The number of fraud attempts through phone calls (spoofing), which target Revolut users, has registered a significant increase, according to the National Cyber Security Directorate (DNSC).
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“In the context of the intensification of online shopping activities, including Black Friday campaigns, Revolut reports a significant increase in fraud attempts through phone calls (spoofing), in which attackers claim to represent the financial platform, a bank or a public institution. The purpose of these calls is to convince victims to confirm fictitious transactions, send money to a ‘secure account’ or disclose sensitive data such as PINs, authentication codes or personal information. Fraudsters use phone numbers that appear legitimate, sometimes with a Romanian prefix, and adopt an urgent or authoritative tone to pressure users to act quickly. Some callers even present themselves as agents of the Revolut support service”note the specialists, quoted by Agerpres.
In this context, Revolut representatives send a very clear message: “We’ll only ever call you through our secure app” – “We’ll only ever call you through our secure app”.
Thus, the platform specifies that it never contacts users by direct phone call, unless a call was previously established through the chat in the application. “Any call received ‘out of the blue’ – regardless of the number displayed or the explanation – must be considered a fraud attempt”emphasizes the company.
Also, Revolut will never request, during a call, to send money to a “safe account”making a payment of any kind, ignoring in-app warnings or submitting your PIN, OTP codes or personal data.
DNSC experts mention that the clear signs of a spoofing scam are: the call comes directly to the phone, not through the Revolut application; is unsolicited and appears unexpectedly; the caller does not speak Romanian fluently or adopts a pressing tone; a transaction is invoked that you don’t know about; you are prompted to send money, provide data or install suspicious applications.
According to Revolut, authenticating the user even before initiating a call from the application eliminates the possibility of the intervention of fraudsters.
At the same time, the users of the payment processor services recommend that, in case of receiving a suspicious call, the recipients should immediately end the call, check in the application (in the chat) whether Revolut tried to contact them, report the incident in the application and to the authorities (ANCOM, DNSC, Romanian Police), as well as not to send money and not disclose any personal information.
Official statistics reveal that, in 2024, Revolut’s automated systems and fraud prevention team managed to block more than £600 million worth of fraudulent transactions.
