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

Decision detail

Summary

Mr A lost £25,500 to a sophisticated APP scam between August 2025 after being contacted by a scammer posing as a recruiter. He made 18 payments from his Revolut account to a crypto exchange in his own name, following the scammer's instructions and receiving coaching on how to respond to bank security interventions. Revolut and another bank (N) both made multiple interventions with warnings and security questions, but Mr A provided false information guided by the scammer. The ombudsman found Revolut not liable because although they made proportionate interventions, the scammer's coaching and Mr A's deliberate provision of false information meant no further intervention would have prevented the loss, breaking the chain of causation necessary to hold Revolut responsible.

The Ombudsman's reasoning

While Revolut made proportionate interventions and Mr A authorised the payments, the ombudsman considered whether additional steps should have been taken. However, the critical issue of causation was not satisfied: even if Revolut should have intervened further, the scammer's coaching and the trust Mr A had built with the scammer meant no further intervention would have uncovered the fraud. Mr A deliberately provided false information to circumvent security measures, guided by the scammer. The scammer explicitly advised on strategies to reduce transaction rejection risk. Therefore, Revolut cannot fairly be held responsible for the loss.

How this compares

Source

Read the original decision on the Financial Ombudsman Service website