Warning to Revolut customers as Irish customer refuses refund after being scammed out of €3,000

AN IRISH victim of a scam on his Revolut account has warned of a lack of support from the tech financial giants after being denied a €3,000 refund.

The popular banking app is ready to offer its key account features to its two million Irish customers.

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However, after Revolut user Derek was caught by an an-post phishing scam that completely drained his account, he was told by the banking app that he would not receive a refund.

Earlier this month, Derek received a text message from scammers pretending to be the Irish Postal Service and saying he owed a customs fee.

And just an hour after he clicked on a shady link, he received a call from someone he believed to be a member of the “EBS Fraud Squad” telling him his account had been hacked.

Speaking live on Newstalk’s Lunchtime, he explained: “I was wondering who he was at the time.

“Although he was able to give me my exact balance on the EBS, it gave me some comfort that it was legitimate.

“He told me my funds were not safe in EBS and if I had a Revolut account I should move it there.”

Derek then transferred €1,900 to his Revolut account, which already had €1,100 in it.

He added: “Looking back, EBS thankfully froze my account at €1,900 because I could have gone much higher in the end.”

Derek was then instructed by the scammer to delete Revolut from his phone, telling him it would reset the app.

However, when Derek downloaded the app again, around €3,030 had disappeared from his account via Apple Pay.

And when he asked Revolut for help, “they weren’t entertaining about it at all”.

Derek added that Revolut said he authorized the payment, which he says is “completely impossible” because the app was deleted on his phone.

EBS TO THE RESCUE

He said, “I don’t even have Apple Pay, I never had, and all along they said it was my own fault for authorizing the payment and they wouldn’t refund me.”

Revolut has refused to refund him, but Derek said “fantastic” EBS had already refunded the lost €1,900.

Expert Sinead Ryan said on the show that the lack of Revolut stores in the country will cause difficulties for Irish customers as the scams become more sophisticated.

She explained: “I suppose in terms of the difference in how the banks treat you, maybe that’s one of the differences and disadvantages of fintech.

LACK OF SUPPORT

“Everyone loves the Revolut and they’re great and they’re fast and all that.

“But they don’t have branches here, they don’t have a headquarters here.

“You can’t go in anywhere and say, ‘Can I talk to someone, something went wrong.’

“The downside is that it can be difficult to connect with people and have those conversations compared to a regular bank on the street.”

REVOLUTE RESPONDS

In a statement sent to Newstalk’s Lunchtime Live, Revolut said: “We are sorry that our customer was targeted by scammers.

“We take our responsibility to protect and support our customers very seriously and have made significant investments in our systems, processes and people to ensure our customers are safe and supported.

“We currently offer support via in-app chat, which is the safest way to communicate with customers.

“When speaking to us via chat, our customers can be assured that they are connected to a member of our team and not a caller who could be a scammer.

“If you are a Revolut customer and believe you have been the victim of fraud, block your cards immediately in the Revolut app and contact Revolut via the in-app chat for help.”