To be contacted now by bank of Scotland re 2007 account

[MiniPumpkin]

So I’ve been getting texts over the last 6 months from ‘bankofscot’ saying please pay money to avoid overdraft charges. I looked up the phone number and it says was a scam.
I then get message a few days ago with my name ‘dear miss pumpkin please pay money’ and so on.
so today I phone up bank of Scotland using number on website and the person tells me im in an overdraft of £250. I opened the account in 2007 and I was certain I closed this in 2009. How is it possible that they are only contacting me now after 16 years ?
where do I stand with this ?
ill have to pay up I suppose but surely there are rules over inactive accounts ?

It should be statute barred so no, you wouldn't have to pay it.

Link to Citizens Advice.

If you haven’t been using the account why would you be in the overdraft? I’d be wanting this question answered.

I called the number on bank of Scotland website. Basically just said the account they are messaging about wasn’t closed and it’s all overdraft charges. They can’t tell me what charges are for and how this has just come to light.
she says I should go into a branch but I am then concerned I am liable.
haven’t used it since 2009. I was certain it was fraud/scam but now I’m worried

0800 028 8335

I’ve just googled them and every number starts 0345 which seems right to me. I don’t think any banks have free phone numbers

Read the link above.

You don't have to pay it.

Do not have any more contact with them and whatever you do, don't put anything in writing.

I just Googled that number too and it says this...

*Caller identification
⚠️ Our vigilant and trustworthy community has reported that the telephone number 08000288335 is primarily associated with a bank scam activity. impersonating Bank of Scotland! It is possible that this phone call is not authentic and does not belong to Bank of Scotland, despite what the caller may suggest.

Surely you must've Googled it yourself OP???

The number that OP quotes is for Business banking with BOS. Is it a business account @MiniPumpkin ?

I did yeah.

heres where I found the number on the website as I thought it was fraud

Is a BOS number but for business banking

Questions
When you phoned the Bank did they take you through security questions to confirm it was you?
Do you have other accounts with BofS and this was linked to them? If you don't I'd be concerned where they obtained your phone number from.
Also if you do have online banking with BofS why was this account not linked to the others so you could see it?

It used to be, probably around the time you stopped using the account, that banks had to provide a statement at least once a year.

Don't run away from this. If it turns out this was a small overdraft that continued to accrue charges, then turn this around so that the bank were negligent in not contacting you to let you know.

Tell them that you asked for the account to be closed x years ago and as you hadn't heard anything you assumed it had been done.
Make sure you log this as a complaint - and definitely don't pay anything.

Hope this helps

If they have your contact details and haven't contacted you for over 6 years, the debt is statute barred and you don't need to pay.

Moneysavingexpert.com will have a template letter you can send them.

It is definitely a legitimate BOS telephone number. What sort of account is it?

I hope so? I searched a few times and double checked website before I called. I think it’s a student account
i am so annoyed as believe it or not I am good with money. I even logged into clear score recently to see if I had any old accounts linked and no sign of any bank of Scotland accounts.
How bizzare

Most/all banks have free 0800 numbers if you go looking for them.

@MiniPumpkin - do what @Academike said.

Banks don’t keep records beyond six years. If you haven’t used the account since 2009, presumably the only transactions they’ll be able to evidence will be charges and interest, with nothing to prove how the debt began, which might have been an error, charges/interest or whatever. Even if there was a valid debt going back to when the account was last used, what evidence is there of this?

I would not pay them a penny; instead, I would raise a formal complaint, which they will have eight weeks to formally/finally respond to, and tell them that you will take it to the ombudsman if needs be. I very much doubt they will want that to happen, given there’s a substantial fee.

Alternatively, consumer champion at the guardian is very good with this sort of thing.

I don't know what clear score is, but I'd check Experian or one of the other credit referencing agencies for an up to date list of accounts associated with your name.

It's a good idea to this every 6 months or so.

Something similar happened to me with Co-operative Banking years and years ago. I requested to close the account. I withdrew all my money and settled everything up. I specifically asked if any transactions were pending and they said no. About 18 months later I got a letter from them telling me I owe over £100 for a £20 "overdraft arrangement fee" and interest as the £20 had sent the account into the overdraft and I hadn't made any payments on it since then as I thought it was closed.

I phoned them up and told them I'd been very clear that I didn't want this overdraft anymore, that they would have a log of me calling to close the account, that I'd got a letter from them saying the account was closed, and that they had charged me for credit I didn't want or ask for (which is illegal) and then charged me for not paying the charge for credit I didn't want. Anyway it took escalating it to a manager but they did clear the charges and close the account after that.

I wonder if yours also started with an "overdraft arrangement fee" for an overdraft you didn't want as you believed the account was closed?