Scammers target Revolut users on wealthy British island Jersey
The fake calls follow earlier breaches.
Image by Cybernews.
- Jersey police say 75% of scam reports over 4 weeks involved Revolut accounts.
- Victims lost about £180,000 after callers posed as bank fraud teams or Revolut support.
- Police say some accounts were accessed and money was taken without authorization.
- Revolut denied evidence of a breach after earlier claims that customer records were for sale.
Key Takeaways by nexos.ai, reviewed by Cybernews staff.
Scammers are targeting Revolut customers on the Channel island of Jersey, with police saying 75% of scam crimes reported over a 4-week period involved accounts from the digital bank.
Victims collectively lost around £180,000 ($243,000) according to the States of Jersey Police, which has warned islanders to be vigilant following a surge in fraud reports involving Revolut.
Most of the scam calls followed a familiar pattern, as reported on The States of Jersey Police’s Facebook Page.
Callers posing as bank fraud teams, security staff or Revolut support tell victims their money is at risk and are persuaded to hand over security information, approve transactions or move funds.
Police have also recorded cases in which accounts were compromised and money taken without authorization, although details on how this happened have not been disclosed.
Wealthy target
Jersey, a wealthy British Crown Dependency which sits between England and France, is a major offshore financial center, with 19 banks holding more than £182 billion ($246 billion) in deposits, with a small handful of Channel Islanders, including Moneysupermarket’s Simon Nixon, worth billions.
The scam wave follows a series of cybersecurity concerns. In August, several unnamed Jersey organizations were hacked and contact lists stolen, prompting Jersey Cyber Security Centre to issue a phishing email warning.
Two months earlier, a hacker claimed to be selling 75 million Revolut customer records, including names, contact details and partial card information.
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However, Revolut said it found no evidence of a breach, while security researchers suggested the data could have come from previous leaks or malware.
In June, the Island passed a new cybersecurity law, to strengthen requirements for managing and reporting breaches and cybercrime.
