Not upheld: authorised push payment (APP) scam reimbursement complaint against Revolut Ltd

Decision detail

Summary

Miss S lost £1,621 to a job recruitment scam conducted via messaging service. She made six payments from her Revolut account: four to individuals (£280 total) and two to her own cryptocurrency wallet (£1,580 total), though she received £239 back from the scammers. Revolut refused reimbursement, citing the FPS reimbursement rules excess and the fact that cryptocurrency wallet payments were not covered. The ombudsman upheld Revolut's decision, finding the net reimbursable amount (£41) was less than the £100 excess, Miss S was not vulnerable in a materially relevant way, and Revolut's fraud prevention measures for the cryptocurrency payments were proportionate.

The Ombudsman's reasoning

The ombudsman applied the FPS reimbursement rules framework, finding that the net reimbursable amount for payments to M and S was £41 (£280 sent minus £239 received), which was less than the £100 excess Revolut was entitled to apply. Miss S was not deemed vulnerable in a way that materially affected her ability to protect herself, as she was able to conduct some checks. For the cryptocurrency wallet payments, these fell outside FPS rules as they were to Miss S's own wallet which she controlled. Revolut's interventions were proportionate to the fraud risk presented, and the ombudsman found no evidence that further intervention would have prevented the loss or enabled recovery.

How this compares

Source

Read the original decision on the Financial Ombudsman Service website