A London-based small business experienced a significant loss after falling victim to an authorised push payment (APP) fraud involving the expense management platform Pleo. In September, a staff member received a text message within an existing Pleo message thread, claiming her company card had been enrolled into a new digital wallet without approval. The message included a phone number, which she called, and she was connected to someone claiming to be from Pleo’s fraud and security team.

The fraudster told her the card had been added to an iPhone 13 by an individual named Sebastian in Aberdeen, who was attempting to purchase cryptocurrency. Seeking to protect company funds, the employee followed instructions to “secure” the account. However, this process involved providing verification codes that effectively gave the scammers access to the account. The fraudsters then used the card to buy cryptocurrency, resulting in a loss of approximately £4,300.

The business contacted Pleo to recover the funds but initially received no response. After media intervention, Pleo reviewed the case and agreed to reimburse the full amount. The company acknowledged each case is assessed individually and emphasized the importance of vigilance against phishing attempts, noting the steps taken to investigate the fraud.

Experts explain that APP fraud, which involves deceiving victims into authorizing payments or disclosing authentication details, is one of the fastest growing types of financial crime. Scammers often use techniques like “spoofing” to insert fraudulent messages into existing threads, making them appear legitimate. Victims are frequently advised to verify suspicious communications through official channels rather than responding directly.

Since 2024, banks are typically required to refund victims of APP scams up to £85,000 within five business days unless gross negligence is proven. Customers can escalate unresolved cases to the Financial Ombudsman Service.

In a separate case, a traveller from Athens encountered difficulties with Eurostar after being removed from a train from London to Paris. Booked in November 2025 for travel scheduled in July 2026, the passenger received an email on the day of travel notifying her that her original midday train had been replaced with a smaller service, leaving no seat available. The next option available was on the following evening, causing a delay of nearly 29 hours and resulting in a significant loss of planned trip time.

Despite the disruption, Eurostar’s compensation policy offers relatively limited recourse compared to airlines. Passengers must experience delays of at least 60 minutes to qualify for partial refunds, which are provided as either vouchers or cash. For delays exceeding 180 minutes, compensation ranges up to 75 percent in vouchers or 50 percent in cash.

Eurostar confirmed the incident was due to operational reasons requiring a smaller train on a busy weekend and expressed regret for the inconvenience. After raising the issue, the traveller was offered £32 in cash compensation, which she accepted. Eurostar acknowledged difficulties in locating the initial claim but advised that formal complaints can be submitted and should receive responses within 28 days.

Customers have three months from the travel date to request compensation and vouchers are valid for one year from the date of issue. The company highlights these terms as standard policy, despite some concerns over the adequacy of refund provisions in cases of significant delays.