Geoffrey, a retiree in London, thought he was investing with a long-established, regulated firm. The website, the documents, and the “adviser” all mirrored the real company precisely. He authorised a push-payment transfer of a large part of his savings.
An authorised push-payment (APP) scam
It was a clone — a fraudulent copy of a genuine, regulated brand, built to harvest a single bank transfer. These are among the most convincing scams precisely because they impersonate something real.
Why speed mattered
Geoffrey reported it within days. That timing is everything with bank transfers: many banks operate reimbursement schemes for APP fraud, but the window and the strength of the evidence decide the outcome.
What we did
- Confirmed the clone and matched it against the genuine regulated firm’s details.
- Triggered an urgent APP recall through his bank inside the reimbursement window.
- Supplied the clone evidence to support a full reimbursement claim.
- Documented the case for the impersonated firm and the regulator.
The outcome
Because he acted fast and the trail was clean, the recall and reimbursement returned almost the entire sum. It is one of our strongest outcomes — and a reminder that a firm “looking regulated” is not the same as being the firm it claims to be. Always confirm through our Broker Verification service before sending a transfer.