---
title: "What is Authorized push payment (APP) fraud? Definition"
description: "Authorized push payment fraud is when a victim is tricked into sending a payment themselves to an account controlled by a fraudster. Because the payer..."
url: https://realpayee.com/glossary/authorized-push-payment-fraud
canonical: https://realpayee.com/glossary/authorized-push-payment-fraud
date_published: 2026-10-05
date_modified: 2026-10-05
author: RealPayee
---

# Authorized push payment (APP) fraud

> Authorized push payment fraud is when a victim is tricked into sending a payment themselves to an account controlled by a fraudster. Because the payer authorized the transfer, banks often treat it as a valid payment, which makes prevention before release essential.

_Published 2026-10-05 · Updated 2026-10-05 · By RealPayee_

## Related terms

- [Social engineering](https://realpayee.com/glossary/social-engineering): Social engineering is manipulating people - rather than hacking systems - into breaking normal procedures, typically through authority, urgency, secrecy or familiarity.
- [Wire transfer](https://realpayee.com/glossary/wire-transfer): A wire transfer is a fast, bank-to-bank electronic payment (in the US, typically via Fedwire or, internationally, via SWIFT) that is generally final once settled.
- [Business email compromise (BEC)](https://realpayee.com/glossary/business-email-compromise): Business email compromise is fraud in which criminals use spoofed, lookalike or hijacked business email to trick employees into sending money or sensitive data.

## Why it matters for finance teams

Most payment fraud reaches AP as a request that looks legitimate. Understanding authorized push payment (app) fraud helps your team spot it and apply the right control: verify bank-detail changes and large payment requests with the real person, out-of-band, before money moves. Our free [bank-change policy template](https://realpayee.com/templates/vendor-bank-change-policy) puts that into a written rule.

Full glossary: https://realpayee.com/glossary · All terms as JSON Lines: https://realpayee.com/feeds/glossary.jsonl

## Related

- [Wire fraud prevention: how to stop bank wire fraud](https://realpayee.com/wire-fraud-prevention) - Controls that prevent business wire fraud: out-of-band verification, payment thresholds, dual approval and audit trails. (markdown: https://realpayee.com/wire-fraud-prevention.md)

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