Not upheld: scam / unauthorised payment / refund claim complaint against Revolut Ltd

Decision detail

Summary

Mr A fell victim to a safe account scam where he was told his accounts were compromised and moved money into his Revolut account before making a £3,450 card payment to a money remittance service. He realised the scam shortly after and reported it to Revolut, which declined to refund him citing 3DS authorisation and lack of chargeback rights. The ombudsman upheld Revolut's position, finding the payment was properly authorised despite being made under pressure, that intervention was not warranted on a single payment to a legitimate service, and that chargeback would not have succeeded as the service was provided.

The Ombudsman's reasoning

The payment was authorised by Mr A through the required 3DS authentication process, even though given under duress. The Faster Payment Scheme Reimbursement Rules do not apply to card payments. Revolut was not required to intervene on the first payment as it was not so unusual as to warrant concern, though they appropriately blocked subsequent attempts. Chargeback would not have succeeded as the money remittance service provided the service paid for, regardless of the ultimate destination of funds.

How this compares

Source

Read the original decision on the Financial Ombudsman Service website