Muggers stole £3,900 and used my Revolut account to buy crypto: CRANE ON THE CASE

  • J.G's bank accounts were 接近d after his phone was snatched???
  • He was told he had 'authorised' crypto 処理／取引s so couldn't get reimbursed
  • We spoke to a 安全 専門家 to get his tips on 保護するing your phone

By Crane on the 事例／患者

Updated:

In December, I was mugged and had my phone stolen while on a night out.?

Around £3,900 was transferred from my 貯金 account to my Revolut account, where I believe it was used to buy cryptocurrency. Some money was also transferred in from another account, which wasn't 地雷, and that was used to buy crypto too.?

I 報告（する）／憶測d all of this to the police and to Revolut, but it has 拒絶する／低下するd to reimburse me, 説 I 'authorised' the 処理／取引s.?

Bad night out: The evening ended in disaster for our reader when his phone was stolen

Bad night out: The evening ended in 災害 for our reader when his phone was stolen

It's impossible to speak to anyone at Revolut over the phone and I rarely を取り引きする the same person when having a 'live' conversation 経由で their in-app 雑談（する） 機能（する）／行事.?

The se nior member of staff that I've emailed three times hasn't got 支援する to me.

The money taken was my entire 貯金. I have just moved out of my parents' house in to my own place and without it I'm starting to struggle financially. J.G, London

Helen Crane of This is Money replies:?I was sorry to hear that thieves have taken your 貯金 - and at such a 決定的な time in your life.?

Swiping phones in busy public places is an ますます ありふれた 追跡 for 犯罪のs, but unlike in the past it is no longer the 装置 itself that they are after.?

Instead, they will watch over the person's shoulder until they see them enter their passcode - known as 'shoulder surfing'. 武装した with that, they can then take the phone and worm their way in to any app 接近d with the same code.?

A banking app is the 最高の，を越す prize, but they can also do plenty of 財政上の 損失 on other apps where card 詳細（に述べる）s are 蓄える／店d, for example by （犯罪の）一味ing up big 法案s on アマゾン or Uber.?

Having 報告（する）／憶測d on 窃盗 of money 経由で stolen phones before, I'd 勧める anyone who gets into their banking apps with the same 始める，決める of digits they use to 接近 their phone to change one of them without 延期する.?

CRANE ON THE CASE?

Our 週刊誌 column sees This is Money 消費者 専門家 Helen Crane 取り組む reader problems and 向こうずね the light on companies doing both good and bad.

Want her to 調査／捜査する a problem, or do you want to 賞賛する a 会社／堅い for going that extra mile? Get in touch:

helen.crane@thisismoney.co.uk

In your 事例／患者, the thieves were able to use your account to buy cryptocurrency, 同様に as making some 購入（する）s at Argos, which you were refunded for 分かれて.?

You 接触するd Revolut and tried to explain that it was not you that had bought the crypto, explaining your phone had been stolen and giving them the 罪，犯罪 number.?

But the person you spoke to on its online 雑談（する） said that you weren't likely to get a refund because the 処理／取引s had been 'authorised'.?

Usually, this 言及するs to a code 存在 entered which has been sent to your phone in a text message - something the thieves would easily have been able to do.?

You told me you thought the 処理／取引s should have been flagged as 怪しげな and 封鎖するd, as you had not bought cryptocurrency before and they took place between 2am and 5am.?

This is what happened when the thieves tried to spend more money on your credit card with a high street bank, but not with Revolut.?

I agree that this should have raised eyebrows, and think it is also 容認できない that it is so hard for Revolut 顧客s to speak to the company on the phone.?

It is not unique の中で app-based banks, and unfortunately some high street banks are making it more difficult to reach a real human, too, with the first port of call 存在 an 自動化するd online 雑談（する）.?

In 状況／情勢s like this where time is of the essence, 顧客s don't want to be fiddling around on an app trying to get through the AI robots to a real person while thieves keep draining their cash.?

Target: Armed with access to J.G's phone and passcode, the thief was able to get into his Revolut app and spend thousands on cryptocurrency

的: 武装した with 接近 to J.G's phone and passcode, the どろぼう was able to get into his Revolut app and spend thousands on cryptocurrency

I 接触するd Revolut to ask if it would 再考する reimbursing you for the £3,900.?

I am pleased to say it has now recognised you were a 犠牲者 of 窃盗 and agreed to refund you, 同様に as 申し込む／申し出ing a £150 好意／親善 支払い（額）.?

A spokeswoman said: 'We are very sorry to hear about J.G's 事例／患者, or any instance where our 顧客s are 的d by ruthless and 高度に sophisticated 犯罪のs.

'We have 観察するd an 増加する in 網状組織s of 犯罪のs 試みる／企てるing to steal 装置s from unsuspecting individuals and we continue to take 活動／戦闘 to identify and 妨げる unauthorised 接近.?

'As with all 現れるing 脅しs, we 勧める our 顧客s to take care, remain vigilant to "shoulder surfers" and encourage 使用者s to 定期的に update their passcodes and not to use the same password or passcode across 多重の a pplications.

'On その上の 調査 of J.G's 事例／患者 we have 問題／発行するd a 十分な reimbursement for the stolen 基金s, in 新規加入 to a 好意／親善 支払い（額） in 承認 of the 苦しめる experienced in this 事例／患者.'

You told me you have since decided to の近くに 負かす／撃墜する your Revolut account.??

How to 封鎖する thieves from your phone... 含むing a handy new 安全 trick for iPhone 使用者s?

Given the rise in phone 窃盗 scams I decided to speak to scam 専門家, Jake Moore, 全世界の cybersecurity 助言者 at ESET.?

He said he had noticed a 殺到する in phone 窃盗s in the past year, often at busy 冒険的な events or music festivals.

Once phones are in their 手渡すs, Moore said that thieves tend to 的 online banks such as Revolut, Monzo or Starling because in his opinion there there were 'いっそう少なく 障壁s to moving money' and they were いつかs '欠如（する）ing the same 安全 high street banks 申し込む／申し出'.?

Often, as in this 事例／患者, they will move money from a high street bank account into that of an app-based bank.?

But many of us - 特に younger people - like using these banks because of their 使用者-friendly apps and features such as 解放する／自由な spending abroad. So how can they 避ける 落ちるing 犠牲者 to phone 窃盗 scams???

Moore 示唆するs only keeping apps that are 絶対 決定的な on your phone, and 避けるing having 数字表示式の 見解／翻訳／版s of your credit cards if you can help it.?

Failing that, he 追加するs: 'If you are ever in a （人が）群がるd place and you need to put in your passcode, 持つ／拘留する your phone の近くに to you and cover your 審査する from 見解（をとる）.'

Even if you use 直面する ID or Touch ID, Moore points out that, once they have your passcode, 犯罪のs can change 直面する ID to their own image.

Moore also 示唆するd that 使用者s of iPhones consider 選ぶing in to a new feature called stolen 装置 保護, which Apple introduced in March.?

の中で other things, this means that when the phone is in an unfamiliar 場所 (not the owner's home or work) their credit cards can only be 接近d using 直面する ID or Touch ID, and the 使用者 won't be able to enter a password as a '落ちる 支援する' 選択.?

An hour 延期する is also placed on 確かな 活動／戦闘s such as changing the phone's password, to give you time to 報告（する）／憶測 it as stolen.?

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