UK reportedly poised to slash amount banks must refund to fraud victims

Regulator said to be planning cut to maximum amount available to victims from 415,000 to about 85,000

The UK is reportedly poised to slash the planned maximum amount that banks will have to refund to fraud victims - from 415,000 to about 85,000 - after strong lobbying from lenders, fintechs and some politicians.

Fraud in the UK payments industry has soared in recent years, with a sharp rise in authorised push payment (APP) scams, which often involve email accounts being hacked to trick people into sending money to bank accounts operated by criminals. Measures were announced last year requiring banks and payment firms to reimburse those scammed.