms R's claimed vulnerability at the time.

How this compares

Source

Read the original decision on the Financial Ombudsman Service website