Fraudsters emptied my bank accounts!

AnonymousForObviousReason

Those people that have emptied accounts have their Internet Banking been emptied? I have a blocked Internet Banking error but can't get statement, wondering if my accounts were emptied like others.

Sceptic001

While unable to offer any advice for the OP's unfortunate predicament, perhaps the best lesson others can learn is to spread their savings across more than one banking institution so that if the worst happens there are other options available.

Haider

I hope it won't take long to get back the money

Haider

OHHHH my partner account has been suspended since the 21st of sept. they told me a different IP tried to login to her account and transfer money. Alliance and Leicester should alert customers of this attack on their internet banking :mad:

masonic

This does show that holding current and savings accounts at the same bank can make the savings more vulnerable. The only reason the savings could be transferred to the fraudsters account is because the same credentials gave the fraudsters access to the linked account. If these savings accounts were linked to a non-A&L account, then the fraudster would have had to jump through several hoops to get the linked account changed, probably alerting you guys in the process. There is something to be said for an isolated savings account that can only send funds to one destination.

nursey34

On Sept 20th I had fraudulent activity on my A&L account and my husband on his Santander at the same time by the same person. This was the second time in 2 months that husband had been hit and he had only just got a new account sorted.

Both times £1700 was taken and the bank have admitted that they know who it is but it is their policy not to prosecute (i think the 2006 fraud act says that it is up to the bank what they do).

The bank should normally put the amount taken and send you a letter to the effect that following investigation if deemed you committed fraud they will take the money back. I am happy to say that the banks have quite sophisticated software and knowhow and can see exactly what has happened. They said to us that it is surprising how many people try to claim money has been taken when it is very clear what has happened.

The hardest part of this is the waiting for a new bank account being approved as it has to go to the underwriters to approve even though they know it was someone else dipping into the accounts.

Loughton_Monkey

Just for the record, I have documented elsewhere the most painful process my wife is going through simply to close her A&L Current Account. It has been going on since August, and less to do with any 'dispute', but more to do with the fact that No member of staff in the entire organisation seems to have a clue how to do it.

It is still not resolved, and only yesterday, I learned that this is a 'known' issue on the recent 'conversion' from A&L computer systems. It keeps raising (for example) bogus unauthorised overdraft charges in the distant future - which prevent closure. Head Office Auditors are trying to resolve the problem.

My only reason for raising it is that some of the symptoms that 'look like' fraud, might be nothing of the sort, but simply cash that went missing in their rather disastrous conversion exercise.

LongTermLurker

Not exactly something to instill faith is it?

ChiefGrasscutter

Haider wrote: »

OHHHH my partner account has been suspended since the 21st of sept. they told me a different IP tried to login to her account and transfer money. Alliance and Leicester should alert customers of this attack on their internet banking :mad:

Re: IP addresses.................
Each time you switch on your router/modem your ISP will allocate an IP address to your computer/router/modem. This address stays with the computer/modem until the router is switched off or re-booted.
Only if you have have asked/be given a "static" address then every time you switch on the router the IP address will be the same.
Most domestic users are allocated IP addresses dynamically - at the point of router/modem switch on. So your IP address will vary within of course the block of IP addresses which your particular ISP uses to allocate to its users.

So a changed IP address might merely mean you have switched off your router and switched it on again sometime later - as indeed I do every day overnight - and hence am allocated a new IP address every morning. Or it could mean that you/someone was accessing it from another location/ISP.

The above is how IP addresses are traced by the law. The block used would give the ISP name and then the ISP would be contacted and "asked" to provide the location/postal address of the modem connected to that IP address at the time in question. This would then identify the actual computer used - but not obviously the individual using it.

JANINE3994

I too had money taken from my A&L accounts - they transferred £3k from my ISA into the current a/c & then withdrew just under £5k from the current a/c. I wasn't aware until Santander rang to check.

So really pleased they did check but the hassle it has caused trying to get the accounts back to what they were.

It took 3 weeks and several emails & phone calls to get a new pin to enable me to go back online. Until this time I wasn't able to access the accounts at all. Fortunately, I just use the accounts for saving & the current a/c isn't my main one.

Santander have put the money back but just in the current a/c - I have spoken and sent several secure messages asking them to put the money back in ISA as well - they've now transferred most of it into the ISA but now I have a £10 fee added!

It's now 6 weeks since the money was taken and the accounts still aren't as they were.

I've now just withdrawn the money from the current account and asked them to close it straight away. Won't hold my breath.