A sophisticated impersonation scam compromised an Italian government email domain to trick Revolut staff into handing over personal details for about 680 customers, apparently selected for suspected cryptocurrency holdings. One individual who claims to be behind the breach has demanded a $3m ransom, reportedly to be paid in Monero, and threatened to publish the stolen data; Revolut says it has not received any direct contact or demand from the group making those claims. The company says it blocked the fraudulent address, notified the relevant government, law enforcement, data protection and financial regulators, and has contacted the limited number of impacted customers, adding that its systems and customer funds remain unaffected.
Several victims say they fear for their safety after personal information, including home addresses, surfaced; former Mt. Gox chief executive Mark Karpelès says he has contacted Tokyo police and joined a victim group where one person described a $50,000 demand to delete their records. Observers warn paying extortionists offers no guarantee of deletion, and the episode threatens Revolut’s reputation with privacy-sensitive crypto clients just as the firm is preparing plans for a high-profile dual listing. The number of perpetrators remains unclear and investigators are assessing the scope and motives of the attack.
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