APP scams can take several forms, and fraudsters are frequently changing their tactics and trying new ways to get their hands on victims’ money, but there are several common types of APP scam that we have seen increasingly over recent years, including:

• Cryptocurrency scams – fraudsters promise financial ‘quick wins’ to persuade would-be investors to transfer money to build fake cryptocurrency portfolios.
• Romance scams – where the fraudster poses as a potential suitor to get close to the victim and convince them to send personal details and money.
• Impersonation scams – where the scammer claims to be calling from a trusted organisation or company, such as the victim’s bank or building society or uses number spoofing to impersonate a family member or friend.
• Investment scams – as people try to earn more money for later life, or their pension, scammers use this information to target would-be investors with bogus investment schemes.
• Conveyancing scams – fraudsters intercept genuine communications between individuals buying or selling a property and their solicitor in order to reroute the funds to themselves.

Each type of APP scam comes with its own hallmarks and red flags, so it is essential always to stay vigilant and never move money if you are not 100% sure who you are speaking to.

In a number of recent complaints upheld by the Financial Ombudsman Service, Revolut has been found not to have sufficiently upheld its responsibilities to its customers, resulting in them losing significant amounts of money, such as Mrs N.

Miss N transferred almost £10,000 to scammers claiming to be from HMRC, but a FOS investigation found that Revolut could have done more to prevent the scam, and full compensation was awarded for the amount she lost.

At TLW Solicitors, our dedicated APP Fraud team has many years of experience dealing with FOS. The team has successfully recovered compensation for Revolut customers who have lost out following an APP fraud scam.

Our experienced, specialist APP fraud team can help you. We understand the processes involved, the evidence and arguments required to make a successful claim, as well as the time limits to be followed. We have robust case management systems, meaning that we continually progress your case and keep you fully up to date.

The specialist fraud team at TLW Solicitors are helping many clients recover refunds on a no-win, no-fee basis. If you have a claim, we will deal with your claim from start to finish, whilst keeping you up to date as the case progresses.

The steps in the claims process are:

1. Submit your claim with us by completing either the online claim form, request a callback, telephone our office, or email us using the contact details provided.
2. A member of the fraud team will discuss your claim with you and advise whether you may have a claim that we can deal with.  If we can assist you, we will send you our welcome pack which contains useful information on what to expect throughout your claim as well as details of what information we’ll need from you.
3. You will be assigned a case handler. If following an initial assessment of your case we think you have a claim, we will be in touch to go through the next steps. If we don’t think you have a claim, we will provide our reasons why so that you may consider other options.
4. Your case handler will ask for and review any additional documentation needed to progress your claim, this will include contacting the banks involved on your behalf. You will be kept up to date by email and phone calls if required.
5. Depending on the circumstances of your case and due to a wide range of factors outside of our control, making a refund claim can take several months to complete – as your case progresses, we will try to give you as much information as possible about the likely timescales. We will continue to update you on your claim, and you will be able to contact your dedicated case handler if there are any issues or concerns.
6. We work on a ‘no win, no fee’ basis, which means that if your claim is unsuccessful, there will be no charge for the work we do.

Members of TLW Solicitors’ APP Fraud scam team have been featured on the BBC’s Morning Live consumer programme and in a BBC One series, ‘Northern Justice’.

Episodes from the Northern Justice programme demonstrate how TLW Solicitors helped scam victims recover substantial compensation. Full details about the BBC series and how TLW successfully supported our clients can be found here.