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Original poster

Sh*t! Someone has stolen £15,000 from my business bank account, and Abbey are doing FA....

56 replies

legacy · 03/10/2007 15:38

I'm self employed and went online to check if a cheque had cleared today, and found a whole string of fraudulent withdrawals from my account over the last 3 days

My current account has been completely emptied of just under £15K.

I have not lost my card, given the details to anyone, and we have mega-high security anti-spam/spyware software on our business network, so I cannot think how this has happened? The last transactions I used my card for before the bogus withdrawals were at a station ticket machine, and in a restaurant, so could soemthing have been cloned?

I have spent the last two hours being batted about between customer service departments at Abbey Business Banking and am being told that there is nothing they can do in the short term, that I have to file a 'dispute' and that it may take 2-3 weeks for any dispute to be resolved/ get any compensation/ return of stolen funds.

HELP - I am incensed with rage at both the b*strads who've done this, but also at Abbey, who will not do anything to help!

I have asked to speak directly to their fraud department, but have been told that they will not be dealing with it.

Have asked for a temporary overdraft until funds are returned - told not possible.

So now I have filed a complaint and been told that I will 'get to speak to someone' within 48 hours about it.

I am SO SO ANGRY - particularly with Abbey - surely they have a duty to do more to help in a situation like this??

I told the last person I spoke to that I will be calling the media about their lack of support for small businesses if they don't get something sorted out, sooooo - any media folk out there - let me know, and I'd be more than happy to help you write the story

OP posts:
whoops · 03/10/2007 15:40

Can the police do anything in this situation too?

Tinker · 03/10/2007 15:44

Are the transactions unusual amounts, unfamiliar shops etc? If so, they should be contacting you.

Happened to my partner last week - Nationwide rang him straightaway.

CarGirl · 03/10/2007 15:48

yes card details are very easy to clone - they just have to swipe it through a card reader!!!

They are behaving appallingly, once it is sorted MOVE to a building society like Nationwide much better IME

Original poster
legacy · 03/10/2007 15:48

Tinker - yes, completely unusual and out of the ordinary names, payments and amounts - lots of small payments to the same, foreign-sounding payee.

I also think that Abbey should have spotted that this was completely unusual behaviour and contacted me?

OP posts:
Tinker · 03/10/2007 15:50

They definitely should. I bought something expensive in an unusual town once. Next shop, my card was refused and shopkeeper had to ring Barclays to check I'd used it previously.

Abbey have a dreadful reputation for customer service atm, from reading teh cash pages in teh papers.

Original poster
legacy · 03/10/2007 15:50

Tinker - did he get all his money back?

What's really p*ssed me off is that I've foudn it so hard to get through to anyone at Abbey who has any power/ authority or commonsense to deal with this.

Whoops - I asked if I should call the police, and they were vague, but I think these things usually get dealt with by the banks etc?

OP posts:
Bundle · 03/10/2007 15:51

media stuff: guardian has good consumer rights page who often get results. radio: you & yours. tv : watchdog.

I'd also keep a list of whoever you speak to - log times, dates etc. and get details of banking ombudsman in case you need to take matters further. copy any correspondence to abbey's head office - get name of their chief exec and address it to s/he only.

Original poster
legacy · 03/10/2007 15:52

Yes - Abbey customer service sucks. There is lots of bad press on BBC Working Lunch and I know someone who has links to the programme, so I am going to contact her if they don't sort this out PRONTO!

OP posts:
Tinker · 03/10/2007 15:52

He was lucky - it was £1! But used on an unsual webiste (assume it's one used to test validity of stolern card details) But Abbey shoudl be on teh ball about all of this stuff too; they are being negligent. Right to teh Observer, am sure it's their thing atm

Bundle · 03/10/2007 15:52

oh yes working lunch. why not ring your local police station and ask them if you shoudl report it?

Tinker · 03/10/2007 15:53

Write - not right!

saggarmakersbottomknocker · 03/10/2007 15:54

I would speak to the police all the same Legacy.

Did the restaurant take your card away or did you have sight of it the whole time.

They have stopped your card haven't they?

Original poster
legacy · 03/10/2007 15:55

It's a horrible feeling though too - a bit like being burgled (sp- ?)

Now I'm paranoid about all my accounts/ passwords/ PINs etc.

OP posts:
Bundle · 03/10/2007 15:59

abbey page on their complaints procedure including financial services ombudsman but you need to give abbey an opportunity to put it right first before ombudsman will get involved.

SpookyDooooo · 03/10/2007 15:59

I actually think you have to report it to the police to get a crime number i am sure this is the procedure, with this much money missing i would give the police a call & report it because it is a crime.

I would be back on there case, i can not believe they did not phone you with so much activity going on on your account over the last few days.

I got a phone call once from the halifax (my bank) who said someone had tried to use my card online for £5.77 they said the name of the website, they said it is like a test run but they had not actually taken the money.

preggersagain · 03/10/2007 16:02

usually there will be an initial payment off the card- roughly a tenner then once they are sure that the card works they whack it for the full ammount they can- abbey should be able to reverse the charges to the card if they act before the close of banking today (if it was today, if it wasn't you will have to go through a claim back procedure)

Someone tried it with my smile personal account- £9.95 initial payment to check the card and then £6995 to a foreign 'consultancy' firm, smile suspended the transaction and tried to contact me i denied the transaction and the money never left the account (thank god!!!!)

the ball is in Abbeys court unless the transaction has been verified by pin or signiature, if it has been verified etc then the police need to be involved.

Original poster
legacy · 03/10/2007 16:11

Preggers - can you explain what you mean by this:
"the ball is in Abbeys court unless the transaction has been verified by pin or signiature"

This is what I was arguing with them about, and they kept saying it was up to VISA to investigate - it's a debit card, not a credit card, if that makes a difference?

OP posts:
preggersagain · 03/10/2007 16:24

its down to them because if the transaction has not been verified by pin or signiature then abbey cannot prove that you authourised the transaction and therefore cannot not pay you the money back iyswim!!

if a pin had been entered etc then Abbey can turn around and say 'hang on a minute, you must have authourised this because you should be the only person to know your pin'

preggersagain · 03/10/2007 16:25

i know when i had that problem it was smile that sorted it out not visa! hth

PeachyFleshCrawlingWithBugs · 03/10/2007 16:30

We ahd our identity stolen and used to obtain goods- nto cash, but they set up a catalogue acocunt. It was only when we got the police involved we were taken seriously. Go and get a crime number now- its theft, for goodness sake!

Carbonel · 03/10/2007 16:44

My dh went to the States recently and tried to buy some stuff in Walmart - every single one of his credit cards refused the transaction and was put on stop becasue it was an unusual transaction - notwithstanding that he travels abroad regularly. One of the credit card companies told me Walmart is a regular place for stolen cards to be used

If they can have such helpful procedures in plce i am sure Abbey can do more - I would defeinitly push all you can for more action particulalry this amount of money

saggarmakersbottomknocker · 03/10/2007 16:47

Legacy - re identity theft. It's worth checking out your credit via Experian or similar; to ensure no-one has tried to obtain credit in your name.

saffy202 · 03/10/2007 17:34

I recently had 2 payments taken out of my account. Both were mobile phone top-ups which I knew I hadn't made. HSBC stopped my card straight away. Then it went to the fraud dept who carried out an investigation and a couple of weeks later my money was refunded.

It's an awful feeling and just last Saturday I had my card declined in a store and knowing I had plenty of money in my account, I immediately thought someone had managed to clear my account - thankfully the system had just gone down.

Original poster
legacy · 03/10/2007 17:36

Thanks for these suggestions - I am a bit calmer now, and just working through all the implications etc.

Good idea about the Experian report - will check that - thanks.

Am currently in call queue for the police!

OP posts:
ScarletA · 03/10/2007 17:51

So sorry to hear your horrible experience. No advice but just wanted to say that ABBEY ARE SHIT too and that I am going to leave them as soon as I get my act together. Had nothing like your experience with them but still seem to spend most of my days on the phone to them about their RUBBISH service. Rant rant rant.