Direct Debit Fraud - Advice?

[LittleMadeline]

Earlier this month, I noticed that £250 had been taken from our account against a DD I didn't know about...I asked OH and he didn't know either.

I rang the bank who told me it had been set up in December and the first payment was taken in December and that too was for £250. I explained I hadn't set up a DD and could they tell me what it was for - and it was a car finance company, a very big one at that.

When I rang them, they wouldn't say what had been bought due to confidentiality reasons (ridic in my opinion) but that the person had a different surname to me.

Bank were very good and immediately refunded the money, and I told the police too. But I haven't heard anything since and the bank seem reluctant to look into it any more.

Anyone have any ideas why this might have happened? I am a bit worried that it was someone close to us as I am usually very good about shredding paperwork etc.

It could be something as simple as getting a few numbers wrong on the DD mandate. Expecially if the person had a different surname. THis other person might bank in your bank, but have an account number similar to yours. It could have been a genuine bank error, or finance company error.
I guess you would have known whether or not you or you DH had bought a new car!!!
I don't think the bank worry too much over £500 - it's really not big fraud to them. It has been refunded to you by them, so they may have gotten to the bottom of it with the finance company. Just make sure the DD is cancelled with your bank!
You are right to shred all paperwork containing personal information.
I have a customer who paid the amount of an invoice he owed to me... but I didn't get the money. He had paid it to another of his suppliers with a similar name! He did get the money refunded and it's all sorted out now. The system isn't perfect; mistakes do happen.
Usually if it is identity fraud, the money would have been taken from you very quickly over as short a period of time as possible. That way the fraudster gets your money, or goods paid for by your money, quickly before you have the chance to notice it's gone. Also the fraudster would use your name and details - not theirs!