Upheld: scam / authorised push payment fraud / failure to prevent fraud complaint against Revolut Ltd

Decision detail

Summary

Miss E was scammed through a fake job recruitment scheme requiring her to deposit funds to unlock tasks and earnings. She sent approximately £2,814 from her Revolut account across multiple payments between 20-23 June 2025 before realising the fraud. The ombudsman found Revolut should have intervened at the fifth payment on 23 June 2025 when the pattern became sufficiently suspicious, which would have prevented further losses. However, the ombudsman also found Miss E bore contributory responsibility because the scam was inherently implausible, she could have done more independent verification, and she continued despite warnings. Accordingly, the complaint was upheld but the refund was reduced by 50% to reflect shared liability, with 8% simple interest ordered.

The Ombudsman's reasoning

Although Miss E authorised the payments and is presumed liable under the Payment Services Regulations 2017, Revolut should have intervened at the fifth payment on 23 June 2025 given the suspicious pattern. A live intervention at that stage would likely have prevented further losses. However, Miss E also bears contributory responsibility because the scam was inherently implausible (no contract, requirement to fund her own 'job', payments to different individuals), she could have done more independent checks, and she continued making payments despite receiving job scam warnings and her own growing concerns. Responsibility is therefore shared equally.

How this compares

Source

Read the original decision on the Financial Ombudsman Service website