Romance scam refund — recovering money lost to dating fraud.

Romance fraud is among the most painful financial crimes there is. You were not foolish — you were targeted. These operations are run by professional criminal networks that are expert at exploiting the normal human need for connection. The law recognises this. Since October 2024, you have a genuine statutory right to a refund.

Can I get a refund for a romance scam?

Yes, in many cases. Bank transfers made from a UK account to a UK-domiciled account are covered by the PSR Mandatory Reimbursement Scheme (in force from 7 October 2024). Your bank must refund you up to £85,000 unless it can prove you acted with gross negligence. Falling in love with a convincing fictional person is not gross negligence — it is the intended result of a carefully run fraud.

Will the bank ask me embarrassing questions about the relationship?

The bank needs to understand the context of the fraud in order to assess your claim. You may be asked how you met the person, what communications you had, and how the payment was presented to you. This is procedural, not a moral judgment. You do not have to share every personal detail — you need to give enough context for the bank to see how the deception operated. A well-prepared evidence summary makes this process cleaner and faster.

I sent money as a "gift" — does that affect my claim?

The legal framing matters, not the cover story the scammer used. If you believed you were in a genuine relationship and sent money under a false pretence — whether the money was called a "gift", a "loan", or an "investment" — it is still APP fraud. The authorisation was procured by deception. The PSR scheme and the Financial Ombudsman Service both look at the substance of what happened, not the label.

What if I met the person in real life before they started asking for money?

Real-life meetings are sometimes staged as part of sophisticated romance fraud operations, particularly in high-value cases. Document the meeting, any photographs taken, and the timeline. The fact of an in-person meeting does not defeat your claim — the question is whether the payments were authorised by deception, not whether any interaction was face-to-face.

How much of my money can I realistically recover?

The PSR scheme covers up to £85,000 per claim. If your losses exceed that, the excess is not automatically covered, though you can pursue the bank separately for amounts above the cap using the Financial Ombudsman Service's wider "fair and reasonable" jurisdiction (up to £455,000 for FOS awards) or civil action. A £100 excess applies to non-vulnerable consumers. Interest at 8% simple per year from the date of loss is added to successful FOS awards.

What if the person I spoke to genuinely exists and was not the scammer?

Identity theft and photo theft are common in romance fraud. The real person whose image was used is also a victim. Your claim is against the bank that processed the payment, not against the person whose identity was stolen. You do not need to identify the actual scammer to succeed in your refund claim.

Scam Refund · Scam Types

Romance scam refund — recovering money lost to dating fraud.

How romance scams work

Romance fraud starts with a connection — a dating app match, a Facebook friend request, a LinkedIn approach, an Instagram DM. The person presents as attractive, successful, and unusually attentive. Conversations are warm, personal, and often move quickly to WhatsApp or Telegram where messages cannot be monitored by the platform. Over days or weeks, emotional intimacy builds. The scammer is consistent, interested, and available.

At some point — usually after trust is well-established — a financial need arises. It might be a medical emergency abroad. A business deal that needs a short-term cash bridge. Airline tickets to finally come and meet you. A customs fee to release a parcel of gifts. Sometimes, as in

, there is an investment angle — the scammer has a trading system and wants to share the returns with you. Each payment is presented as urgent and temporary. Each one is stolen.

UK Finance figures show that romance fraud losses have run consistently above £70 million per year in recent years. The true figure is higher, because shame and confusion prevent many victims from ever reporting. Action Fraud received over 8,000 romance fraud reports in the year to March 2024. The average reported loss was around £9,500 per victim — but high-value cases routinely involve six-figure sums.

Red flags that this is a scam

What to do in the first 24 hours

If you have realised the relationship was fraudulent, act methodically even if you are in emotional shock:

The legal refund pathway

Romance fraud payments sent by bank transfer are Authorised Push Payment (APP) fraud. The authorisation was real in the technical sense — you pressed confirm — but it was procured entirely by deception. That is exactly what the PSR Mandatory Reimbursement Scheme, which came into force on 7 October 2024, was designed to address.

Under the scheme, which operates under the Financial Services (Banking Reform) Act 2013 and the Payment Services Regulations 2017, your sending bank must refund you up to

per claim. The bank has five working days to pay or issue a written explanation of why it will not. The receiving bank (where the scammer’s money arrived) contributes half the cost, giving both banks a financial incentive to detect fraud early.

The bank can only withhold your refund if it proves you acted with

. The PSR has made the bar deliberately high. Being emotionally deceived is not gross negligence. Trusting a person you believed was in a genuine relationship with you is not gross negligence. Even sending multiple payments over time is not gross negligence — it reflects how the scam is designed.

A standard consumer pays a

on the refund. Vulnerable consumers — those experiencing mental health difficulties, grief, loneliness, or financial hardship — cannot be charged the excess and cannot have their refund withheld on gross-negligence grounds at all. Loneliness and recent bereavement, which make people more susceptible to romance fraud, are recognised vulnerability factors under the FCA’s Consumer Duty (FCA Principle 12).

If you paid on a credit card — for example, purchasing gift cards that were then given to the scammer, or making payments to what appeared to be a legitimate business — Section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act 1974 provides a separate claim against your credit card issuer for purchases between £100 and £30,000. The Limitation Act 1980 section 5 gives you six years to bring a civil claim, but the PSR scheme’s 13-month reporting window should be treated as the operative deadline for bank claims.

Timelines at a glance

How banks refuse — and how to respond

“You sent the money as a gift, so we are not obliged to refund it.”

The characterisation of the payment as a “gift” is the scammer’s framing, not the legal reality. The payment was authorised because you were deceived about the identity and circumstances of the recipient. That is APP fraud regardless of what the payment was called.

“You should have verified who you were sending money to.”

The PSR scheme does not require victims to conduct independent background checks on every payment recipient. Confirmation of Payee checks account names, not identities. The obligation to detect and prevent fraud rests on the bank under its Consumer Duty obligations (FCA Principle 12), not only on the customer.

“Our records show you were warned about romance fraud.”

Ask for the exact warning: its wording, the date and time it was shown, and in what context. A generic “be careful of scams” notice at account opening is legally insufficient. The PSR guidance requires warnings to be specific and contemporaneous with the transaction.

If the bank refuses, escalate to the FOS

Once the bank issues a final response letter, you have six months to take your case to the

. The FOS is free, independent, and applies a “fair and reasonable” test. It is not bound by the bank’s own reasoning. Successful FOS awards include the principal loss, interest at 8% simple per year from the date of loss, and compensation for distress and inconvenience. FOS decisions are binding on the bank if you accept them.

. If your case had an investment element, see also our guide to

Ready to start your refund claim?

We build your PSR-aligned bank complaint and Financial Ombudsman pack for a fixed £49. No CMC fees. You keep every penny of your refund.

Not legal advice. This guide is for general information only. For advice specific to your circumstances, consult a regulated legal professional or contact Citizens Advice.