Fake Online Store Scams via Revolut
How fraudulent UK and European online shops direct customers to pay via Revolut peer-to-peer transfers to circumvent platform buyer protection.
Part of: Fake Online Stores
Last reviewed: 1 June 2026
A growing number of fraudulent online stores in the UK and Europe instruct customers to pay via Revolut rather than a standard card or PayPal checkout. By taking payment outside the store's own payment infrastructure, the fraudster avoids any platform-level dispute mechanism and receives instant, largely irreversible funds directly to a Revolut account.
Victims are typically told that Revolut payment offers a discount or is a more secure option for high-value items — both justifications that exist solely to make the unusual payment route seem reasonable.
How this scam works on Revolut
A consumer visits a legitimate-looking online shop selling electronics, clothing, or sports equipment. At checkout, they are told the most convenient or cheapest method is Revolut — instructions include a @username or Revolut.me link. The consumer sends the payment, receives an order confirmation by email, and waits for delivery that never comes.
By the time the consumer attempts to dispute the transaction, the scammer has deleted the Revolut account or moved the funds. Because the store may have been running for only a short period, there is often limited prior evidence of its fraudulent nature.
Common red flags
- Online store that does not offer standard card payment, only Revolut transfer or payment link
- Discount incentive specifically for Revolut payment
- Store domain registered very recently and lacking genuine reviews
- Revolut payment goes to an individual @username rather than a business account
- No physical address, company registration, or verifiable contact information
- Delivery never begins and customer service becomes unresponsive after payment
How to protect yourself
- Use a credit card or PayPal for any online purchase where possible — these carry chargeback and buyer-protection rights
- Be highly sceptical of stores that offer discounts for Revolut payment — this is a tactic to avoid disputes
- Check the store's company registration against Companies House (UK) or the relevant EU register before purchasing
- Search the store's domain age and look for consumer complaints on Trustpilot before checkout
- If a Revolut payment is the only option, verify the business account name matches the registered company name exactly
How to report it
- Report the Revolut account and transaction through Revolut's in-app 'Report a payment' feature
- Report to Action Fraud (UK) at actionfraud.police.uk with order confirmation and payment evidence
- Report the website domain to Companies House, Google Safe Browsing, and the domain registrar's abuse team
Frequently asked questions
The store offered a discount specifically for paying via Revolut instead of card — is that a red flag?
Yes — incentivising payment outside the store's standard checkout, especially toward a method with no chargeback protection, exists specifically to make disputing a bad transaction harder for you. Treat any discount tied to an unusual payment method as a reason for caution, not a genuine bargain.
How new does a store's domain need to be before I should be suspicious?
There's no fixed cutoff, but a domain registered within the past few weeks or months, especially one selling a wide catalog of heavily discounted goods with no other online presence or reviews, warrants real caution. Check the registration date with a WHOIS lookup as one of several checks, not the only one.
What should I do if I paid a store via Revolut and the delivery never showed up?
Use Revolut's in-app "Report a payment" feature promptly, providing your order confirmation and any seller communication, and report to Action Fraud or your national fraud authority. Also report the website itself to Google Safe Browsing and the domain registrar so the site can potentially be taken down.
Is Revolut business payment safer than a personal account for online shopping?
A Revolut Business account requires company registration, which creates a slightly higher accountability trail. However, neither personal nor business Revolut accounts offer the same automatic buyer protection as a credit card or PayPal. For any significant purchase from an unfamiliar retailer, insist on a payment method with recognised consumer protection.