To think they did this on purpose? PIL related

[Dannilion]

Bit of background..

PIL's are shit with money. They have had failed business after failed business, declared themselves bankrupt, borrowed £££££'s from friends as investments, asked DH to launder money for them etc.

FIL is nice enough, just made some very silly decisions as well as being on the receiving end of some very bad luck. MIL are very different but get on on a surface level.

Anyways, a few months ago PIL's came round and asked if they could open a bank account in DH's name in order to receive their wages or something as due to their bankruptcy they were struggling with doing so. DH said no, as it was obviously illegal and he is also self employed and didn't want to be investigated. Also PFB was due and we were worried about the effect it would have on us when it came to claiming tax credits etc. Not that we should have had to have given a reason for not wanting to partake in this, but we had plenty.

Fast forward to them coming to visit the baby last week and bringing some letters for him that had arrived at their address. He gets the odd one every so often. He opens one and it's from Santander, thanking him for opening a new account. He never opened a new account with them, ever.

PIL's were very quick to say 'oh your father opened an account with them but they did it in the wrong name by accident, never mind all sorted now etc' and changed the subject.

I just can't see how a bank could open an account in the wrong name for someone who hasn't lived at that address in years. All his other mail comes here so if there is some sort of grand database it would had him at our home address surely?

I haven't broached this with DH yet as it would be devastating for him. But AIBU to think that they have probably gone ahead and opened a bank account in his name? Obviously if they have we will have to deal with it ASAP.

k8middleton - why do you advise holding off on contacting the police? Surely the only implications of this would be that PIL get their just desserts?! Yes, family ties may be severed - but they were severed the minute the PILs acted like they did.

The OP did say earlier that her DH had spent ages on the 'phone trying to get through to someone in fraud and given it was a premium rate number, gave up and decided to go into the bank in person. Again, surely management would have a procedure to put in place in this instance? I'd want to talk to someone in person if this was me, not some godforsaken call centre automaton - can you imagine anything more frustrating?

You mean further to what I've already said? Because at the moment they are not in full possession of the facts and it will wait for a bit... but mainly because the bank fraud department should deal with all that which will probably be much less stressful for OP and her dh. I don't have any advice about the relationship side of this (and if the suspicions that PIL have been up to no good are true it's a massive betrayal) but I do know about the boring, practical stuff which might be useful.

I'd want to talk to someone in person if this was me, not some godforsaken call centre automaton - can you imagine anything more frustrating? Err yes I can. From direct experience. I can imagine talking to someone in person who might as well be a call centre IVR system. Or talking to someone who lies to you because they have done something wrong. I can imagine having to relay the whole thing once and then again to fraud. I can imagine lots of sympathetic nodding and nothing being done. Btw, I'm not suggesting going through to the generic call centre. I am suggesting speaking to the fraud department directly and have offered to get the direct number.

There is a slim chance there is a reasonable explanation.
When I married and changed my name, NatWest managed to change my records to show I was married to and cohabiting with my DH's deceased father (who had a different name to DH). It was bizarre and took a lot of sorting.

However, your DH should act on the information he has i.e. phone Santander and ask them 'what account' and see where it leads, which may be towards PILs.

Definitely do the credit check, and I'd double check with electrolyte roll that DH is not still down at his parents house.

Erm electrol roll :) even

They should deal with it because they will know more than the OP and more than the OP will ever know - they will not reveal commercially sensitive or fraud prevention information or other confidential information that might be relevant but not specifically about the op to the op (if that makes sense - I'm not about to blab all the bank's my secrets ). They will have to be involved any way and they have an obligation to report fraud to the police on behalf of the customer. I'm not saying don't go to the police, I'm saying don't go yet because it's too early.

Of course this is just my opinion based on 10 years working in the industry plus a further 4 listening to dh blather on. Obviously different banks differ but I do know about this particular bank and if it was me I would do what I have described.

x-posted. That was in reply to zzzzz. Which as it happens is what I'm about to do.

Oh lord, this sounds awful, good luck with first enquiries tomorrow... So stressful and upsetting for you & dh.

Just reading this thread and I definitely think the staff member could be involved. This is probably why MIL is offering to point her out - that way your DH deals with her directly, tips her off so she can then cover tracks.

Fraud department NOW

Credit checks now too. Can be done for free...you just need to ring up and cancel before trial period ends

zzzzz, since 1st April local police are no longer the first point of contact for investigating fraud.
Instead, you should call Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040, which is part of the Home Office, and they will log all the details and give you a crime reference number.

There seems to be some dispute about whether fraud reported this way is actively investigated or if it is just lost in a drawer somewhere. It is possible that the frauds reported to Action Fraud are so new that they haven't worked their way through the system yet, which is why victims are finding it hard to see what action is actually being taken.

Either way, I think K8's advice to involve the bank's fraud dept. initially seems very sensible. Hopefully the bank has reputational reasons for being tough on fraud and won't just let it drift.

When my account was emptied recently, it was the banks fraud team who investigated and took responsibility for involving police if they decided it was necessary. It's the way it's done with banks now, as it's in their interests to pursue strongly any fraud committed. A big multinational is far better placed to investigate than a single person (& an over stretched police force). They are a completely separate team from any other and therefore don't have a conflict of interest, they have immediate acces to the account and all details of that, can trace transactions and check theyre authentic and legality etc. the local police wouldn't be able to do any of that without major difficulties.

If I'd have thought the bank could be in any way to blame then They would not have been the right people to investigate and the police etc would be the way to go.

It seems sensible to deal with the fraud team first as that's the reason for their existence, and as the situation develops make a decision on whether police are the right next step. From the info you've given here / know yourself at the moment, it sounds very likely the bank is not to blame.

Good luck...

Understand the wish to go into branch, there is something reassuring abou dealing with massive issues in person with bank manager rather than over the phone. You may be able to call fraud line from bank (ridiculous it's a premium rate number...)

Ridiculous for PIL to assure its a coincidence. Maybe mistakes are mad in the bank of this nature once every hundred thousand or so...but toa person who asked whether they could money launder and open an a account in another person's name. Obviously not.

Ridiculous of PIL to not screen letters for your DH addressed from Santander though. Not the brightest if you are money laundering.

Hmm. Has your dh checked that your PIL haven't put him onto the electoral role at their house - I'm assuming that when you say they brought the post over it went to their house.

Because it would be easy for them to just add another line onto their form, there's already 2 of the at the house so wouldn't up their council tax and everything would go to their house so you wouldn't ever know. unless they were silly enough to bring it over

And then that way they could then do all sorts of things more easily as they would be able to pass through the 'living at this address and on the electoral role' hoop that needs to be jumped through.

Also - have you thought about checking your own credit reference as if they can do it to your dh, they can do it to you too as I'm sure they will know enough about you. And if they can do it to their ds then I bet they'd have no compunction in doing it to their dil.

Do you think they bright the letter over as they got cold feet and decided they couldn't go through with it at the last minute?

Actually, I'm inclined to suspect the account wasnt opened in branch, or if it was, it didn't happen in the way mil says. To me, the offer to point out the woman who served her smacks of panic. I'd be willing to bet that if your dh took her up on the offer (which he definitely should not) when they got to the branch she'd either say the person who served her wasnt Worthing "must be her day off" or would point out a random person but persuade dh not to speak to her "it would be embarrassing" "you'll get her in trouble" "her manager is already aware, sure they came over to cancel the account"
Your poor dh. Please make sure the fraud team follow through on this, and please do those credit checks!

After this thread I shall tomorrow welcome my pils for the weekend.
I shall embrace their bossiness, greediness, procrastinating, bathroom hogging, overstaying.
If they are still sat i my house at 7 pm Monday when I'm clearly stressed and trying to get ready for school and work, I shall stil kill them but painless and with dignity.

....I shall stil kill them but painless and with dignity.......

Now that raised a real laugh here with me.

I can't understand how your DH is semi-believing this. I guess he's in denial? There's no way, absolutely no way their story could be true.

Good. Would you like them?
They maybe safe if they leave when I go to my (imaginary) BBQ
Trouble is last time I went off for a bit (so they'd leave) they sat here until 4pm (I left at ten) so I was locked out if my own sodding house
They will be leaving with me this time mark my words.

Whenever I read shocking stories like this I imagine the OP and her DH looking at their PFB and imagining someday behaving the same way towards their own child. And only then being able to emerge from the denial

OP I hope your DH is sitting on the phone (even if premium rate since you stand to potentially lose a hell of a lot more money than that!) to the Santander fraud department right now. It sounds like going into the branch could be frustrating and useless at best, and positively dangerous at worst if they manage to somehow construe his visit as proof that he agreed to this in the first place or that his "signature" was done at that time.

Oh and all the credit checks too. This is just the one you've found out about so who knows what else is out there

They are clearly lying. There is no way they would ask you to open a account in your DH name and then magically there is a new account opened in your DH name but its all a big misunderstanding. Yeah right!

That is the lowest of the low. Committing fraud against your son, there is no way I would be letting then near me!

There is no way they could "accidently" have it set up in his name , with his DOB etc. Maybe they thought they'd been rumbled or had a late pang of conscience hence the fuss over trying to cancel or maybe they are lying about that too. I doubt this is the first time they have tried this and it will be to hide away funds from the court and creditors or get loans they cannot support. If your dh chooses to believe them it will have al sorts of ramifications - not least that any income is taxable, liability for any loans and overdrafts, credit history etc

Danillion

If you're at a loose end for two or three minutes, why not try that Noddle credit check for you and/or DH. It only takes a few minutes (I opened one last night) and it's really pretty good for free. Will keep you occupied.

OP, all v difficult and it is understandable that your DH would wish to seize any chance that it could be an accident.

I would try to avoid the focus of this being the morality if your PILS , eg any question if 'how will you feel if it is an innocent mistake' and simply focus, for now, on the facts. An account has been opened, your DH needs to know that it is closed, that there is no stain on his credit eating, and the bank need to know that it was not your DH who opened the account. NONE this is the business of your MIL. so no going into the branch with her. And dealing with the account itself avoids MILs melodramatic hoo ha as in 'how could you think...'

K8middleton's advice seems good and based on a knowledge of the system.

Leave the relationship with the PILs until it is sorted. In any case once your DH has sorted put the factual aspects with the bank the bank may well deal with PIL.

Just calmly proceed with what needs to be done wet to the account.