Not upheld: Fraud reimbursement (APP scams) complaint against Revolut Ltd

Decision detail

Summary

Mr S lost over £1,500 across five payments to a scammer purporting to offer betting on fixed football matches. Revolut declined his scam refund claim, stating the payments related to an illegal betting scheme. The ombudsman found Mr S was genuinely scammed but was attempting to benefit from match-fixing, an illegitimate scheme. Mr S had been dishonest when asked about the payment purpose, claiming they were for a friend or family member. The ombudsman concluded it would not be fair or reasonable to require Revolut to refund money lost while attempting to participate in an illegitimate scheme, and that earlier intervention by Revolut would likely not have uncovered the scam given Mr S's dishonesty.

The Ombudsman's reasoning

The ombudsman found that while Mr S was genuinely scammed, he was attempting to benefit from an illegitimate match-fixing betting scheme. The conversations with the scammers made clear the scheme involved fixed matches with impossible-to-lose returns. Mr S was not truthful when asked about the payment purpose, stating they were for a friend or family member. Even if Revolut had intervened at the third or fourth payment, Mr S would likely not have disclosed the true purpose. Therefore, it would not be fair or reasonable to require Revolut to refund money lost while attempting to participate in an illegitimate scheme.

How this compares

Source

Read the original decision on the Financial Ombudsman Service website