Not upheld: Fraud reimbursement (APP scams) complaint against Monzo Bank Limited

Decision detail

Summary

Miss O paid a personal trainer £280 for fitness sessions in January 2026. When the trainer returned from maternity leave and increased prices, Miss O requested a refund for unused sessions after engaging another trainer. The trainer did not provide the refund, and Miss O reported the matter to Monzo as an APP scam. Monzo declined reimbursement, classifying it as a civil dispute. The ombudsman upheld Monzo's decision, finding that the transaction did not constitute an APP scam under the Reimbursement Rules because Miss O paid the intended recipient for the intended purpose with no evidence of criminal deception, making it a contractual dispute rather than fraud.

The Ombudsman's reasoning

The ombudsman applied the Reimbursement Rules definition of APP scam, which requires criminal deception. Miss O paid the intended recipient (T) for the intended purpose (personal fitness sessions). The dispute arose from a contractual disagreement over refund entitlement for unused services, not from deception. T was a genuine personal trainer with whom Miss O had an ongoing relationship, and there was no evidence of intent to defraud. The matter therefore constitutes a private civil dispute excluded from the Reimbursement Rules, making Monzo's decision to decline reimbursement fair and reasonable.

How this compares

Source

Read the original decision on the Financial Ombudsman Service website