Criminals are expanding their tactics to include debit and credit card scams, following improved controls against authorised push payment (APP) fraud, Which? has warned. Fraudsters are now increasingly convincing victims to approve card payments, using tactics similar to those in APP fraud, such as posing as a bank to obtain security codes or payment approvals.
The Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS) reported in June 2026 that complaints about authorised fraud involving a mix of payment types have continued to increase. In 2025, the FOS received 3,653 complaints related to authorised card payments, with an average of 27% upheld in favour of consumers.
Revolut topped the list of firms with 912 complaints in 2025, while Barclays had 399. Monzo had the highest uphold rate at 38%, suggesting its customers were most likely to have been treated unfairly. Both Revolut and Monzo stated these cases relate to historical complaints, with Revolut reporting a 35% decline in authorised card fraud cases in 2025 and Monzo preventing three times the value of fraud in 2025 compared to 2024.
Unlike unauthorised card fraud or APP fraud, victims who are manipulated into approving card payments to scammers often do not have the same protections for reimbursement. UK Finance has admitted to limited progress in collecting and publishing data on authorised card scams, though it has several pilots running to enhance data coverage.