What is Authorised Push Payment fraud

What is APP fraud and how does it work?

Authorised Push Payment (APP) fraud is a scam where someone tricks you into authorizing a payment yourself — such as a bank transfer or an online card payment. Because you confirm the payment, it appears legitimate to your bank. The name comes from the mechanic: you're pushed to authorize the transfer.

Scammers are experts in psychological manipulation. They target people in stressful situations, creating a sense of urgency so you feel you don't have time to think clearly.

Here's a typical APP fraud scenario:

  • You notice a payment you didn't authorize, or you get a notification about suspicious access to your N26 account.
  • Someone calls you immediately, claiming to be a representative from the bank, and offers to help you with the problem.
  • The caller shares details about your personal data, bank account, or card — information typically gathered from the internet or from the dark web after a data breach. They use this to build your trust.
  • They tell you that fraud is happening on your account right now.

At this point, the scam works in one of two ways:

  • You're asked to transfer money to another account — supposedly for safekeeping. For example: "To protect your money, please move it temporarily to this account."
  • You're asked to confirm an outgoing payment to "reverse" it. For example: "I can see scammers are initiating a transfer on your behalf. Please accept it to get a refund."

What to do if you receive a suspicious message or call

If you get a suspicious SMS, email, or phone call about transactions or login attempts on your N26 account, don't respond. If you think you've been targeted, ask for a specialist in the support chat to verify your account security.

Remember: we will never ask our customers to initiate or confirm a transaction. Always make a payment only when you know the recipient and their IBAN — we'll never give you those details over a phone call or SMS.

If you spot unauthorized payments on your account, take the following steps:

Was this article helpful?