If you paid an air ambulance or repatriation company and the flight didn’t happen, the route to your money depends on how you paid and how fast you act. This guide covers the main options. It is general information, not legal advice.
Do this today
- Call your bank or card issuer’s fraud line. Tell them the service was not provided and that you believe you may have been defrauded.
- Collect the evidence: the quote, the contract, invoices, payment confirmations, emails, WhatsApp chats, call logs and screenshots of the website.
- Put your refund request in writing (template below) so there is a clear record of the date you asked.
- Report it to the police and file a report here if your provider was EMS Air Ambulance.
If you paid by credit or debit card
Chargeback. Visa, Mastercard and Amex let your card issuer reverse a payment for services not provided. Under Visa’s rules for this reason code, the claim must usually be raised within 120 days of the date you expected the service, and no later than 540 days after the transaction (source).
Section 75 (UK credit cards). Your credit card company is jointly liable with the provider for purchases priced between £100 and £30,000, even if you only paid part, such as a deposit, on the card (MoneyHelper).
If you paid by UK bank transfer
Since October 2024, UK banks must reimburse victims of authorised push payment (APP) fraud, according to the Payment Systems Regulator:
- Covers transfers between UK accounts by Faster Payments or CHAPS. International transfers are not covered.
- Maximum claim of £85,000. Banks may deduct an excess of up to £100 (not for vulnerable customers).
- Claim within 13 months of the payment.
- Banks must pay within 5 business days, or 35 if they need to investigate.
The bank will decide whether the payment was fraud or a civil dispute with a real business. Explain clearly what you were promised, that nothing was delivered, and that no refund was paid.
If you paid by international wire (SWIFT)
International wires are the hardest to recover, and speed is everything. Ask your bank to send a SWIFT recall request to the receiving bank immediately and to flag the receiving account as suspected fraud. The receiving bank can only return money that is still in the account. In the US, also report to the FBI’s IC3 straight away, as it works with banks to try to freeze fraudulent transfers. In the EU, ask your bank about a recall of a SEPA transfer.
Report to the police
- UK: Report Fraud (which replaced Action Fraud in England, Wales and Northern Ireland)
- US: FTC ReportFraud and FBI IC3
- UAE: eCrime
- Elsewhere: your national police fraud unit, and the country where the company is registered
Keep the crime reference number. Banks and lawyers will ask for it.
Refund demand letter template
Send this by email and, if possible, by recorded post. Keep a copy.
Legal action and group claims
If the bank route fails, a solicitor or lawyer can send a formal letter before action and, if necessary, start proceedings in the country whose law applies to your contract. When many people lost money to the same company, a group claim shares the cost and adds weight. Filing a report on this site lets us put victims of EMS Air Ambulance in touch with each other and with lawyers, if you give permission.
Beware of recovery scams
After losing money, you may be contacted by “fund recovery” firms promising to get it back for an upfront fee. Many are scams themselves. Only deal with your bank, the police and a regulated lawyer you have found yourself.