Safe-account scam — how to get your money back.

The call comes from a number that looks like your bank. The caller knows your account details and says your savings are at risk from fraudsters. They tell you to move everything to a “safe account” they will set up for you. You are trying to protect your money. And the caller is the fraudster. Since October 2024, the law is firmly on your side.

Can I get a refund after moving money to a "safe account"?

In almost all cases, yes. Safe-account scams are one of the most clearly covered APP fraud types under the PSR Mandatory Reimbursement Scheme (in force from 7 October 2024). Your sending bank must reimburse you up to £85,000 unless it can prove gross negligence. Acting on the instruction of someone you genuinely believed to be your bank or the police is precisely the kind of deception the PSR scheme was designed to cover.

The caller knew my bank account number, sort code, and recent transactions. How?

Scammers obtain this information through data breaches, phishing, or purchased data. Possessing your account details does not make them your bank. Your bank already knows these details — calling with them as "proof of identity" is a red flag, not a verification. The sophistication of the fraud strengthens your claim, not the bank's refusal argument.

My bank says they warned me during the call that this looked like a scam. Can they refuse?

Only in limited circumstances. A bank fraud warning must be specific, prominent, and contemporaneous with the specific transaction. If a staff member did warn you during the transfer call and you continued, the bank may have a stronger argument — but even then, if the scammer was on the line and coaching you on what to say, the FOS takes account of that coached scenario. The bank must show the warning was clear and specific, not generic.

The caller said to stay on the line with them and to tell my bank this was a legitimate transfer. I did. Can I still claim?

Yes. Being coached by the scammer to lie to your bank is a recognised characteristic of safe-account fraud. The FOS distinguishes between deliberate misrepresentation (which might affect a claim) and coached misrepresentation where the victim had no idea they were acting on a fraudster's instruction. The fact that you were coached is evidence of the sophistication of the fraud, not evidence against your claim.

I moved money to a new account the caller set up for me. Whose account was it?

Almost certainly an account opened in a money mule's name — either a recruited individual being paid to allow their account to be used, or a victim whose identity was stolen. The account holder is unlikely to be the ultimate beneficiary of the fraud. For your claim, it does not matter: you report the destination account details to your bank and to Action Fraud.

My bank says I should have called the number on the back of my card to verify. Why didn't I?

Because the scammer kept you on the line and told you not to hang up, that the call would be lost, or that calling back would compromise the investigation. This "line-stay" technique is a signature feature of safe-account fraud and is specifically recognised by the PSR and the FOS as a manipulation that undermines the bank's argument that you should have taken independent steps to verify.

Scam Refund · Scam Types

Safe-account scam — how to get your money back.

How safe-account fraud works

Safe-account scams — classified as “impersonation of a bank or police” under the PSR Mandatory Reimbursement Scheme — are one of the highest-value APP fraud types in the UK. UK Finance figures show this category consistently generates losses in the tens of millions of pounds per year. Individual losses are frequently very high, because victims are persuaded to move everything they have: savings, investments, and in some cases pension funds.

The script is carefully designed. A caller claims to be from your bank’s fraud team — sometimes from the police, sometimes both, with the “bank” and a “detective” taking turns on the call. The caller display shows your bank’s real phone number (spoofed using freely available technology). The caller knows your name, account number, sort code, and sometimes recent transactions — information obtained from data breaches or phishing.

The story: fraudsters have compromised your account. Your money is at risk. The only way to protect it is to move it, urgently, to a new “safe account” that the bank or police will control during their investigation. You must not tell anyone — not family, not other bank staff — because the fraud may be an inside job. You must stay on the line throughout the transfer. Sometimes a “courier” is sent to collect your bank card for “forensic analysis.”

The “safe account” is controlled by the scammer. Once the money arrives, it is immediately dispersed. The funds are gone, often within minutes of the transfer.

Key features that make this fraud so effective

• The call appears to come from your bank’s genuine number.
• The caller knows your personal and account details.
• The caller impersonates a bank fraud team or police officer — both trusted institutions.
• Your savings are said to be under active threat, creating panic and urgency.
• Line-stay technique:
• Keeping you on the line prevents you from calling back on a number you trust to verify.
• Secrecy instruction:
• Telling you not to mention this to anyone isolates you from people who might question the scenario.
• The scammer tells you exactly what to say to bank staff during the transfer to avoid security checks being triggered.

Red flags to recognise

• An unsolicited call claiming to be from your bank’s fraud team, even if the number looks right.
• A request to move money to a new account for “protection.”
• Being told to stay on the line throughout or to not hang up and call back.
• Being told not to tell your family, branch staff, or anyone else about the call.
• Being told to say a specific form of words to the bank when making the transfer (“say it’s a property purchase”, “say it’s for a new mortgage”).
• A “courier” arriving at your home to collect your bank card.
• Any genuine bank fraud investigation does not require you to move your own money.

What to do in the first 24 hours

• Call your bank immediately
• on the number on the back of your card — from a different phone if possible, or after waiting at least 5 minutes if using the same landline (scammers sometimes keep the line open). Report the fraud and ask for an urgent payment recall.
• Report to Action Fraud
• at actionfraud.police.uk or 0300 123 2040. Obtain a crime reference number.
• Write down everything
• while it is fresh: what you were told, what numbers were given, what account details you transferred to, the exact amounts and times of all transfers.
• If a courier collected your card,
• cancel the card immediately and tell your bank it was physically taken. This is a recognised variant and the bank should have a specific process for it.
• Tell someone you trust
• — a family member or friend. The secrecy instruction was part of the fraud, not something you need to maintain.

Your legal right to a refund

Safe-account payments are Authorised Push Payments (APP fraud) — specifically “impersonation of a bank or police officer” under the PSR Mandatory Reimbursement Scheme in force since 7 October 2024. This is one of the most clearly covered categories under the scheme. Your sending bank must reimburse you up to

per claim within five working days of your report, unless it can prove gross negligence.

The gross-negligence standard is very difficult to meet in safe-account cases. The entire design of the scam — spoofed numbers, prior knowledge of account details, authority of bank or police role, line-stay technique, secrecy instruction — is specifically aimed at bypassing a reasonable person’s defences. The FOS has repeatedly found in victims’ favour in safe-account cases, even where some in-app warnings were shown before the transfer.

applies to non-vulnerable consumers. Older victims, those with cognitive difficulties, or those in a particularly anxious or distressed state at the time of the call may qualify as vulnerable consumers, in which case the excess is waived and gross-negligence grounds cannot be used to refuse the refund. The FCA’s Consumer Duty (Principle 12) requires banks to treat vulnerable customers fairly.

If the amount lost exceeded £85,000, the excess above the cap can still be pursued via the Financial Ombudsman Service, which can award up to £455,000 in appropriate cases. The Limitation Act 1980 section 5 gives six years from the date of loss for a civil claim, but the PSR scheme’s 13-month window controls for bank claims.

• Report to bank and Action Fraud. Request recall.
• Within 5 working days:
• Bank must reimburse or provide written reasons (PSR scheme).
• Bank must issue a final response letter (FCA DISP rules).
• Within 6 months of final response:
• Escalate to the Financial Ombudsman Service.
• Within 13 months of last payment:
• Absolute deadline for PSR scheme claim.

How banks refuse — and how to push back

“Our staff asked you what the payment was for and you said it was legitimate.”

You were coached by the scammer to say this and genuinely believed it was true — you believed you were speaking with your own bank’s fraud team. Coached misrepresentation is distinguished from deliberate fraud against the bank by both the PSR and the FOS. The bank must show you knew or should have known the statement was false, which it cannot establish given the sophistication of the scenario.

“We showed you a fraud warning screen before you confirmed the transfer.”

Generic fraud warning screens are not specific enough under PSR guidance. The warning must be specific to this transaction and this type of fraud. In safe-account cases specifically, the scammer was on the line coaching you to continue past any warnings. The bank must show the warning was specific, prominent, and clearly relevant — not just a generic “beware of scams” interstitial.

“You transferred to an account you had not used before without checking.”

You transferred to a new account because you were told to by someone you believed to be your bank. The new account was presented as the “safe account” your bank had set up. The destination being unfamiliar is built into the scam design; it is not an independent indicator of negligence that the victim should have recognised.

. For HMRC impersonation specifically, see our

. For family impersonation via WhatsApp, see our

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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.