A 33-year-old professional from Birmingham has lost £20,000 of her wedding savings in a sophisticated scam, despite considering herself clued-up on fraud. The victim, who wishes to remain anonymous, was targeted by scammers posing as her bank, Revolut, and other trusted organisations.
The scam began with two fake texts purportedly from Hermes, requesting £1.50 admin fees for missed deliveries. After paying with her Revolut and Nationwide debit cards, she received a call from someone claiming to be from Revolut, who said her account had been compromised. The caller then transferred her to someone posing as Nationwide, and later to a supposed 'national fraud agency'. Under pressure, she transferred £20,000 from Nationwide to Revolut, then to a new account opened in her name.
Despite generic scam alerts appearing on the Revolut app, the scammers reassured her they were routine. The money was lost by the time she realised the truth. Revolut has refused to reimburse her, arguing that she overrode its warnings. The Financial Ombudsman Service notes that 'the increasing sophistication of scams means that the bar for gross negligence is high'.
Revolut is not a signatory to the Contingent Reimbursement Model (CRM), a voluntary scheme requiring banks to compensate fraud victims who are not unduly negligent. The Lending Standards Board, which oversees the CRM, says banks must consider individual circumstances and not rely solely on generic warnings. Revolut declined to comment on how it measures the effectiveness of its warnings.
The victim's case highlights that young, tech-savvy individuals are often most susceptible to scams, contrary to the stereotype of elderly victims. She hopes her story will encourage better fraud prevention measures.
