I had been looking forward to a week away in Tenerife. It was our second trip in 12 months and I had booked the week off to spend with my wife and kids, as well as my brother-in-law and nieces and nephews.

Sadly we won't be making another trip anytime soon after my phone was stolen by a criminal gang which drained my bank accounts dry.

Having already holidayed in Tenerife, I knew my way around the island and felt safe. 

So when I returned to my hotel after a Saturday night out in the town alone, as I had done on previous nights, I certainly wasn't looking out for criminals.

I hadn't even noticed anyone following me home until a boy of about 15 snuck up behind me and took my unlocked phone out of my hand.

By the time I'd ditched my flip-flops and gone after him, he'd disappeared into the darkness.

Despite the fright, I didn't think much of it. My phone was in a pretty bad condition with cracks all over it and I thought any thief would take one look and chuck it over a fence.

My phone and apps also have facial recognition and passcodes installed, so I could get a replacement as soon as I was home without any trouble.

I naively thought criminals would want the device rather than what was on it. How wrong I was.

When I woke up later that Sunday, I logged into my laptop, opened my email and noticed emails from Revolut saying my account had been frozen and unfrozen numerous times.

I'd only opened my business account three months before, and had a personal account for six months but I wasn't really using them for day-to-day spending. 

I had only been tempted by the higher interest rate Revolut offered which paid out daily on my savings.

I fell into the trap of probably sending a bit too much money into Revolut. 

My heart sank when I realised that the criminal had managed to get into both my business and personal accounts.

Even though I had different passcodes for the accounts, my phone was unlocked when it was stolen so they managed to get in and access my password manager. 

I later found out criminals can also work out passcodes quite easily with software.

About £10,000 was taken from my personal account before it was blocked, but even more was taken from my business account.

Revolut let the payments go on and on. In total, the criminals managed to take £85,000 by transferring cash, buying crypto and splurging on Tenerife's equivalent of Just Eat - Glovo - and cabs.

It was clear it wasn't just the 15-year-old who'd taken my phone because tens of thousands were sent to various other Revolut users, and they had also booked flights with the Chilean National Airline.

They spent £600 on my Lloyds account but it was blocked immediately and I've already been refunded.

Once I'd realised the scale of the fraud, I went down to the local police station in Tenerife to report it. 

I also phoned Vodafone who locked the mobile data and ability to send texts, but the criminals could still use the phone with Wifi.

I desperately needed to get in touch with Revolut, but because it's a mobile bank there is no phone number to call. Instead, I was pushed to use the in-app chat.

Trying to get access to that was a mission in itself. I had downloaded the app onto my wife's phone and reset passwords but Revolut sent codes to my compromised email address and phone, which was in the criminal's hands.

Once I finally gained access, I had to spend the last three days of my holiday stuck in the hotel reception trying to speak to someone. 

I was passed from employee to employee which meant that every few hours I'd be asked the same question.

I still don't understand the process. They took ages to come back to me and confirm that they believed that these transactions are fraudulent. 

As soon as I arrived home, I went straight to the Trafford Centre in Manchester to get myself a new sim card and to get control of my number.

Even then, the criminals hadn't stopped. They tried to get into one of my pensions I had on my app and sold some investment trusts. Thankfully, they take 2-3 days to settle before you can withdraw the money, so I managed to get to that before they could get their hands on it.

They even tried to make a payment through American Express but that was stopped straightaway. 

They made that same £1,800 transaction to Booking.com which Revolut let through. I received an email asking me to review my stay in St Tropez a week later.

I want other people to know how easy it is for criminals to swipe your phone and take control of your money.

Anonymous - as told to Angharad Carrick 

This Is Money contacted Revolut to ask how our reader's accounts were drained. Thankfully, the money was refunded.  

A spokesman said: 'We are very sorry to hear about this case, or any instance where our customers are targeted by ruthless and highly sophisticated criminals.

'Following the completion of a thorough investigation into his case, we have issued a full reimbursement for the stolen funds in recognition of the impact of unauthorised transaction activity of this nature.

'Criminals are always looking for new and different ways to perform fraudulent activity. 

'If you think you have fallen victim to a scam or you don't recognise an outgoing transaction on your account, we advise you to freeze your cards immediately. 

'Please update your Revolut passcode as well as any personal email account passwords, and contact Revolut customer support via our secure in-app chat.

'We strongly advise customers to ensure any passcodes to their banking apps are different to those used to access their devices, as well as utilising any additional mobile device protection offered by their device provider.'