Santander Bank Transfer Scam Compensation:
Claim Refunds for Authorised Push Payment (APP) Fraud

There are a number of different types of bank transfer scams that victims have fallen prey to, each with their own hallmarks and red flags.

These include:

• Cryptocurrency scams – fraudsters promise financial ‘quick wins’ to persuade would-be investors to transfer money to build bogus cryptocurrency portfolios.
• Impersonation scams – where a scammer contacts the victim claiming to be from a trusted institution (such as a bank or solicitor) or uses number spoofing to contact the victim pretending to be their family member or friend (this is sometimes known as ‘mum and dad scams’).
• Investment scams – in which the scammer contacts the victim with an ‘exciting investment opportunity’ (often low risk, high reward) which does not in fact exist.
• Romance scams – after the scammer approaches the victim online usually through dating apps or direct messaging on social media, as a potential romantic partner, then asks for money for things such as medical emergencies, flights, or gifts which never materialise.

Each type of APP scam involves the victim believing that the reason for the payment is legitimate and willingly transferring the funds out of their own bank account.

Banks in the UK, including Santander, have a responsibility to their consumers to have in place systems and processes to detect, prevent, and stop financial crimes such as money laundering and also Authorised Push Payment fraud.

These processes and systems can include:

• Monitoring customers’ accounts to detect suspicious activity and prevent fraudulent accounts from being set up.
• Identifying and halting unusual transactions, particularly online, involving customers most vulnerable to fraud, such as the elderly, financially naïve or recently bereaved.
• Using their industry knowledge and security expertise to be aware of common scam tactics and checking for red flags.
• Providing warnings to customers throughout the transaction process to make them aware of common scam tactics.

If you think you have been targeted by an APP scam relating to your Santander bank account, the first thing you should do is report this to the bank, the police, and Action Fraud, the UK’s national reporting centre for fraud and cybercrime.

Santander will investigate the report and, in some cases, refunds will be made; however, if you are refused a refund and believe that Santander should have acted to prevent the fraud, you can take the claim to the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS) an independent Government-backed body responsible for resolving disputes between financial services providers and their customers.

Increasingly, FOS investigations have found that UK banks, including Santander, have sometimes failed in their responsibilities to consumers when it comes to preventing scams, and have awarded significant financial refunds of losses.

When making an APP fraud refund claim, it is important to seek legal advice from an experienced solicitor who can help you understand your rights and options when it comes to seeking compensation from Santander.

Our experienced, specialist APP fraud team can help you. We understand the processes involved and 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.

It is important to act quickly when making a claim, as there are time limits in place for filing complaints with banks, so get in touch today.

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 team recently featured in a BBC One series, ‘Northern Justice’ and the BBC consumer programme ‘Morning Live’. Episodes from the Northern Justice show how members of the TLW Solicitors team helped scam victims recover substantial compensation.

Full details about the BBC series and how TLW successfully supported our clients can be found here.