Desperately need help with bank fraud

jennikitten

Fiddlestick wrote: »

In fairness to other posters, nobody knew you got the phone for free until you told them later.

Without knowing it was an older generation phone that isn't worth so much and without knowing you got it for free anyway it's not unreasonable for people to suggest that you might sell it to raise some money.

I appreciate that it might not have been the sort of advice you were looking for, but people here will tell you what you *need* to hear, not what you *want* to hear.

It might be difficult, but it was a valid suggestion.

The thing is that at the end of the day, she could easily get a minimum of £150 for that phone. Apple products don't decrease in value lightly. Getting it for free is even better because it's all profit.

bendix

I think at the end of the day, we've determined that there is little the OP can do in the short-term to recover the money. Barclays will need to go through due process and that takes time.

The key issue is short-term financial cover and the options as I see them are an emergency benefits loan, a loan from friends or relatives or - frankly - selling some assets. In that sense, I can't see anything wrong with jennikitten's comments.

When you're caught between a rock and a hardplace, the options are often not palatable.

tcr_3

Apply for a Crisis Loan from the Social Fund. That'll tide you over until your next benefit payment comes through. It's an interest free loan for emergencies, they'll recover it from your benefit by instalment. Contact your own benefit delivery centre, they'll be able to give you the freephone number.

Can't offer much advice about bank procedures, iTunes or iPhones etc, unfortunately.

originalkitten

preciousillusions wrote: »

I do sympathise with your situation, and really hope that the problem gets sorted out soon and you get your money back okay.

However, i do feel the need to say that i found it quite off-putting the way you felt the need to continuously refer to indian and asian people, when really what race these people are has little relevance. I know you are upset and probably writing in panic mode here but i'd just be more careful with my choice of words if i were you.

Sorry for late reply. Was quite distressed yesterday and didnt want to come back. Ill reply to this first before I read the rest.

I apologise if this sounded wrong. It wasn't meant to. It was just saying it was an indian call centre and someone who didn't know what the hell I was talking about when I explained I was on benefits. Yes I was and am in panic mode. So please accept my apologys if any offence was caused. I have asian and indian friends. I have polish friends. I have bulgarian friends. I.e I have friends from all around the world and am far from racist or judgemental. Its just I find it very frustrating when I get a call ctr who is dealing with fraud and has no idea about certain aspects to do with the case.

originalkitten

Am sorry again for the late response after the previous one. Something came up.

Ty to the most helpful comments. THe one about the benefits office and also about the bank putting in a complaint are very helpful and I am going to go to the bank once my meds have kicked in and I can shuffle lol. This is the type of information I was looking for. I wasn't looking for handouts. I don't do charity unless it's me giving.

I am on my computer today so can type a wee bit better than when I was on the phone. (my kids need the computer for school work. My eldest is doing GCSE's and needs it for assignment work and his graphic work before anyone suggests I sell that! plus I need it for clerical items that I have to do. Like write another letter to Barclays).

I felt very vindicated and judged yesterday when I posted on here. You may have meant well when suggesting I sell my phone but it was your choice of words. "If I was you I would sell my expensive iphone". Wouldn't it have been better to say " just an idea, why don't you sell your iphone? You could get quite a bit of cash for it". My late beloved Nan used to say "you get more with honey than vinegar" and it is so true. Your tone was upset me. It felt judgemental. I get enough judgement because of the stereotype behind people on benefits. The government has made out that most people on benefits are scroungers and trust me it's not nice to be placed in that catergory, especially when it's through no fault of your own. I particularly took offence to the comment about itunes being a luxury. That really upset me because it made me feel that because I am on benefits I am not "allowed" to use itunes or buy anything other than necessities. As I stated earlier I dont drink or smoke. I cant drink because I am on Oxycontin, Oxynorm AND diazepan all for pain plus other medication. I don't socialise as Im too poorly so I buy the occassional app or tune on itunes and that post made me feel guiltly for allowing myself to buy a tune for my phone. Better than downloading illegally don't you think?

JuicyJesus I want to thank you. I was extremely down and worried and felt as if I was doing wrong by asking for help. As soon as you posted I felt a lot better and a lot more at ease. Ty.

I am going to try to get to my local Barclays office today to see if they can help me. As I have a basic account there is no available overdraft. They cannot put one on it. But I am going to ask they contact the fraud dept to see where they are up to with it and also put in a complaint. I know the staff in the office and already they cannot believe what has gone on. They will be amazed when they hear.

Ty again to the helpful ones. To the sarcastic and judgemental comments...Just remember one day it maybe your sister or mother posting pleading for help not knowing that you go on the boards and they maybe in diffculty and just need a guiding hand or reassurance and your words could push them over the edge. I hope and pray that one day you will never find yourselves in the same situation as me and if you do I pray that you do not come under the people I have.

jennikitten

originalkitten wrote: »

You may have meant well when suggesting I sell my phone but it was your choice of words. "If I was you I would sell my expensive iphone". Wouldn't it have been better to say " just an idea, why don't you sell your iphone? You could get quite a bit of cash for it". My late beloved Nan used to say "you get more with honey than vinegar" and it is so true. Your tone was upset me. It felt judgemental.

I think you read FAR too much into a simple comment.

I could say that I think you're ungrateful considering you haven't thanked me for taking the time to research different prices for different models and looking at the best places for you to sell your phone...and that's without even taking the time to actually write the posts. But I'm used to people wasting my time and reading all kinds of non-existent meanings into things, so I'm just going to walk away now.

originalkitten

I'm sorry if I didn't thank you for taking the time to go and find out how to sell my phone. I did say I appreciated every helpful post there which I do. I can assure you I am far from ungrateful and am humbled that people did come and help.

Just a side note though.....if you are used to people reading your comments wrong and not thanking you....surely that tells you something about your posts? Everyone else cannot be wrong surely. The laws of probablity prove that.

And I didn't take your post the wrong way. I had a good think before I replied and I found you condesending. Please in the future double check your post, and just think that the person you are replying too could well be very fragile and on the edge and what you say could either save them or push them over the edge.

So there is no misunderstanding I will say it again clearly. THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO WROTE A HELPFUL POST! If you gave a helpful post then that means you. If you gave a condesending judgemental insulting post then this doesnt mean you.

Im not going to reply anymore. I'm done with this. The time I've wasted in here defending myself could have been spent doing something more productive. Take care and have a good week.

meer53

Originalkitten, speak to Barclays, a new directive came into force in 2009 called the Payment Services Directive, i work in the Fraud department of a bank and this new directive means that we HAVE to refund a customer up front as soon as they advise us that they have unrecognised transactions on their account. Either disputed transactions or fraud.The following is taken from the regulations : (psp stands for payment services provider)

Where a transaction is found to be unauthorised, the PSP has an obligation to immediately refund the amount of the transaction and, where applicable, restore the account to the state it would have been in had the transaction not happened.

Hope this helps xx

boo_star

meer53 wrote: »

Originalkitten, speak to Barclays, a new directive came into force in 2009 called the Payment Services Directive, i work in the Fraud department of a bank and this new directive means that we HAVE to refund a customer up front as soon as they advise us that they have unrecognised transactions on their account. Either disputed transactions or fraud.The following is taken from the regulations : (psp stands for payment services provider)

Where a transaction is found to be unauthorised, the PSP has an obligation to immediately refund the amount of the transaction and, where applicable, restore the account to the state it would have been in had the transaction not happened.

Hope this helps xx

Barclays did refund her (unless I have misread the OP.)

They have now, however, taken the money back.

I do suspect that the OPs previous relationship with iTunes (ie having an account with them and the transactions going via that account) is what has caused Barclays to escalate this issue. In these scenarios it isn't as simple as "someone used my card without permission"

NFH

Have you contacted Apple to find out which Apple ID the money was credited to? Apple have a duty to help, as well as Barclays. You were right to contact Barclays in the first instance, but Apple should be your next port of call.