UK banks have been urged to beef up anti-fraud systems for international payments as data reveals a "notable increase" i n scammers tricking people into sending money abroad. ‘Remote purchase’ fraud in the UK has surged as customers are tricked into disclosing passcodes. The frauds are known as authorised push payment (APP) scams. The number of cases fell by 20% last year to just under 186,000, said the banking body UK Finance, which issued the data. In 2023, there were more than 232,000 cases. But while the number of cases fell substantially, the total amount lost to APP fraud decreased by just 2% to £450m. It means “fewer people are handing over bigger sums of money”, experts warned. READ MORE Smart motorways could be scrapped from England entirely There was also a “notable increase” in APP scams involving international payments, in which criminals trick people into sending money outside the UK. Rocio Concha, the director of policy and advocacy at Which?, has spoken out. Issuing a warning to UK households at leading British banks, Concha spoke out and said: “Fraudsters are constantly evolving their tactics, so it is disheartening but unsurprising to see a rise in the number of cases in which scammers trick their victims into sending money abroad.” “Banks and payment firms should enhance their anti-fraud controls for international payments, and the independent review of the mandatory reimbursement scheme in October should take note of these emerging trends,” said Concha. UK Finance is itself not immune to being targeted by scammers. This week there was a prominent warning on its website saying: “We are aware of a potential scam involving people being offered loans for an upfront fee by an individual posing as a representative of UK Finance.” The organisation doesn’t offer any financial products, “and anyone claiming to provide such products on our behalf is fraudulent,” it said.