I was scammed out of £3400 today and I feel suicidal

[MoSalahsBeard]

Scammy plumber firm ripped me off today to the tune of £3400. They ripped everything out of the bathroom to ‘investigate’ the problem for which they charged me £300 an hour emergency rate when I never said it was an emergency at any point. Was my word against theirs. Turns out they operate under many different company names and after doing digging into the other company names there are tonnes of awful reviews saying they rip you off by saying either they or you classed it as an emergency and charge a fortune. The man wouldn’t leave my house til I paid him, I’m on my own in the house as husband is away on business.

i spent all afternoon bawling my eyes out on the phone to Trading Standards, lawyers, and the company itself. I absolutely lost it. SENSITIVE CONTENT REDACTED BY MNHQ

Called the Samaritans crying saying I feel like killing myself. I’m trying to hold it together for my kid but I feel utterly broken. Ashamed, embarrassed, furious and feeling like I don’t deserve to eat for months until this is paid off. I don’t know how to cope with this. I’m utterly devastated.

If you paid by card, get in touch with your bank immediately, raise a dispute and do a chargeback. You were co-erced, it's fraud.

We were recently scammed by a tradesperson.
We went to Action Fraud and took them to the small claims court (not sure if snall claims is applicable as they did the work but worth looking into).

We have not got our money back. They have ignored everything but have tracked his various companies on FB and warned others. One other person got scammed by the same person and I gave them their address etc - they work in security and went round with colleagues and extracted the monies. Didn't get mine though...

It is utterly shit.
And I don't trust people doing work for me until.they here and nearly finished..

Scammers are good. They do it lots. It's horrid but don't blame yourself.

Contact the bank fraud department. Do not pay.

Oh my love. I know that feeling. That dreadful sinking feeling. It’s not your fault, you have done nothing wrong.
Can trading standards help perhaps?

Are they registered to a professional body? Arent most plumbers also gas fitters so although they didnt do gas work, it may be worth reporting to gas safe (or whatever CORGI is now).

I didn't read it that way at all. I think Theabrandt was showing empathy and trying to show solidarity with the Op.

Was it credit card or debit card?

Ffs! why bother posting?!

Debit

Was it your debit card or credit card?

And please, please call the police. My 94 year old aunt was scammed the other day, and I discovered that it's a priority reason to contact the police on 101.

Sorry, I somehow missed @Hohofortherobbers post.

You are worth way more than £3400 to your family.

I echo others who say this is not your fault. You've been targetted by criminals because you are a woman and you were alone with children making you vulnerable. That is not your fault. The only people who should feel like crap are the low-life thieves who intimidated a mother on her own.

Definitely try reporting to the police. If you don't get anywhere with the bank try a small claims court.

And if you're brave enough, and I get why you wouldn't be, name and shame on social media, especially on things like Nextdoor and local Facebook pages. If you're not feeling up to totally outing them on social media innocently enquire whether this is the usual price.

Hi OP. You absolutely can raise this and fight this with the bank. You should contact the police first, as this will hold weight when talking to the bank. You can report it via action fraud and use the reference number they give you. When you speak to the bank you need to tell them that you were under duress and were alone, you were scared and you has no other choice but to pay as you feared the consequences should you have chosen not to. You can ask for an email address to send copies of the reviews to so they can see that you're not the first. When you speak to them it is vital that you ask to speak to their vulnerable customer team as per the FCA guidelines. They are specially trained and take a much gentler approach. If you don't get the outcome you want, you must raise it with the financial Ombudsman Service.

You can do this.

My apologies. I thought it was a valid point (much easier to stop payment than to retrieve or reimburse payment) but it's clearly not met Minimum Mumsnet Standards and for that I offer my apologies.

I should clarify that the man didn’t threaten me or say he wouldn’t leave til I paid, he just sent me the invoice by email on the spot and stood over me while I fumbled about paying it. It was very much I must pay now but without a threat.

If he made you feel threatened, it was a threat. You don't need words to behave in a threatening manner.

OP, you were threatened. You were alone with a man you didn't know who was pressuring you into paying. That in itself is threatening. Please trust me I deal with this in my career all the time. When you speak with the bank you mustn't underplay this.

You were under duress, the bank will stop the money going. I would also raise with police and get a crime number.

The most important thing is that your husband is going to support you.

He's away on business and isn't going to bike home and get angry with you is he?

Lovely, this happened to my mum (she's a very intelligent, wonderful woman) she was devastated too but in the end, it's just money. I can't imagine how heartbroken I would have been if she'd hurt herself as a result. I know it's easy for me to say but it's just money, you matter so much more.

Do you know TIPP skills for distress? It might help in the hardest moments. Here is a link in.nau.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/202/TIP-Skills.pdf

You need to ask for support from a family member or friend and share how you’re feeling.

This is a very extreme reaction to being ripped off by workmen.
Sorty to be blunt, but you sound very fragile and unwell.

If you don’t have RL support then your husband may have return early from his work trip.

Youre experiencing a mental health crisis and need help coping with your suicidal thoughts and self destructive ideations That’s more important than anything else right now.

You have still been scammed. It was unethical and coercive behaviour especially as you were a lone woman in the house . Just phone the fraud number of your bank immediately now and explain exactly what has happened. They can help you as sadly they deal with these situations frequently.

He knew what he was doing. I would have felt threatened by that.

Feeling for you here. So sorry this has happened... xx

Did they quote you 3400 for the job? I'm sorry this has happened to you.