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

Decision detail

Summary

Miss H fell victim to a job opportunity scam on social media in January 2026, where fraudsters persuaded her to open a Revolut account and make multiple payments to purchase cryptocurrency. The funds were subsequently transferred to fraudster-controlled accounts. Revolut issued dynamic warnings when Miss H made her second payment, but fraudsters coached her on how to answer the questions, preventing her from revealing the true purpose. The ombudsman found that Miss H authorised the payments under the Payment Services Regulations 2017 and is presumed liable, that the Reimbursement Rules do not apply to cryptocurrency purchases, and that Revolut's interventions were reasonable and proportionate. The complaint was not upheld.

The Ombudsman's reasoning

Although Miss H authorised the payments and is presumed liable under the Regulations, the ombudsman considered whether Revolut should have intervened further. The Reimbursement Rules do not apply as payments were to a cryptocurrency account in Miss H's own name, not directly to another person's account. Revolut's dynamic warnings at the second payment were reasonable and proportionate given the risk indicators. The fraudsters' coaching prevented Miss H from revealing the true purpose, which would have enabled more relevant warnings. Revolut could not have recovered funds as they were moved via cryptocurrency. No vulnerabilities were apparent to Revolut prior to the scam.

How this compares

Source

Read the original decision on the Financial Ombudsman Service website