Revolut Hit with $780 Million Bitcoin Ransom Demand After Data Breach Exposes Hundreds of Customers

Revolut, a UK-based digital banking platform, has confirmed that it was deceived into sharing sensitive customer data with hackers who posed as government officials. The breach affected around 680 customers.

The attackers sent a fraudulent email using a real government email address, and Revolut complied by sharing personal details including passport numbers, bank account information, home addresses, verification photos, identity cards, and Bitcoin activity records.

Once the hackers obtained the data, they began threatening to release it publicly unless Revolut paid a ransom of 10,000 BTC, worth approximately $780 million at the time of reporting. The attackers claim that Revolut was negligent in sharing customer data with countries outside its jurisdiction.

The company has acknowledged the attack as a 'sophisticated external impersonation scam' and reported itself to the UK's Information Commissioner's Office, which has launched an investigation. Revolut has also notified affected customers directly and blocked the offending email address.