Alert : Forced Approval Scam – Fraudsters Make You Authorise the Transaction for Them

An alarming call or message can hide a particularly deceptive scam: the fraudster does not break the security of your app, but instead pushes you to approve a genuine action yourself. Under the pretext of blocking fraud, the approval actually triggers a transfer, login or access for the benefit of the fraudster.

Stay vigilant: an approval request received under pressure should always be treated as a potential danger.

Forced authentication scam

This scam relies on psychological manipulation: the victim believes they are protecting their account when they are actually authorising the operation requested by the fraudster. The apps involved may be completely legitimate, which makes the trap particularly convincing.

The method used

The fraudster poses as a bank adviser, anti-fraud service or someone connected with a digital identity service. They create a sense of urgency, then ask the victim to confirm an action in an app, provide a code received by SMS or use biometric authentication.

Depending on the country, the scenario may involve a banking app, a digital identity or authentication service, an online banking app, a Faster Payments transfer (UK) or a Zelle transfer (US). The wording changes, but the objective remains the same: make the victim believe that approving the request will stop the problem, when in fact it authorises it.

Warning signs: urgent call, number that appears official, approval request you did not initiate, SMS code you are asked to read out, notification received during a call, mention of an urgent need to block, cancel or secure something, details displayed on the screen that do not match an action you have just initiated.

A few tips:

• 🛑 Never approve a notification, code or transaction that you did not initiate yourself immediately beforehand.
• 🔎 Reread the confirmation screen before taking any action: the service concerned, type of operation, amount and beneficiary must correspond exactly to your request.
• 📵 If someone calls you claiming that fraud is in progress, hang up before doing anything in your app.
• ☎️ Contact your bank again only using the official number shown on your card or in the app, never the number provided by the caller.
• 🔐 Never read out an SMS code or approve a request using biometrics in order to supposedly block, cancel or secure a transaction.
• ⚠️ Take warnings displayed by the app very seriously when an approval request arrives during a phone call.
• 💬 In the UK, never approve an unexpected banking app notification, transfer or security request because a caller claims it is needed to block or reverse fraud, even if the displayed number appears to belong to your bank.
• 💬 In the US, never provide a one-time code or approve a banking or Zelle transaction presented as a way to block fraud, secure your account or perform a security check.

Conclusion

An approval is used to authorise an action, not to prevent it. If you have any doubt, stop the exchange, confirm nothing and contact your financial institution through an official channel.

Reporting this type of attempt on a national platform or through our anti-fraud reporting assistant helps limit the spread of the scam; talking about it with those close to you can also prevent other victims.

To strengthen your reflexes and check suspicious messages, these resources can help:

• 👉 Analyse an SMS, email or suspicious message
• 👉 Get guided help after fraud
• 👉 Adopt the right reflexes against scams
• 👉 Train yourself to spot traps with a simulator

Written by : René Ronse
Sources & Methodology : This alert is based on regular monitoring of national reporting platforms, feedback from victims, statements issued by the relevant authorities and other information available at the time of writing or the latest update. Its purpose is to identify the method used, the warning signs and the appropriate steps to take when faced with this type of fraud.
About the author : René Ronse, manager of ArnaqueOuFiable.com. Expert in consumer cybersecurity, specialist in detecting online fraud, product transparency, and digital compliance. He has over 20 years of experience analyzing hidden subscription mechanisms, unreadable terms and conditions, aggressive sales tactics, and deceptive commercial practices on the web.
Last updated : 2 October 2026.
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