Start with the bank or payment firm that sent the money. Call its fraud or payments team now, then put the complaint in writing.
Your remedy depends on what happened. An unauthorised payment, an authorised push payment (APP) scam, a bank error, and a transfer sent to the wrong account are not treated the same way.
UK rules can require a refund, but they do not create a universal right to reverse every transfer. This guidance is for UK consumers and eligible small organisations using a UK-regulated provider; an overseas bank may require a separate complaint.
Identify the payment problem first
First, classify the problem. That one step prevents a lot of back-and-forth.
| Problem | What it usually means | Main route |
|---|---|---|
| Unauthorised payment | Someone used your account without your consent | Ask for a refund under the Payment Services Regulations |
| APP scam | You approved the payment after being deceived | Request reimbursement under the APP fraud rules, if the payment qualifies |
| Bank error or delay | The provider failed to execute, sent, or process the payment correctly | Ask for correction, tracing, and losses caused by the error |
| Wrong account details | You or the bank entered incorrect details | Request an immediate trace and recall |
| International transfer issue | A payment involves SEPA, SWIFT, a correspondent bank, or currency conversion | Complain to the provider and check which firms fall within UK jurisdiction |
An entry marked pending is not necessarily lost. Ask whether it is awaiting fraud checks, rejected, returned, or settled at the receiving bank.
The core legal framework is the Payment Services Regulations 2017. The payment route and the facts still matter.
If you did not authorise the payment
An unauthorised payment is one you did not consent to. Tell the bank exactly that and ask for a refund under the Payment Services Regulations, rather than describing it only as a general fraud concern.
An eligible unauthorised payment will generally need to be refunded by the end of the next business day after the provider becomes aware of it. Exceptions can apply if the bank has reasonable grounds to suspect fraud, or if you acted fraudulently or with gross negligence in protecting your security details.
Report the payment without undue delay. The normal long-stop for notifying the provider is 13 months after the account was debited. Where a lost or stolen payment instrument is involved, your possible liability before reporting can be up to £35 in relevant cases. The FCA's guidance on fraudulent payments explains these protections.
Keep the first report factual. Give the payment date, amount, reference, and the time you noticed it. Ask for a case number.
If you approved the transfer after being scammed
An APP scam begins when you approve a payment because someone deceived you. Your bank may record the transfer as authorised, but that word does not settle the reimbursement question.
Since 7 October 2024, mandatory reimbursement rules generally cover qualifying Faster Payments and CHAPS APP payments made by eligible consumers, microenterprises, and small charities. The maximum reimbursement is £85,000 per claim.
That is a cap, not a promise that every claim will be paid in full. The scheme does not automatically cover every international or SWIFT payment. A bank may also apply an excess of up to £100 where the rules allow it, or refuse a claim under an exception such as gross negligence.
The FCA's fraudulent payments guidance says eligible reimbursement should usually arrive within five working days. A complex case can take up to 35 working days.
Tell the bank to record the matter as APP fraud. Ask for reimbursement under the mandatory rules and request written reasons if it refuses or reduces the payment. Thing is, pressing the button yourself does not automatically remove your rights.
Failed, delayed, or misdirected transfers
A bank may hold a transfer for fraud, sanctions, or other checks. It may not be able to disclose every detail, but it should still tell you whether the payment is pending, rejected, returned, or completed.
If the provider failed to execute the instruction properly, ask it to correct the payment and refund relevant charges. You can also claim direct financial losses, interest, or other costs where the evidence links them to the bank's error.
There is no automatic £50 or £100 daily payment for a delay. To be honest, a delay by itself is usually not enough. The Financial Ombudsman Service looks at the actual loss, the bank's conduct, and any avoidable distress or inconvenience.
Money sent to the wrong account
Contact the bank immediately and request a payment trace and recall. The bank should explain what recovery steps it has taken, but a recall is a request, not a guaranteed reversal.
If you entered the wrong details, the payment may be treated as correctly executed against the information you supplied. Recovery can then depend on timing, whether the money remains in the recipient's account, and the recipient's response.
If the bank entered the wrong details, say so clearly. That is a different complaint from a customer typing the wrong account number.
Never pay an upfront fee to someone promising to recover the money. Genuine recovery work should be handled through your bank's secure process.
How the payment route changes your complaint
| Payment route | What to expect | What to ask about |
|---|---|---|
| Faster Payments | Usually quick, although checks or the receiving bank can cause delays | Whether the payment qualifies for APP reimbursement and whether it completed |
| Bacs credit | Normally follows a three-working-day processing cycle | Whether the instruction missed a cycle, failed, or caused a documented loss |
| CHAPS | A UK high-value payment where cut-offs and checks matter | Whether an APP scam rule applies or the bank made an execution error |
| SEPA | A European payment scheme, not one universal complaints process | Which provider's rules apply and whether a UK or EU route is available |
| SWIFT | May involve correspondent banks, currency conversion, and separate fees | A trace, recall, fee explanation, and the responsibility of each provider |
Turns out, a SEPA label does not automatically give a UK customer every remedy found in EU PSD2 guidance. If a UK bank sent the payment, start with that bank. If an EU or EEA provider was involved, its local complaint route may matter too.
SWIFT is not a card network, so there is no universal chargeback process. The FOS information on international money transfers shows the kinds of issues that can matter, including exchange rates, fees, explanations, and how the firm handled the payment.
Gather evidence before making the complaint
Save the original records before an app message or online status changes. Do not send your password, PIN, security answers, or one-time passcodes to anyone, including someone claiming to investigate the fraud.
- [ ] Payment date, time, amount, currency, reference, and destination details
- [ ] Bank statement, confirmation screen, and any pending or failed-payment message
- [ ] A short timeline of what happened, including calls, names, and complaint numbers
- [ ] Emails, text messages, invoices, or other communications connected with the payment
- [ ] Evidence of fees, interest, exchange-rate loss, or other direct financial loss
- [ ] Fraud, police, or Action Fraud report details, if you made a report
Keep full account information in the bank's secure channel. Redact it from documents sent through ordinary email unless the bank specifically asks for it securely.
How to make a formal bank transfer complaint
A phone call can stop further loss, but it may not create a formal complaint. Ask the bank to log one and confirm the reference in writing.
- Report the urgent problem. Call the official number on your card, statement, or banking app. Ask the fraud team to secure the account and the payments team to trace or recall the transfer.
- Use the bank's complaints channel. Send the complaint through its secure message service, online form, email address, or postal address. Keep a copy.
- Describe the issue plainly. State whether the payment was unauthorised, an APP scam, a bank error, a delay, or a wrong-details problem.
- Request a specific result. Ask for the refund or reimbursement due, correction of the payment, related charges and interest, and compensation for proven direct losses.
- Keep the response dates. Save the acknowledgement, holding letters, and final response. These dates control your escalation options.
You can use wording like this:
I am making a formal complaint about the payment dated [date] for [amount]. I say this was [an unauthorised payment / an APP scam / a bank error]. Please investigate, confirm the rules you applied, reimburse any amount due, and explain my escalation rights if you reject the complaint.
A short factual complaint often works better than a long legal argument. Attach the evidence that proves the timeline.
Bank deadlines and the Financial Ombudsman Service
The clock has more than one part. Most financial complaints have an eight-week final-response deadline, but payment-service complaints normally have a shorter response period of 15 business days. In exceptional cases, the firm can take up to 35 business days and should explain the delay.
Do not confuse those complaint deadlines with the APP reimbursement timetable. The five-working-day figure concerns eligible scam reimbursement, not every bank complaint.
If the bank sends a final response, you will normally have six months to refer the matter to the Financial Ombudsman Service. You can usually refer the complaint earlier if the bank rejects it, or if it misses the applicable response deadline.
FOS is free to consumers. It can assess the evidence, relevant rules, good industry practice, and the firm's handling of the case. Its final decision becomes binding on the firm if you accept it within the stated deadline.
The FCA supervises firms but does not usually decide an individual refund dispute. Reporting a wider problem to the FCA is not a substitute for complaining to the bank or referring the case to FOS.
If the loss exceeds £85,000, complain anyway if you believe the bank mishandled the payment or the investigation. The APP cap does not guarantee recovery of the balance, but it should not stop you asking for a written explanation.
Ask for a remedy that matches the problem
Be specific. "Please look into it" leaves too much room for a vague reply.
| Problem | Remedy to request |
|---|---|
| Unauthorised payment | Refund of the payment, related charges, and lost interest where applicable |
| APP scam | Reimbursement under the applicable rules, an explanation of any excess, and written reasons for refusal |
| Bank error or delay | Correction or trace, refund of charges, and documented direct losses caused by the error |
| Wrong account details | Immediate recall attempt, payment trace, and an update on recovery efforts |
| International fee or exchange dispute | A clear fee and exchange-rate calculation, plus any loss caused by the provider's error or poor information |
Receipts matter. If a delay caused a late fee, lost interest, or another charge, show the amount and the connection to the payment problem.
Chargeback is not the normal route for a bank transfer
Chargeback belongs to card payment networks. It is not the ordinary reversal process for Faster Payments, Bacs, CHAPS, or SWIFT transfers.
If you paid a merchant by debit or credit card, the card issuer may offer a separate dispute route. Keep that case separate from a bank transfer complaint, because different rules, evidence, and deadlines can apply.
Common questions
What if the bank says I authorised the payment?
Ask whether it is treating the matter as an APP scam or an unauthorised payment. Authorising a transfer after deception does not automatically end the reimbursement analysis.
Can I claim fixed compensation for a delayed transfer?
No fixed daily amount applies in every case. Ask for direct losses, interest, charges, and any appropriate award for distress or inconvenience, and support the request with evidence.
Can I go to FOS after eight weeks?
Usually, yes, if the bank has not resolved the complaint or has sent a final response. Check the six-month referral deadline in the final response letter.
Does the APP scheme cover a SWIFT transfer?
Do not assume so. The mandatory scheme is tied to qualifying payment types, and a SWIFT transfer may involve several banks and jurisdictions. Ask your UK provider which rules it has applied.
What to do today
If the transfer is recent, call the bank using an official number and request a fraud report, trace, or recall. Then send the written complaint, save the reference number, and mark the response deadline in your calendar.