43-year-old digital nomad and accountant loses £53,000 to Revolut impersonation scam via WhatsApp, draining account and closing Sri Lankan company

Summary

A 43-year-old digital nomad and accountant, Alex Falcon Huerta, lost £53,000 in a telephone scam in February 2024 while living in Bali. Scammers impersonated Revolut’s fraud team via WhatsApp, tricking her into providing login details and authorisation codes for fraudulent transactions. The fraudsters made 40 transactions totaling nearly £1,000 each, plus £8,000 spent at Louis Vuitton Dubai, draining her account down to £1,000. Despite reporting the fraud to Revolut, Action Fraud, and the Met Police, she has not recovered any of the stolen funds. As a result of the financial loss, she was forced to close one of her companies in Sri Lanka. Revolut stated it could not assist because the payments were approved by her, and the funds had already been moved from HSBC accounts.