banks re-using closed account numbers...

prez

Hi has anyone out there come across or been put out of pocket by a closed bank account being re opened in someonelses name..? read this.

About eight years ago was about to close a c&g "telephone access only" savings account but decided to keep it open and drop spare change into it now and again. over the years a usefull sum gathered in this account which I earmarked "for a rainy day"....well it started to rain recently and I wanted to withdraw some cash. I had no idea of what passwords I had set up all that time ago so I went to my local c&g branch where the very helpfull staff said they could do nothing with this type of old account in branch and gave me numbers to call to get it all started again...this all worked really well....untill the crackely recorded voice of a long retired c&g employee thanked me for using the telephone transfer service and bid me farewell with a "the funds have been sent to your allocated account" as I had not used this service for years and have had numerous bank accounts in that time,I began to worry.
The money did not go to my main account but to an account in Barclays that I closed about 4 years ago. C&G says this happens sometimes and when the money reaches Barclays and has nowhere to go it will get flagged up and eventually returned.
This did not happen because Barclays not only re used my old account number but they did it under the same sort code ! as the system does not use names to check it dropped my cash into someones account and they promptly spent it . The very helpfull lady at Barclays customer relations said "We are writing to our customer to tell them the funds are not theirs to keep ,and can we have them back please"..what are the chances !!?

Laugh or Cry...you choose:o

sam_wells

OMG. would definetly take action against both banks in this case. one for re using your bank details for someone else the account should have closed and never been used again, second, for paying the money into the wrong bank. don't think you will get anywhere if you don't. its obvious whoever got your money is not going to pay it back otherwise they would not have spent it, and the bank can't make them pay it back. write to the bank threatening legal action if you do not get the funds within 14 days.

p00hsticks

sam_wells wrote: »

OMG. would definitely take action against both banks in this case. one for re using your bank details for someone else the account should have closed and never been used again, second, for paying the money into the wrong bank.

I think you may be being a bit harsh on the second bank (C&G), because I can't see any indication from what the OP has said that they've necessarily paid it into the 'wrong' bank. It's quite usual with these sort of accounts that you provide a nominated current account to transfer money to and from - if the OP gave the C&G details of his/her Barclays account to use, and then closed it without advising the C&G, I don't see how you can really blame the bank ......