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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:
vacua · 03/10/2007 17:53

argh this happened to someone I know at Barclays, apparently someone who worked there used the money to buy a bond (?) - the best part was that the victim was subsequently charged for going overdrawn

Original poster
legacy · 03/10/2007 17:56

I am going to wait and see whether they get their act together tomorrow, and if not I will seriously get them all the bad press they deserve.

I work in media/ marketing so my Outlook Contacts list is ready and waiting .

If anyone has seen any pieces in the main newspapers online about Abbey recently then please link for me, and I will include the authors in anything I send out - they always like a follow-up story...

OP posts:
Original poster
legacy · 03/10/2007 20:18

I forgot to say, the bit that really incensed me with Abbey was that they told me there were 'still lots of (bogus) transactions (in the same names) about to be processed i.e. had left my account in theory, but had yet to be cleared, but they were 'powerless' to stop them

I just can't see how they can let this happen - surely they should be able to put a stop on payments once I've notified them?

I called the police BTW, and although they took some details (in case it was a local shop/ restaurant doing the card-cloning) they basically said that it's no longer their responsibility to investigate theft of this sort - it's all down to the banks now, so be warned if anything similar happens to you!

I am still in complete shock, and worried in case I can't get my money back? And I have suppliers I need to pay, and some contractors I need to pay.
This is a nightmare .

OP posts:
edam · 03/10/2007 20:25

Sounds very scary. And Abbey are sh!t.

You could join Which? and take out a subscription to their legal service - fab at sorting out problems.

Tinker · 04/10/2007 13:45

Contact Margaret Dibben (great name) at the Observer. Google Observer Cash Margaret Dibben. She sorts this sort of bad behaviour out sharpish.

foxinsocks · 04/10/2007 13:56

have you spoken to VISA?

Have you got any sort of cover against fraud on that card?

I would call them up.

Original poster
legacy · 04/10/2007 17:40

Thanks Tinker for that contact.

The total today has risen to over £20,000 even though I didn't have that much in the account - Abbey have let it run into overdraft (and I didn't have an agreed facility IIRC)

Foxinsocks - it's on a VISA debit card, not a credit card, so it seems I have to go through Abbey. That's why it's so serious - it is actually MY money which has left the account, rather than a false credit card charge (which I could then dispute/ refuse to pay).

The Visa dispute team are now 'looking at it' supposedly, but I've been told it could be between 3-8 weeks before I could get my money back....

Oh, and they want to charge me for an overdraft facility if I need to make any payments in the meantime.

I am SO angry - they should have fraud alert systems in place which prompt a card check if a suddenly series of unusual payments occur. Loads of these were high value amounts to the same payee.

OP posts:
Califright · 04/10/2007 17:46

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

foxinsocks · 04/10/2007 18:39

they should be able to tell you by now whether your pin was known or whether these transactions were put through without your pin/signature?

(btw, new legislation came in earlier this year that says customers report fraud to the banks not to the police (straight fraud like this, not if it involved burgulary or another crime to get the money iyswim)- it's then up to the banks as to whether they go to the police. There was a big hoo ha at the time as consumer groups felt it was giving too much control to the banks)

Bubbaloo · 04/10/2007 22:06

Legacy-I really feel for you and hope you get it sorted.

I had nearly 2k taken from my Abbey account a few years ago and they were a complete nightmare.They refused to give it back to me and after 9 months and finally going to the Ombudsman they gave it back,plus I got £250 compensation for the way they treated me.
I was so angry at them that I closed all my accounts and even moved my mortgage away from them.
They were great when they were Abbey National but now they are owned by Santander they are awful.Dh still has his main current account with them,but hopefully he'll get shot of them soon,aswell.
I know it's not what you probably want to hear,but if you don't have much joy,maybe the Ombudsman could help you too.

Original poster
legacy · 05/10/2007 10:11

Oh god - that really isn't what I need to hear .

I just can't believe the incompetence of them. This morning I have spent the best part of an hour trying to get a fax number or e-mail address out of the so I can send the relevant forms etc, as the postal strike is delaying everything...

OP posts:
chopchopbusybusy · 05/10/2007 10:29

Legacy, if I were you i'd get down to the local branch of Abbey National - even if you normally bank online. Insist on speaking to the Branch Manager. Be polite but firm and explain that you cannot leave the branch until they have spoken to the appropriate department and that you are happy with the situation. They can fob you off much more easily over the phone, but if you physically there it is much more difficult for them. Also you can insist the correct forms are faxed to the branch and get them sorted there and then. Once the whole thing is sorted out I'd resort to the media mud slinging, but this all takes too much time. I've been on You and Yours in the past but it took a few weeks to sort out. Good luck.

Mo2 · 05/10/2007 14:22

Hi Legacy!

So sorry to hear about this

I know this is really worrying, but I think if possible you need to try to stay calm and put your energies into getting some responses from Abbey before rushing down the 'Name and Shame' media offensive route yet... (I know your style )

Although it probably seems like AGES since this happened - you've been living with the worry every day - it is actually only a few days, and these things do take a bit of time to sort out sometimes?

Why not set yourself some realistic targets e.g. "If I haven't heard about X by next Weds then my next course of action is Y"

I know how stressful this sort of thing is- I had something similar (but on a smaller scale) last year and I couldn't sleep for about a week for worrying about it

(CAT me if you want to chat offline?)

Mo2
x

grannyslippers · 06/10/2007 09:26

A thing like this happened to us some years ago, although DH had actually LEFT his debit card in a petrol station ,adn the fraudulent transactiosn were from another local petrol station of the same chain!

All the transactions were just under £50, about 3 per night it addedup to several thousand. Halifax could not stop them because they were under the authorisation limit for the card (shops don't ring up and check every little transaction, it just gets cleared through every night). And if the clearing/merchant company (natwest streamline or something) has OK'd the transaction your own bank cannot stop it. but true.

We opened a new current account, transferred everything over, and Halifax refunded the money in reasonable time, once it had settled down. We did have to pester them and send detailed letters of all the transactions, to keep it at the front of their minds!

Halifax were also understanding about the overdraft, they temporarily extended it but when that wasn't enough I think we managed to pay some bills by cheque from another account. It was very stressful at the time but we did get through it - don't panic.

Also nobody at all was interested in tracking down the culprit - we left it to Halifax but perhaps in hindsight should have gone to police (or taken some mates from the pub to stake out that petrol station one night!). Since it wasn't multi million fraud it was't worth their time chasing it up.

fortyplus · 06/10/2007 13:56

This happened to my dad twice - he banked with Lloyds. The second time, believe it or not, he was investigated as it was considered possible that he had colluded with someone to make a false claim! He was outraged.

LyraSilvertongue · 06/10/2007 23:38

Only read Op,
I've had this happen to me. Some bastard spent £700 of my money on new tyres, cinema tickets, mobile phomes etc. I did get it all, back eventually but it caused me no end of hassle and wasted time, and it happened just before I went on holiday so spending money was a bit of a problem. I think my card was cloned in a petrol station but I'll never know for sure.Ii reported it to the police but not sure if it was followed up.

Califright · 07/10/2007 00:09

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

LentilweaverDaisyboo · 07/10/2007 00:12

That's awful. Don't they have procedures in place for this sort of thing, and a fraud department who deals with it?

This has happened to me, but not for that amount of money. Someone walked into a bank in Washington DC and used a cloned card to withdraw $1000 from my account. When I realised there was money missing I called the bank and told them there was a huge withdrawal that wasn't done by me. They checked and asked had I left the country.....I hadn't and in fact at the exact time it happened I was on the operating table in Simpsons, Edinburgh being delivered of my DS! When I told them this they put me straight onto their fraud department.

The bank...Lloyds TSB were fab and I got the money refunded, but it took a few weeks. Apparently a huge number of cards had been cloned and were all hit for a one off withdrawal of $1000. they never managed to find the perpetrators.

On a positive note, the way exchange rates were working, I made about £20 on the deal

It did make me very wary of using on-line payments for a good few years though.

I hope you can get this sorted ASAP. Has the bank frozen your account in the meantime?

PodPast · 07/10/2007 00:21

yes Abbey are the WORST. Nothing this bad happened to me, but I withdrew £100 from an Abbey cashpoint which failed to payout, but debited my account, and they handled it (or rather, didn't handle it) appallingly. I spent 6 months phoning the branch and complaints dept. eventually i got the phone number of a helpful person and she sorted it out and got me compensation. CAT me if you want her details.

pandagirl03 · 08/10/2007 17:20

i can not belive the abbey are dealing with you like this. Dp had his card cloaned and they spent small amounts on it but it amounted to £1500. Llyode's stopped his card and any payments that were pending straight away. He had to report it to the police and get a crime number to give them but they refunded all the money taken within a week no questions asked.

blousy · 08/10/2007 17:44

This is such a pita. It happened to us with our joint a/c with Halifax and they were so rubbish and unhelpful. It took them 3 months to refund the money and that was only after I got really stroppy and threatened them with the banking ombudsman. On the other hand, it happened to dh with Barclays and they were fantastic. They alerted him to the unusual spending and refunded the money £1500 within 24 hours.
If I were you, I'd make a real nuisance of myself..

3littlebats · 08/10/2007 18:39

I have just skimmed the thread, but I would inform the police. Abbey are known to be hopeless. Did you let the card out of your sight at all at the restaurant? If so, I would give the police the name of the place. It only takes a second to swipe a card.

I hope you get it sorted soon. What a nightmare.

WideWebWitch · 08/10/2007 18:50

Legacy, I have some relevant experience and may be able to help, CAT me or email me wickedwaterwitch a t g m a i l
d ot co m

LadyTophamHatt · 08/10/2007 19:02

{shock] at the abbey letting more transations go through even after being notified.

Thats outrageous.

LadyTophamHatt · 08/10/2007 19:02

even....