Victim of purchase fraud through First Direct?
You may be entitled to a refund.
If you've lost money to purchase fraud and the payment was sent from your First Direct account, the law may require First Direct to reimburse you. We handle the entire process — no win, no fee.
Check if you can claim →Free, no-obligation eligibility check. Takes 5 minutes.
Up to £85k
PSR reimbursement cap
Highest
Volume of any APP fraud type
5 days
First Direct must respond
About PURCHASE FRAUD
How purchase fraud affects First Direct customers
Purchase fraud is the highest-volume type of APP fraud in the UK, though individual losses tend to be lower than investment or romance scams. Victims pay for items — often found on social media marketplaces, fake websites, or online classified ads — that are never delivered.
Read our full guide to purchase fraud →Common warning signs
Why FIRST DIRECT May Owe You a Refund
Legal grounds for claiming against First Direct for purchase fraud
PSR mandatory reimbursement
Since October 2024, First Direct must reimburse eligible APP fraud victims up to £85,000 for payments via Faster Payments and CHAPS within 5 business days.
Failure to warn about purchase fraud risks
First Direct should identify transaction patterns consistent with purchase fraud. First Direct should apply Confirmation of Payee checks and issue appropriate fraud warnings when customers make payments to new recipients, particularly for amounts inconsistent with their usual spending patterns.
Financial Ombudsman escalation
If First Direct refuses, the FOS can independently review and award up to £430,000. We handle the entire escalation process.
First Direct is a signatory to the voluntary CRM Code, which provides additional grounds for your claim.
How It Works
How we recover your money
Tell us what happened
Share the details of the purchase fraud and the payments sent from your First Direct account.
We build your case
Our legal team identifies the strongest regulatory arguments specific to purchase fraud claims against First Direct.
We pursue First Direct
We submit a formal complaint citing the specific obligations breached, and chase every deadline.
Resolution
If your claim succeeds, you receive your refund minus our agreed fee. If we don’t recover anything, you pay nothing.
Common Questions
Purchase Fraud claims against First Direct
We have a minimum claim value of £1,500 to ensure the claim is commercially viable. If your loss is below this threshold, you can still pursue a claim directly with your bank or through the Financial Ombudsman at no cost. For losses above £1,500, our professional representation can significantly strengthen your case.
We operate on a no-win, no-fee basis under a Damages-Based Agreement. If your claim is unsuccessful, you pay nothing. If we recover funds for you, our fee is a percentage of the amount recovered. The exact percentage is clearly explained before you sign anything, as required by SRA regulations.
The PSR mandatory reimbursement scheme applies to payments made within 13 months. For older cases, the Financial Ombudsman can consider complaints up to 6 years from the event, or 3 years from when you became aware. We can assess your eligibility during the free initial review.
Other fraud types against First Direct
Claim purchase fraud against other banks
Purchase Fraud through First Direct? Check your eligibility.
Free eligibility assessment. No obligation. Takes 5 minutes.
Check your eligibility →