The founder of a Scottish allergen-free bakery has said the support she has received after the company fell victim to a scam that drained her business account of £8,000 has been “overwhelming”.
Rachel Munro set up a GoFundMe page following the scam, which targeted her business The Rebel Baker.
The appeal has now raised £9,279, including a more than £7,000 donation from investor, Dragons’ Den star and Diary of a CEO host Steven Bartlett.
Of the support, Munro told The Grocer: “I didn’t plan it, I didn’t expect it, and I didn’t feel entitled to it.
“It wasn’t really about the money, it was about people choosing to stand beside me. Being seen, believed and supported like that was something I’ve honestly never experienced before,” she added.
Last week, Munro said she received a call from someone claiming to be from her bank, Revolut Business. They listed transactions on the account “which made it completely believable” Munro says.
“They had my details, spoke convincingly, and created a sense of urgency around ’fraud prevention’. While I was on the phone with them, money began leaving my account in real time. I tried to stop it. I tried to decline it,” she said.
Despite raising the alarm with the bank, the money was taken, leaving her with just £233, she explained.
According to Munro – who in 2023 starred in Gordon Ramsay-hosted BBC show Future Food Stars – Revolut has confirmed to her the money will not be refunded and the “case is closed”.
In her online appeal – made initially on LinkedIn – Munro said without the money “my business genuinely risks grinding to a halt, not because I failed, not because I was reckless, but because I was targeted by criminals and then abandoned by the system meant to protect customers from fraud”.
Revolut told The Grocer it was “sorry to hear of any instance where our customers are targeted by ruthless and highly sophisticated criminals”.
“These criminals are always looking for new and different ways to perform fraudulent activity,” a spokesperson said.
Munro’s GoFundMe page has received 59 donations from supporters, the largest coming from Bartlett.
“There’s no personal relationship or connection,” Munro said. “He saw the post, understood the situation, and chose to help. Such a good guy.”
The raised money will be used to keep the business – which supplies allergen-free, bake-from-frozen cookies to independent outlets as well as wholesalers Bidfood Scotland and Town & Country Fine Foods – operating, “protect the livelihoods tied to it and give me the breathing space to fight this properly” Munro said.
“There was a moment where it could have gone either way, but the support gave me breathing space to stabilise, reset, and keep building,” she added. “The business is real, it’s viable, and it’s growing.”
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