Last reviewed June 2026. Laws and bank schemes change — always confirm with the linked authority or your bank before acting. This is general information, not legal advice.
How to claim a refund after a scam — in any country
The exact rights differ by country, but the order of operations is the same everywhere. Speed is the single biggest factor.
The one distinction that decides everything
Unauthorised fraud — a stolen card, an account takeover, a payment you never made — is broadly refundable, usually with a small liability cap. Authorised fraud (APP fraud) — where a scammer manipulates you into sending the money yourself — is treated as a valid instruction, and in most countries isn't automatically refunded. The UK changed that in October 2024; most of the world hasn't. If you remember one thing: the word the bank applies to your payment, authorised or unauthorised, usually decides whether you ever see the money again.
Go deeper
The country-by-country detail behind this index:
Common questions
Which countries make banks refund scam victims?
Of the 14 countries in this index, the United Kingdom is the only one that legally MANDATES reimbursement for authorised push-payment (APP) scams — money you were tricked into sending yourself — up to £85,000, under the PSR rule in force since 7 October 2024. The Netherlands is the lone 'partial': a voluntary banking scheme reimburses bank-impersonation (spoofing) fraud. Every other country covers only UNAUTHORISED transactions (where someone took your money without permission); a transfer you authorised under deception usually isn't refunded.
Does my bank have to refund a scam I authorised myself?
In almost every country, no. The dividing line is 'authorised' vs 'unauthorised.' If someone accessed your account or used your card without permission, that's unauthorised and your bank generally must refund it (often with a small liability cap like €50 or $50). But if you were deceived into approving the payment yourself, that counts as authorised — and outside the UK (and partially the Netherlands), no law forces the bank to give it back. That single word decides most scam-refund outcomes.
Why does the UK refund scams when other countries don't?
Since 7 October 2024 the UK's Payment Systems Regulator (PSR) has required banks to reimburse victims of authorised push-payment fraud, up to £85,000 per claim, with the cost split between the sending and receiving banks. No other country in this index has an equivalent mandatory rule yet — the EU's PSD2 still only covers unauthorised transactions, and proposals under PSD3/PSR would cover only narrow cases like bank-impersonation.
What's the difference between authorised and unauthorised fraud?
Unauthorised fraud is when a payment leaves your account without your permission — a stolen card, account takeover, or a transaction you never made; this is broadly refundable. Authorised fraud (also called APP fraud, or 'the con') is when a scammer manipulates you into sending the money yourself — a fake bank call, a romance scam, a bogus invoice. Because you pressed send, banks classify it as a valid instruction, and in most countries it is not automatically refunded.
How is the protection ranking decided?
It's built on a single factual axis: does the law force a refund for an authorised (deception) scam payment? 'Strong' means a mandate exists (the UK). 'Partial' means a scheme covers some deception or reimbursement is case-by-case (the Netherlands). 'Weak' means only unauthorised transactions are covered. We use tiers rather than invented scores, every row links the authority and our detailed country guide, and the data is reviewed periodically (last reviewed June 2026).
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