Revolut says data was exposed through fake government email
Passports, selfies and financial transaction histories of some customers were revealed to a fraudster using a government agency domain.
Financial tech and banking company Revolut released sensitive customer data, including copies of passports, verification selfies and full transaction histories after receiving a fraudulent request that seemed to be from a government agency.
Requests for customer information sent from a legitimate government agency email domain passed Revolut’s authentication checks, according to International Cyber Digest posting on X. Revolut later concluded they were not authentic, and customers whose information was compromised were notified on Friday.
A company spokesperson told Cointelegraph on Saturday that “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 spokesperson added that upon detection, Revolut blocked the address and alerted the relevant government agency. It also notified enforcement agencies and financial regulators.
“Revolut systems and customer funds are unaffected. We have contacted the limited number of impacted individuals directly to inform them and provide support,” the spokesperson said.
Crypto sleuth ZachXBT reportedly said he thought the incident was limited in size and aimed at high-net-worth users.
The incident caused a stir on X that saw some users criticizing the prevailing system of mandatory information sharing. Marc Zeller wrote that he woke up to all his data being leaked by Revolut, adding: “Sharp reminder that KYC hasn’t produced meaningful upside and has put many in harm’s way.”