Payment routes have different protections
Bank transfer, credit card, debit card, cash, cryptocurrency and platform payments are governed by different rules and recovery possibilities.
Protection, evidence and public rules
Scam recovery, reimbursement and compensation
Recovery begins with stopping further loss, securing access and preserving evidence. Reimbursement or compensation may then depend on the payment method, provider, circumstances, timing and applicable rules. No one outcome covers every scam.
Page T-015Guidance pageReviewed 29 August 2026
Key Guidance
Contact the bank or provider at once, secure affected accounts and devices, preserve records and report the incident. Make a clear complaint if the provider rejects or mishandles the claim—and distrust anyone who promises recovery in return for an upfront fee.
Start with Key Guidance for the short answer. Then read the sections that match what happened and what you need to do.
Guided route 3
I need to report what happened, recover or help someone
Current position: Step 3 of 5 — Plan recovery. Read the guides in the order shown.
Understand the issue
Why this matters to you
People often need several forms of recovery at once: financial, account, identity, practical and emotional. The order matters because urgent containment can prevent extra loss.
Speed can preserve options
A provider may be able to stop, recall or trace a payment, secure an account or contact the receiving institution when notified quickly.
Evidence supports the complaint
Messages, call records, adverts, account details, transaction references and the sequence of events help explain what happened.
Victims can be targeted again
Recovery-room scams use the prior loss, complaint or report as the Door for a new demand for fees, tax or supposed legal costs.
Consequences and movement
What may happen next
Move through the response in order. Do not wait for a complete investigation before stopping further access or telling the relevant provider.
Contain further loss
Stop contact and payments, tell the financial provider and secure any account or device that the scammer accessed.
Establish the payment route
Identify whether the payment was an authorised bank transfer, card purchase, direct debit, cash, cryptocurrency or another method.
Make and record the claim
Ask the provider which reimbursement, chargeback or consumer-credit process applies and keep its reference and written decision.
Escalate unresolved treatment
Use the provider’s formal complaint route and then the appropriate ombudsman or dispute process if eligible.
Practical response
What you should do
Recovery is not a single form or promise. Build a clear sequence that protects you now and preserves the routes you may use later.
- Contact the financial provider nowUse the number on your card, app or official website. Explain that the payment or account activity involves a scam and ask for immediate protective action.
- Secure accounts and devicesChange exposed sign-in details from a trusted device, revoke unfamiliar sessions, remove remote-access software and protect email and banking first.
- Preserve the full evidenceKeep conversations, adverts, URLs, names used, account and wallet details, receipts, provider contacts and a dated account of what happened.
- Use the correct claim routeAsk about APP reimbursement for eligible bank transfers, Section 75 for qualifying credit-card purchases, or chargeback for eligible card disputes.
- Report and complainReport the scam through the national route and submit a formal written complaint if a provider’s response does not address the facts or applicable protection.
- Reject paid recovery promisesDo not pay an unexpected investigator, lawyer, authority or recovery agent who guarantees a result or demands upfront tax, release or administration fees.
Look more closely
Recovery offers must be treated as new, unconfirmed contact
Loss creates understandable urgency, hope and a desire for certainty. Accurate details about the original scam do not prove that a recovery agent, investigator or compensation service is authorised to help.
The original loss, complaint or shame creates a need for help.
A call, message, advert or referral offers recovery or compensation.
A guaranteed refund, deadline or insider access creates hope and pressure.
The contact appears to be a regulator, lawyer, bank, investigator or official recovery service.
Upfront fees, new documents, remote access or another payment are presented as necessary.
Selected history
Historical cases and lasting lessons
Mandatory APP reimbursement protections
Eligible UK Faster Payments and CHAPS payments made because of authorised push-payment fraud entered a mandatory reimbursement framework, subject to its scope, limits, time requirements and exceptions.
Lasting lesson: The protection is important but not a blanket refund for every payment or circumstance. The precise route and claim details still matter.
Card protections and disputes
Qualifying credit-card purchases may fall within Section 75, while chargeback is a separate card-scheme process available in some disputes.
Lasting lesson: The payment method changes the claim route, evidence and deadline. Ask the card issuer which protection applies.
Recovery-room scams
Fraudsters target people who have already lost money and demand advance fees for supposed recovery, compensation, legal work or tax.
Lasting lesson: Knowledge of the prior loss is not proof of authority. It may come from the original criminals or shared victim data.
Transferable understanding
Patterns over time
No universal reimbursement rule
Eligibility depends on the route, date, amount, parties, conduct, vulnerability and applicable scheme or law.
A refusal is not always the final word
A provider’s decision can be challenged through its complaint process and, where eligible, an independent ombudsman.
Emotional recovery matters
Support from trusted people and specialist services can help restore decision-making as well as address the financial event.
Recovery information is sensitive
Case numbers, amounts, evidence and complaint details can be used to construct a convincing secondary approach.
Plain-language answers
Common questions
Will my bank always refund a scam payment?
No. Protections differ by payment type and eligibility. Ask for the applicable process and a written decision explaining the outcome.
What are the main APP reimbursement limits?
For eligible Faster Payments and CHAPS claims, the mandatory framework normally allows claims within 13 months, may permit an excess up to £100 and has a maximum reimbursement level of £85,000, subject to the rules and protections for vulnerable consumers.
What is the difference between Section 75 and chargeback?
Section 75 is a legal protection for qualifying credit-card purchases over £100 and up to £30,000. Chargeback is a separate card-scheme process, commonly subject to a time limit such as 120 days.
Can a recovery company guarantee my money back?
No legitimate party can guarantee every outcome. Treat unexpected contact and upfront fees as high risk, especially when the contact knows details of your loss.
Practical recovery and independent escalation
Start with the financial or account provider, then use formal complaints, reporting and independent dispute routes. Seek trusted practical and emotional support rather than handling repeated recovery contact alone.
Scamology Insights
Protect the recovery route as carefully as the original decision
These apps, tools, books and courses can help you understand both the first loss and a later recovery approach. This makes it easier to spot when someone is trying to take advantage of the same situation again. Links are intentionally withheld in this production version.
Guided route 3 · Step 3 of 5
Continue your route
The next guide follows directly from this one.
Continue understanding
Explore related guidance
Evidence and currency