Unauthorised payments from your account (2024)

In most cases, money can only be taken from your bank account if you’ve authorised the transaction. But if you notice a payment from your account that you didn’t authorise, contact your bank or provider immediately.

Once you’ve told your bank, you won’t be responsible for any other unauthorised payments that might be made. Unless you’ve acted fraudulently.

If you accidentally paid the wrong person, or were charged more than expected for a service, find out how your bank can help.

Claiming a refund

If you didn’t authorise a payment, you should ask your bank for a refund. This refund should be in your account by the end of the next business day, along with any charges and interest you paid because of the transaction.

When you make your claim, your bank may ask you some questions and get you to fill out a form stating what happened. But it can’t delay your refund while it waits for you to return the form.

Deliberately making a false claim for a refund is fraud, and your bank could report it to the police.

Why a refund can be refused

Your bank can only refuse to refund an unauthorised payment if:

• it can prove you authorised the payment
• it can prove you acted fraudulently
• it can prove you deliberately, or with 'gross negligence', failed to protect the details of your card, PIN or password in a way that allowed the payment
• you only told your bank about the unauthorised payment 13 months (or more) after the date it left your account

If the unauthorised payment was from an overdrawn current account or a credit card payment, your bank can only refuse a refund if:

• it can prove you, or someone acting on your behalf, authorised the payment
• the loss was due to the use of a payment card (including a virtual card)by someone who had it with your consent

In all cases, banks can’t simply say that the use of your password, card or PIN proves you authorised a payment.

If your card was lost, stolen or copied, you may have to pay the first £35 of an unauthorised transaction. But this won’t be the case if you weren’t aware of the loss, or if your bank was at fault. 

Authorised push payment (APP) fraud 

It’s important you get in touch with your bank or provider as soon as possible if you think you’ve been scammed.

APP fraud is when a fraudster tricks you into making a payment to an account controlled by them.

This is different from other kinds of scams, for example, when a fraudster steals money from your account without you knowing. With APP fraud, you authorise the payment under false pretences.

If your bank or provider has signed up to the code of practice for APP scams, you can expect to get your money back if you weren’t to blame for the success of the scam.

You can find a list of firms signed up to The Contingent Reimbursem*nt Model Code (CRM Code) on the Lending Standards Board website.

Protect yourself from unauthorised transactions

When you get a debit or credit card, or sign up for online, telephone or mobile banking, you should be told how to keep your details safe.

Never share your bank account or credit card details unless you’re certain who you’re dealing with. If you’ve already given fraudsters this information, tell your bank immediately using the contact details on the Financial Services Register. 

Your bank or card issuer will also tell you how to get in touch if your card is lost or stolen, or if you think someone else knows your password or PIN.

Find out more about how to protect yourself from scams and how to report a scam.

When banks can claim your money

Your bank may be able to claim money from one of your accounts to pay your debt in another account. This is known as the right to set-off.

This could happen if you miss a loan or credit card payment and you also have a current or savings account with the bank.

If a bank wants to claim money from your account to pay a debt, it should:

• tell you about its right to set-off at least 14 days before it's used on your account and, when appropriate, on any other occasions
• estimate how much money needs to be left in your account to meet your priority debts and essential living expenses like your mortgage, rent and food bills
• refund you, in most cases, if the bank later realises that money taken in set-off was intended for those priority debts or essential living expenses
• not use set-off on money it knows is intended for certain purposes, such as where the NHS provided it for healthcare, or a third party is entitled to the money
• tell you quickly when set-off has been used on your account

The right to claim money from your account to pay a debt should also be clearly explained in your account’s terms and conditions.