Rising Romance Scams Leave Victims Out of Pocket:
What Are Your Options?

Romance scams are a form of Authorised Push Payment (APP) fraud, where the scammer and victim develop a ‘relationship’ online, often starting on a dating app. The conversation may then move to a messaging platform such as WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, or Snapchat. Over time, ‘love bombing’ turns to fake pleas for help with urgent travel or medical bills, and the victim is persuaded to send money to someone they believe they know and trust. Many APP fraud schemes involve several staged payments, not just one.

The latest figures from UK Finance, a trade body representing over 300 financial businesses, suggest that APP fraud is up 12% year-on-year, with losses of £257.5 million in the first six months of 2025. It also highlights that “two-thirds (66%) of Authorised Push Payment (APP) fraud begins online, often through social media platforms, fake adverts or digital marketplaces”.

With overall fraud on the rise, and APP fraud in particular a growing problem, it is unsurprising that news headlines are filled with stories of people deceived by online relationships, each highlighting how easily trust can be exploited:

• ‘Scammers used my photographs to con women out of their life savings’
• Essex woman spun ‘web of lies’ to cheat man out of £500k to fund ‘boob job’ and lavish holidays
• Woman fell for cruel love scam from Somali doctor who made her do blood oath

These examples vary widely in how they operate, but they all show how quickly trust can be manipulated for financial gain.

Other types of APP fraud include impersonation fraud, investment scams and purchase fraud, all of which involve victims authorising payments from their bank accounts to the scammers.

There are several routes scam victims can use to recover their lost money:

Reimbursement rules introduced in October 2024

The updated APP fraud reimbursement rules, introduced in October 2024, should now make it easier to recover lost funds. Banks and financial institutions have strict duties and regulations to follow to help keep your money safe. If you raise a complaint, they must investigate, decide, and pay within five working days for most straightforward cases.

Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS)

If a bank refuses a refund or handles a case unfairly, victims can escalate the dispute to the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS), an independent, government-backed body set up to settle disputes between banks and their customers. FOS can order a bank to reimburse the full amount if it finds that the bank failed to follow the required fraud-prevention steps, plus interest, and to compensate for distress and inconvenience.

CRM Code

The older rules, known as the Contingent Reimbursement Model Code (CRM Code), may still apply in specific cases, especially those older than 7 October 2024.

Court-ordered compensation

If a scammer is arrested, prosecuted, and found guilty in Court, the Court may order them to pay compensation to the victim. A common tactic scammers use is to move funds to other bank accounts, often overseas, which makes tracing and recovering victims’ money very difficult. If the money is not recovered and the defendant has insufficient funds or assets to settle the bill, the victim may never get back what is owed.

For most victims, the strongest and quickest route to compensation is through refund claims against banks or payment providers, rather than relying on criminal proceedings.

Sarah Spruce, Legal Director at TLW Solicitors, comments:

“Romance scams and APP fraud can be financially devastating, but victims often have more options than they realise. We regularly see cases where banks incorrectly reject refund requests, misapply the rules, or fail to follow the required fraud-prevention steps.

Even if a bank initially rejects a refund request, that decision can often be challenged. Our role is to help victims build strong, evidence-based claims, whether that’s directly with the bank or through the Financial Ombudsman Service. We work to give people the best possible chance of recovering their money, so please do get in touch for a confidential, no-obligation chat with my team to see if you might be eligible to make a ‘no-win, no-fee’ claim.”