Revolut - beware of scammers

[Lulu-Belle]

Just thought i would share the problem i have had with Revolut as i know a lot of Dibbers use this as a way of taking money abroad. Never had a problem loading it or using it in the USA.

However a few weeks back i got a text from the Revolut number that they always message me on to say there was a problem with my account and i needed to follow the link to confirm my details, in hind sight i should have contacted them but as the text was on the same as a lot of their genuine messages i did what it asked. About 4 days later i received a call from Revolut (just to note they will never phone you - again i didn't know this until after the event) he said someone was trying to take a loan out on my account and wanted to confirm it was me, i said no and he said he would send me a new card out. He knew all my transactions and never asked me for anything other than confirming my name. He said that someone was trying to move money from my Barclays account also and that their fraud team would contact me. After he hung up i got a call from Barclays 'Fraud' team, this is where alarm bells rang as he was asking odd questions so i said i would contact my branch and hung up. As i was suspicious i tried to log into my revolut account but it was locked (obviously the scammer had changed it).

After numerous messages on twitter and then finally through the app i got back in to find the all the money i had been saving had been paid to a 'Peter George'!

As advised by revolut i raised this with Action Fraud and gave them my case number but they have not returned my money. Their latest stance is that there is a team reviewing whether i can have my money returned.

I've never had this with a bank before, so 2 weeks down the line i am still £600 missing with no news of whether it will be returned.

I thought i would share this as i would hate for this to happen to anyone else. I haven't found Revolut very helpful in this situation and if the money is ever returned will be closing my account.

Its a shame as up until this point it was a good card to have for travel. Just be aware of messages from them even if they look completely genuine, always go via the app.

Hope this helps someone from not being scammed like me!

[400ixl]

Sorry to hear you have been caught up in this. Avoid Revolut altogether would be my advice for the future.

They are being investigated by the financial authorities in the UK due to their lack of anti fraud and money laundering practices. They have a lot of complaints about customer accounts being frozen for no explanation and taking months to be resolved.

There are better companies out there for challenger bank services.

[Donaldfan]

I hope you get your money back. I've recently read elsewhere of two people having their Revolut accounts hacked. One had £3000 and the other £2500. Neither received any texts or phone calls, the money just disappeared. Both have reported it.

[Lulu-Belle]

Originally Posted by 400ixl

Sorry to hear you have been caught up in this. Avoid Revolut altogether would be my advice for the future.

They are being investigated by the financial authorities in the UK due to their lack of anti fraud and money laundering practices. They have a lot of complaints about customer accounts being frozen for no explanation and taking months to be resolved.

There are better companies out there for challenger bank services.

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Thank you i intend to. The biggest concern is that the scammer moved the money to another Revolut account

[bosshogg]

Never click an unexpected link.
Never answer an unexpected call.

[anneeb]

Thanks for this information, everything is easy in hindsight, if the message was on their usual number it would be natural to accept it. I must admit I got an email from them, addressed personally but I was still dubious, so went onto the app. I have since found information on their app about scammers and what to be aware of. It is worrying that they will decide whether to return your money, but understand that this the stance from banks, or it used to be. I used the Revolut card for a few years and am now in two minds as to whether I'll continue to do so.

[Kasalic]

Originally Posted by 400ixl

They are being investigated by the financial authorities in the UK due to their lack of anti fraud and money laundering practices. They have a lot of complaints about customer accounts being frozen for no explanation and taking months to be resolved.

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And your source of this information please?

Whilst I am sorry that the OP was caught by a scam, it is hardly Revolut’s fault, anymore than it would have been PayPal’s fault if they had fallen for one of the many scam emails/texts that are used to try and trap people.

I use Revolut all the time, and in fact over the last six months I have noticed a major increase in the in app messages reminding you that they will not contact you directly and too be wary of any texts/messages/calls purporting to be from them.

I hope the OP gets something sorted.

[Donaldfan]

Originally Posted by Kasalic

And your source of this information please?

Whilst I am sorry that the OP was caught by a scam, it is hardly Revolut’s fault, anymore than it would have been PayPal’s fault if they had fallen for one of the many scam emails/texts that are used to try and trap people.

I use Revolut all the time, and in fact over the last six months I have noticed a major increase in the in app messages reminding you that they will not contact you directly and too be wary of any texts/messages/calls purporting to be from them.

I hope the OP gets something sorted.

See more...

The people I mentioned didn't get any texts or phone calls, they didn't fall for a scam. The money just disappeared from their accounts.

[400ixl]

Originally Posted by Kasalic

And your source of this information please?

See more...

The overseeing body (Financial Conduct Authority). They have multiple ongoing investigations.

Last year a Chief Information Security Officer joined then and left 2 months later after what he saw. The CISO role is one which has imprison-able consequences of illegal practices.

They have a terrible culture in the way they treat their staff (just do a search) and their customer service is no better with one of the highest number of complaints per 1,000 customer base.

Many customers have just had money frozen with no explanation and taking months to get access to it again.

[YorkshireT]

Simple advice- if you can get a currency free credit card like Post Office or Halifax, go that route and don’t touch Revolut.