Partially upheld: Fraud reimbursement (APP scams) complaint against Revolut Ltd

Decision detail

Summary

Mr S lost £5,896.21 across 7 e-voucher purchases made within one hour after being deceived by a scammer impersonating his firm's managing partner via messaging app. Revolut declined to refund the loss. The ombudsman partially upheld the complaint, finding Revolut should have intervened with direct human contact by the fifth payment based on the suspicious pattern of rapid purchases, which would have uncovered the scam. However, the first four payments were not individually concerning. Mr S was found 50% contributorily negligent for failing to verify the unexpected contact from an unknown number and for not becoming suspicious of repeated requests, resulting in a 50% refund of losses from payment 5 onwards plus interest.

The Ombudsman's reasoning

Revolut should have intervened with direct human contact by payment 5 based on the pattern of rapid, sequential purchases. The first four payments were not individually excessive and were in-person transactions, so did not warrant intervention. However, by payment 5, the speed and pattern should have triggered concern. If Revolut had directly asked Mr S about the circumstances, he would have disclosed the unsolicited contact and unverified request, allowing Revolut to uncover the scam. Mr S bears 50% contributory negligence for failing to verify unexpected contact from an unknown number requesting personal funds, and for not becoming suspicious as repeated requests continued.

How this compares

Source

Read the original decision on the Financial Ombudsman Service website