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Original poster

ATM withdrawal wasn’t me!

180 replies

SingSweetNightingale · 06/08/2022 18:38

Hi all,

I’m looking for some advice as I can’t find much online that matches my current situation.

Whilst at work last Sunday I noticed two cash withdrawals at cash points had been made on my card. I immediately panicked as they totalled £300.
I contacted the bank and cancelled the card and they opened a dispute with the fraud team.

This is where my problem starts. The bank are refusing to refund me as they say it can’t be fraudulent. They said the transactions were made with my chip and pin card which can’t be cloned and whoever took the money used a cashpoint so must have known my pin.
I realised the last time I’d used the card was in Aldi the day before using chip and pin but these withdrawals weren’t made until the following day.
The location of the cashpoint is 30 minutes from my home however at the time I was an hour away from the location at work which I can prove.
Nobody uses my card or knows my pin but they’re adamant that it is not fraud and will not refund.

Has anyone been through something similar? Is it really impossible for cloning to happen on a chip and pin card? It seems like a complete mystery yet I’m being made out to be a criminal and I’m currently £300 down.

TIA

OP posts:
Jagoda · 07/08/2022 11:08

To be honest OP, if you explained yourself to the bank/police in the same confusing way as you have posted here, I am not surprised they don't believe you.

Why are you posting about cloning when you already know your card has been stolen? Confused You probably left your card in the chip and pin at Aldi. Or someone close to you who could guess your number has taken it.

purplecorkheart · 07/08/2022 11:08

Are you certain you didn't use the shopping card in Aldi? I mean have you actually checked rather than just assuming.

AllThatFancyPaintsAsFair · 07/08/2022 11:10

Tbh the situation is still not clear

Do you any any adults in your like with access to your cards? How did the card dissapear from your purse and how did you somehow not realise that there was only one card when you know you have 2 cards. Presumably you must keep them in the same place or you couldn't have mistaken one for the other

You aren't coming across as very credible

Jagoda · 07/08/2022 11:10

Are you certain you didn't use the shopping card in Aldi? I mean have you actually checked rather than just assuming.

Good point Miss Marple!

CecilyP · 07/08/2022 11:16

I immediately contact the bank and cancel the card. They ask me a series of questions including whether I still have the card. I say yes and at this point assume it must have been cloned. Please bear in mind I know NOTHING about cards, fraud or cloning as this has never happened to me before. I’m only going off what I’ve read in the news etc.

But if you keep both your main and your linked card (which you never use) in your purse, why didn’t you check that they were both still there? And if you can mistake the 2 cards in this important situation as they’re the same colour, surely it’s possible you did use the linked in Aldi the day before while doing something as routine as shop. Therefore your main card could well have been taken (prime suspect now identified) before Saturday?

JenniferAllisonPhillipaSue · 07/08/2022 11:17

So between using your main card in Aldi on the Saturday, and the cash withdrawals on Sunday, who could have had access to that card - is your DP still around? if not, might he still have a key to your house? do you have children (and how old)? did any friends come over on Saturday night? did you go out of your house without the purse/cards on Saturday night (possibly burglary)? did you go out of your house with the purse/cards but not use them (possible accidental loss)?

Howdoidothisanymore · 07/08/2022 11:18

Ontomatopea · 06/08/2022 20:42

Someone might have pinched it off you at aldi after shoulder surfing you putting your pin in. Can you remember what time you were there? I don't know if they can check the footage for you?

Absolutely this will be it- happens a lot. I only pay with contactless via my phone in supermarkets and am then very careful with the phone.
because of the packing in Aldi diene away from the till, it is very easy for people to hang around unnoticed, shoulder suturing. They watch you put your pin in, then expertly nick your card. All too common I’m afraid.

Glitteratitar · 07/08/2022 11:20

In a previous thread you mentioned your partner betrayed you re finances. What happened there?

goingtotown · 07/08/2022 11:27

Going around in circles here. I can understand why the bank will not refund you £300.

Mennex · 07/08/2022 11:28

Did you withdraw money on the Saturday to pay for shopping?. I sometimes withdraw money and it doesn't show on my bank statement to some random time the day after.

Hav you definitely established, for certain, that the 2 withdrawals were made a) on the main card, which you no longer have and havent seen since Saturday at Aldi when you used it to pay for shopping? And b) they were both made from a cashpoint machine that you did not go to either on Saturday or Sunday?

Do you ever go to that cashpoint?

If you don't have the card then it's been stolen and used by someone else. This has happened to me before and you immediately phone up and report this and cancel it. They ask you when you last had it then read out a list of any transactions that have occurred since that time and ask you if you recognise them. If you don't, they do whatever they do in the background, cancel the card and refund those transaction. I don't understand what that hasn't happened here. I also don't understand why you didn't check very carefully which cards you had in your purse before reporting as obviously, the situation is very different if you still have the card, which you didn't, but said you did by mistake.

Endlesslypatient82 · 07/08/2022 11:34

a frightening insight in to how some parts of society seem to be financially illiterate

Endlesslypatient82 · 07/08/2022 11:35

Op

you simply can not seem to present a clear depiction of what happened.

Mennex · 07/08/2022 11:40

That's a bit harsh. You don't know 'which part of society' the OP is from. She's partnering a 2 year old alone, which is enough to make anyone feel frazzled, whatever demographic.

You do sound very confused OP and have been communicating entirely on the app. I'd take a breather, write everything down in order and then try and speak to someone at Starling on the phone - there will be a way.

AllThatFancyPaintsAsFair · 07/08/2022 11:42

Jagoda · 07/08/2022 11:10

Are you certain you didn't use the shopping card in Aldi? I mean have you actually checked rather than just assuming.

Good point Miss Marple!

If I'm understanding correctly that couldn't happen because the op doesnt have money in the linked account

But like the whole scenario whoan be sure of the facts

RichardOsmansXraySpecs · 07/08/2022 11:42

Is it really impossible for cloning to happen on a chip and pin card? It seems like a complete mystery yet I’m being made out to be a criminal and I’m currently £300 down.

But you know SOMEONE HAS YOUR CARD. Why are you talking about cloning, when someone clearly has stolen your card? Confused

Arewerelated · 07/08/2022 11:43

OP. Someone has stolen your main card out of your purse, someone who knows your pin. Be honest with yourself now, who was at your place/you at their place? Is your pin set to a memorable number like your dcs birthday?

RichardOsmansXraySpecs · 07/08/2022 11:45

Yes the someone who has stolen it also knows the pin so that someone can only be whoever was near you at Aldi or, as others t have said, your partner!!

Endlesslypatient82 · 07/08/2022 11:45

Mennex · 07/08/2022 11:40

That's a bit harsh. You don't know 'which part of society' the OP is from. She's partnering a 2 year old alone, which is enough to make anyone feel frazzled, whatever demographic.

You do sound very confused OP and have been communicating entirely on the app. I'd take a breather, write everything down in order and then try and speak to someone at Starling on the phone - there will be a way.

I know that she posted a fee or he ago re how her dp lied to her multiple times about money and is in extremely serious debt

AllThatFancyPaintsAsFair · 07/08/2022 11:47

Howdoidothisanymore · 07/08/2022 11:18

Absolutely this will be it- happens a lot. I only pay with contactless via my phone in supermarkets and am then very careful with the phone.
because of the packing in Aldi diene away from the till, it is very easy for people to hang around unnoticed, shoulder suturing. They watch you put your pin in, then expertly nick your card. All too common I’m afraid.

Show quote history

I've shopped in lots of different Aldis and at none of them would you not notice someone close to you at the packing shelf especially after covid where people are more aware of personal space.

Are you saying the criminals hang around in till queues pretending to be buying things? It doesn't make any sense, the way the tills work now one could be in a position to see your pin anyway

My money is on a much more mundane happening

purplecorkheart · 07/08/2022 11:50

Do you use the same pin as a code for other things like your phone, house alarm etc?

StillHappy · 07/08/2022 11:52

MRex · 06/08/2022 18:42

I'm not sure why they are so sure the card wasn't cloned. Be clear with them that you have never shared the card nor pin, then go ahead and report to the police. Ask them to get photos of the person using the machine, that would show it isn't you.

You can’t clone the chip.

OP, are you saying that you still have your card, and have always had it?

LibertyQ · 07/08/2022 11:54

It sounds like you lost/had stolen the main card in Aldi. I assume someone behind you in the queue saw you put your pin in.
you should probably raise a complaint with starling to get this re looked at. Try to explain clearly that you actually lost/had stolen your debit card and mistook another card for it (as looks the same)

luckylavender · 07/08/2022 11:54

Everyone is being horrible to the OP who is £300 out of pocket. Chill people, not everyone is so au fait with banking & cards. Be kind.

StillHappy · 07/08/2022 11:55

SingSweetNightingale · 06/08/2022 20:18

I have raised it with the ombudsman so I will wait to see what they say but I’m aware it’s a lengthier process than just the bank refunding me.

I don’t know anything about how cards can or can’t be cloned unfortunately so I’m really in the dark on the possibilities of how this could happen

The ombudsman will not consider a complaint to them unless you have exhausted the bank’s complaints procedure first.

Where is the relevant card?

AllThatFancyPaintsAsFair · 07/08/2022 11:59

luckylavender · 07/08/2022 11:54

Everyone is being horrible to the OP who is £300 out of pocket. Chill people, not everyone is so au fait with banking & cards. Be kind.

As has been pointed out by quite a few posters it's not about being au fait with banking it's the flakiness of the story and the inconsistencies