Bank with 12 million UK customers issues warning (Image: Getty)
A popular online bank with 12 million customers across the UK has issued a stark warning to users amid a rapid increase in scam attempts. Scammers are always finding new and inventive ways to defraud people of their money, and one of the most recent involves a mobile messaging service that many use on their phones and other devices. Telegram has become the fastest-growing breeding ground for financial scams, Revolut has revealed in its 2026 Consumer Security and Financial Crime Report.
It found that fraud cases originating on the messaging app surged by a staggering 233% in the last year. It reports that many users believe the app’s encryption keeps them safe, but the bank warns its customers that criminals are weaponising that privacy to evade detection while targeting victims. The report states that fraud from Telegram now accounts for 20% of all reported scams. Meanwhile, job scams have tripled, but purchase scams remain the most common in the UK, accounting for 57% of reported scams in 2025.
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Revolut has grown massively in the UK (Image: Getty)
Telegram was identified as the fastest-growing source of Authorised Push Payment (APP) fraud. Telegram is a free, cloud-based instant messaging app similar to WhatsApp. It’s used by around 14% of internet users in the UK, although it’s much more popular in other European countries.
These scams also appear on platforms like WhatsApp, Facebook and other Meta-owned social media sites as well as TikTok. Authorised Push Payment (APP) fraud involves criminals using email or other messages to urge victims to make payments.
They will often send messages pretending to be from a bank, an official institution or a trusted business. Revolut says its findings show a clear move by criminals “from traditional social networks to encrypted messaging platforms”.
It also reports that 2025 saw a startling growth in job scams globally, rising approximately three times year on year, now representing 22% of all scam cases.
A major bank has issued a warning to customers (Image: Getty)
Additionally, the study found that social media platforms generated an estimated £3.8bn in revenue from fraudulent advertisements targeting European users in 2025. Revolut is now calling for more accountability from online platforms.
Revolut’s head of financial crime, Woody Malouf, said: “The rapid rise of scams stemming from Telegram shows how quickly criminal tactics adapt. Revolut is processing billions of data points to stay ahead, but the digital ecosystem is only as strong as its weakest link. We need social media companies to step up.
“Protecting users must be a shared priority across the entire industry, including the platforms where these scams are born.”
Revolut, which has grown in popularity in the UK, offers tips on how to spot scam texts. The bank reminds customers that it will never send a message saying that it has spotted fraudulent activity. These are scam texts, and they often call for the recipient to take urgent action.
The bank will also never send customers a link to a website and ask you to provide sensitive information, such as a password, phone number or your PIN.
If you receive a scam message pretending to be from Revolut, the bank suggests deleting the message and blocking the number. Meanwhile, if you receive an unexpected call from someone claiming to work for Revolut and asking you to provide personal and sensitive information or asking you to click on a link in a text, you should hang up the phone and block the number.
Those who receive any sort of scam message is asked to report it as the government rolls out its Stop! Think Fraud campaign. This can simply be done by forwarding text messages free of charge to 7726.