We've been defrauded!

[EarthMotherImNot]

Dh went to withdraw some cash today and came back saying there wasn't enough in the bank

I went online to our banking service and immediately found 4 x £20 payments to Vodaphone in the same day.

Now A much as I like to chat even i would find it hard to use up £80 in a day.

And B we are both with O2

I rang the bank who passed me on to their fraud depatment, turns out there are amounts leaving our account we know nothing about.

They are conducting an investigation into these.

One of the charges is to a company who I bought a health supplement thing from for something like 1.99 which they debited, closely followed by £150 The company can't now be found and because I gave them my bank details this isn't classed as fraud.

We have been total and absolute idiots not checking the bank regularly, please check your bank, don't let this happen to you

That's awful.

How can the £150 not be fraud? Okay, you gave them your bank details for onew purchase but you did not authorise them to take £150 so that's fraud. Dozens of people have got my bank details but if they tae money you have not agreed to surely that's illegal?

I'm guessing the bank don't like it because they can't claim it back from the company.

Have you spoken to the police because it is theft? If they give you a crime reference number maybe the bank will be more willing to do something about it.

The bank have no way of knowing / proving if you authorised both of these payments or just the one as you have given your details to the company. You need to report it to the police.

Ouch - I had similar a few months back with 3 payments in rapid succession going to Vodafone (who I AM with) but my bank rang me on number 3 to query it. I did get all the payments back on that - I just had to sign a form from the bank saying that I hadn't made the payments. Vodafone were sadly no help at all.

Thanks everyone, is it awful to say i'm glad its not just us

The bank have told us to contact them again and they will look at it as a "non-fraudulent" transaction ??? I don't get how it isn't fraud, I authorised the small amount but not the larger one.

I tried yesterday to contact the company but I can't find them, there are 30 odd pages on google of firms with the same name

We had this with our credit card, luckily they were hot on it so it was stopped really quickly as we had been with them for years so they knew our spending habits.

Ours was £1 to carphone warehouse which is where they test the card details, followed by 2 payments of £50 to top up a mobile phone. Both Dh and I are on contract phones.

Then they tried to order from a company on-line and have it delivered to an address in London, we are in Yorkshire. At that point our credit card company put a stop on the card.

We were given a new card with a new number on. After a few months I tried to buy a dining table and I had to ring the credit card company to explain yes it was me using the card

Keep pestering the bank.

I had this several years back. I noticed couple of payments for an Internet subscription for a company I don't use. I called to tell card company and to cancel card. They refused to cancel card saying it did not look like fraud as only small amount so more likely an error of someone using a wrong card number. Following that large sums left the account for all sorts and in different currency. They did then cancel the card and took responsibility and refunded me all that was taken.

Do you have a visa debit card with your account ? There is new legislation that if you go to your bank and say you did not authorise these transaction they must refund them then carry out their investigation. (Im bank staff and have just been trianed on it) Or contact Visa debit and do a claimback. You only authorised the £1.99 NOT £150.

Good luck