Not upheld: Cifas fraud marker registration for misuse of facility complaint against Revolut Ltd

Decision detail

Summary

Miss K complained about Revolut registering a Cifas marker for misuse of facility following a £190 payment received in August 2024 related to a car hire service operated by an individual called E. Miss K initially claimed she provided chauffeuring services and the customer falsely disputed payment, but later changed her account to claim she only received and forwarded payments on E's behalf. The ombudsman identified significant inconsistencies in her evidence, including her statement that E had no bank account despite evidence she transferred the £190 to him, and her failure to question the legitimacy of the arrangement. Finding Miss K was dishonest and complicit in receiving an illegitimate payment, the ombudsman upheld Revolut's decision to register the marker and did not uphold the complaint.

The Ombudsman's reasoning

The ombudsman applied the Cifas standard requiring reasonable grounds to believe fraud or financial crime occurred, with clear, relevant and rigorous evidence, plus strong evidence of deliberate dishonesty. The ombudsman found significant inconsistencies in Miss K's accounts: her initial claim of providing services contradicted her later claim of only forwarding payments; her statement that E had no bank account contradicted evidence that she transferred funds to E; and her fragmented Snapchat messages did not support her position. On the balance of probabilities, these inconsistencies demonstrated Miss K was dishonest and complicit in receiving an illegitimate payment, knowing or ought reasonably to have known it was illegitimate.

How this compares

Source

Read the original decision on the Financial Ombudsman Service website