A London-based designer, Sam Do, aged 31, has reported a significant financial loss of over £10,000 due to a sophisticated scam that began with a seemingly innocuous text message regarding an Evri parcel delivery. The incident has left her with no savings and in a dire personal situation, forcing her to subsist on minimal food and relocate to her parents’ home.

The series of events unfolded on September 27, 2024, when Sam received a text from what appeared to be Evri, stating that there was an attempt to deliver a parcel. While genuinely expecting a package, she clicked a link in the message and paid a £2.50 redelivery fee using her American Express card. Just three days later, she received a phone call from an individual claiming to be from American Express, who misleadingly informed her that her card had been compromised.

Reflecting on the experience, she recounted, “I thought back to the redelivery payment and everything was adding up at this point,” indicating how the scam was cleverly orchestrated to exploit her vulnerability. The caller proceeded to ask her a series of security questions and provided a fake case number. Subsequently, they urged her to transfer her savings into her Revolut account, presenting it as a safe measure to secure her funds. Shortly after, she received another call from someone masquerading as a representative of Revolut, where the same tactics were employed, leading her to ultimately transfer her funds into an untraceable bank account.

“It was so sudden and so shocking,” Sam described the moment she realised her money had vanished. With no caller ID on her phone, she was unable to retrieve the number or trace the transactions, which led her to contact both the police and her bank immediately. However, she was informed that the transactions did not raise suspicion, leaving her ineligible for any refund.

The aftermath of the scam has severely impacted Sam’s life. Facing debts and a lack of savings, she resorted to eating rice and soy sauce, renting out her room, and spending time living with her parents. “For four years, I had chosen to live in a cheap flat, sharing with three others and making sacrifices, so I could save to buy a house,” she reflected. Now, she feels her efforts have been wasted.

In October, Sam lodged a complaint with the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS), where she was offered only 40% of her lost funds. “It felt like a punishment,” she stated, highlighting her dissatisfaction with the way her case was handled. The investigator treated her as if she were at fault, further compounding her distress. As a result, she has been referred to a food bank and mental health support services.

Despite the challenges, Sam returned to her flat to be close to her work as she attempts to rebuild her finances with the help of family. In November, she was advised to share liability for her losses, which she declined, opting instead to escalate her complaint in hopes of securing a full reimbursement. Four months later, she has yet to receive any updates regarding her case, expressing, “It’s endless – it could take two months or two years.”

A spokesperson for the Financial Ombudsman Service stated that they cannot comment on individual cases. Revolut, which has been implicated in the scam, stated that they never contact customers unexpectedly and do not solicit sensitive information over the phone. They urged customers to use in-app chat for any concerns.

Similarly, Evri has expressed sympathy for Sam’s situation, stating that they take fraudulent activity very seriously and have engaged with various cybersecurity partners, including the UK Government’s National Cyber Security Centre, to tackle such scams. They clarified that they never request payment for redelivery and encouraged customers to report any suspicious activity promptly.

Source: Noah Wire Services