{"id":5119,"date":"2026-04-08T11:52:04","date_gmt":"2026-04-08T09:52:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/relycomply.com\/?p=5119"},"modified":"2026-04-08T11:56:14","modified_gmt":"2026-04-08T09:56:14","slug":"authorised-push-payments-app-fraud","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/relycomply.com\/en-gb\/authorised-push-payments-app-fraud\/","title":{"rendered":"Assessing the pressing risk of authorised push payments (APP) fraud for UK firms"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

There\u2019s no dismissing the fact that all UK payments will soon need to be instant. This is not a rising need limited to the British Isles either, considering the EU\u2019s Instant Payment scheme and the fact that more than 100 jurisdictions<\/a> have access to fast payments systems. The low costs, speed, and safety of account-to-account (A2A) transfers are already proclaimed (and used in over 80 economies<\/a>), with open banking fund flows also on the rise. But it\u2019s not all happy news; fraudsters will always find a way to bend digitalised financial methods to their whims. In particular, the rise of instant payments has increased the risk of authorised push payments (APP) fraud, making vigilance essential for UK firms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Authorised push payments help businesses and their consumers transact easily in legitimate circumstances, but APP-based criminals have created a wealth of hazards – utilising multiple accounts and cross-border tactics to tempt money mules through romance and investment scams, and even lost pet ransom schemes<\/a>. They\u2019re so successful that authorised push payments (APP) fraud is now the UK\u2019s most common financial scam<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What does it mean for banks, fintechs, and payment providers? A lot of the buck for identifying scams (and recuperating funds lost to it) lies with them. And with authorised push payments (APP) fraud fuelling laundering and other heinous organised crime activity, its actors must be found and prosecuted using a steadfast AML strategy – with the same breakneck speed expected to keep international money movements flowing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Exposing the hidden criminality in instant payments<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Payment infrastructures have evolved plenty in recent decades to accommodate new payment rails, digital assets, online banking, and APIs: all hallmarks of A2A transactions that save processing fees, and connect financial institutions for real-time payments to reach their destinations. In the dark reaches of the web however, scammers target vulnerable people and SMEs with lax data security or platforms that fail to meet the sophistication of the modern payments world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A common trope of authorised push payments (APP) fraud involves criminals posing as a bank or legitimate organisation to demand sensitive information, often very quickly, luring the victim to transfer money to different accounts. In romance or investment scams, repeated exploitation is a growing concern, with victims groomed as mules to transfer funds on criminals\u2019 behalf. This activity is extremely tough to spot, even in advanced AML systems.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Given that fraudsters and financial institutions represent two warring factions trying to exploit the others vulnerabilities\u2019, those acting on the consumers\u2019 side now have to be aware of their shortcomings to bolster themselves against real-time payment risk:<\/p>\n\n\n\n