Not upheld: authorised push payment (APP) scam - refund claim complaint against Revolut Ltd

Decision detail

Summary

Mrs S lost £1,954.63 to an APP scam when she made an international payment for accommodation that turned out to be fraudulent. She discovered the scam six months later and requested a full refund from Revolut, which offered 50% reimbursement instead. The ombudsman found that Revolut took proportionate and even exemplary precautions before processing the payment, including displaying warnings, asking questions, and implementing a three-hour pause. Since the payment was international, the Faster Payment Scheme Reimbursement Rules did not apply. The ombudsman concluded Revolut could not reasonably have prevented the payment and upheld its 50% goodwill offer as fair resolution.

The Ombudsman's reasoning

The ombudsman found that while the payment value was out of character for Mrs S, international transfers were consistent with her typical account activity. Revolut's response—including the New Beneficiary Warning, proportionate questions, and a three-hour pause with additional warnings—exceeded what would reasonably be expected. Mrs S's answers to Revolut's questions did not raise concerns that would have prevented the payment. The Reimbursement Rules do not apply to international payments. Revolut's attempt to recover funds was unlikely to succeed given typical fraudster behaviour of withdrawing funds within hours and the six-month delay before Mrs S reported the scam.

How this compares

Source

Read the original decision on the Financial Ombudsman Service website