Revolut, one of the world's biggest fintech (finance technology) apps, says a scammer tricked it into handing over customer information. The company blames a "sophisticated external impersonation scam" that used a fake government agency email to steal data.
This matters because Revolut has over 80 million users worldwide, including 3.4 million in Ireland. If a scammer can fool a company this big, it shows how tricky these scams have become.
Quick Take
- Revolut says a scammer used a real government agency's email domain to request customer data.
- The company calls it a "limited number" of affected customers, who have been contacted directly.
- Leaked data includes names, birth dates, addresses, phone numbers, and ID documents like passports.
- Revolut says customer money and its main systems were not touched.
- News site TechCrunch first broke the story.
What Actually Happened
A Revolut spokesman says the company caught someone using a legitimate government agency's email domain to ask for customer info. The company handed over data before realizing something was wrong.
Once Revolut spotted the problem, it blocked the fake email address. It also alerted the real government agency, plus law enforcement, data protection officials, and financial regulators.
"Revolut recently identified a sophisticated external impersonation scam where an unauthorised third party utilised a legitimate government agency domain email to submit fraudulent requests for information," the spokesman said.
In plain terms: someone pretended to be a government official using a real, trusted email address. Revolut believed it and sent over sensitive files.
What Data Was Exposed
TechCrunch, which first reported the breach, says the leaked data includes customer identity details, contact info, birth dates, and both postal and email addresses. Phone numbers were also part of the leak.
An email sent to affected customers reportedly said personal ID documents were shared too, things like passports and driver's licenses. Verification selfies, account statements, and transaction history may also have been exposed.
Revolut insists customer funds and core systems stayed safe throughout the incident.
Why Revolut Is Under the Microscope
Revolut has grown fast and now touches millions of lives financially. In Ireland alone, its lending business recently topped €1 billion across 300,000 credit deals, just four years after launching there.
The company was valued at $115 billion (about €99 billion) in July. It is also pushing into the US, promising $500 million in investment over three to five years, and recently won conditional approval to operate as a US national bank.
| Revolut Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Global users | 80+ million |
| Irish users | 3.4 million |
| Irish lending total | €1 billion+ |
| July valuation | $115 billion |
| US investment pledge | $500 million |
Why It Matters
This breach shows that even trusted-looking emails from official domains can be faked and used to steal sensitive data. For Revolut customers, it's a reminder to watch for follow-up scams using this stolen info. Expect regulators to keep asking questions as Revolut expands further into US banking.
Source: The Irish Times
