Authorised Push Payment (APP) Fraud Statistics
Verified figures on authorised push payment (APP) fraud — where victims are tricked into sending money themselves — drawn from the UK Finance Annual Fraud Report 2025 (2024 data).
Last reviewed: 7 July 2026
Authorised push payment (APP) fraud happens when a victim is manipulated into authorising a payment to an account the criminal controls — for example through an impersonation, investment, purchase, or romance scam. Because the victim sends the money themselves, these payments are far harder to recover than unauthorised card fraud.
The UK publishes some of the most detailed APP fraud data in the world through UK Finance. The figures below are from the UK Finance Annual Fraud Report 2025, which reports on 2024 activity. They capture losses reported by UK Finance members and are specific to the UK market and that year.
Key figures
£576.4 million in 2025 — a 19 per cent increase on 2024
Total UK APP fraud losses
Source: UK Finance Annual Fraud Report 2026 (2025)
248,070 confirmed cases in 2025 — up seven per cent on 2024
APP fraud case volumes
Source: UK Finance Annual Fraud Report 2026 (2025)
Criminals stole £1.28 billion through payment fraud in 2025, an increase of four per cent
Total UK fraud losses across all types
Source: UK Finance Annual Fraud Report 2026 (2025)
A record 4,062,198 confirmed fraud cases in 2025 — up 11 per cent on 2024
Reported fraud incidents
Source: UK Finance Annual Fraud Report 2026 (2025)
$3,046,598,558
Business Email Compromise losses — a leading push-payment fraud type (US, FBI IC3)
Source: FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) 2025 Annual Report (2025)
More than 80,000 complaints, with losses exceeding $2.9 billion
Call center scam losses (US, FBI IC3)
Source: FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) 2025 Annual Report (2025)
$1,163,919,846
Financial Fraud Kill Chain — attempted wire-fraud theft (US, FBI IC3)
Source: FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) 2025 Annual Report (2025)
over $4 billion
Bank transfer or cryptocurrency losses (US, FTC 2025 update)
Source: FTC Consumer Sentinel Network (2025 data, reported via AARP) (2025)
£354.3m returned to victims in 2025, up 30% on the year
APP losses returned to victims
Source: UK Finance Annual Fraud Report 2026 (2025)
66 per cent of APP fraud begins online and a further 17 per cent via telecoms
Where APP fraud starts
Source: UK Finance Annual Fraud Report 2026 (2025)
$2.09 billion
Bank transfers/payments — top-loss US scam payment method (FTC)
Source: FTC Consumer Sentinel Network Data Book (2024 Data) (2024)
Key takeaways
- APP fraud losses fell slightly to just over £450 million in 2024, with case volumes down 20% — the lowest since 2021.
- Because the victim authorises the payment themselves, APP fraud is harder to reverse than unauthorised card fraud.
- Despite the fall in APP fraud, total UK fraud losses still exceeded £1.17 billion in 2024.
- Reported fraud cases hit a record 3.3 million, showing the volume of attempts remains extremely high even where losses dipped.
Frequently asked questions
What is authorised push payment (APP) fraud?
APP fraud is when you are deceived into authorising a payment from your own account to one controlled by a criminal — for example after a fake call from your 'bank', a bogus investment, or a purchase that never arrives. Because you initiated the transfer, it is treated differently from unauthorised fraud, though many countries now have reimbursement rules that can apply.
Why did APP fraud fall in 2024?
UK Finance attributes the decline to a combination of bank prevention systems, the Confirmation of Payee name-checking service, and public awareness campaigns. Even so, losses still exceeded £450 million, so the threat remains significant.