Please Help! Problems with my bank‏ - ATM Fraud

adamp8

@pqrdef Totally agree with you, with hindsight it does look suspicious.

I'm usually quite good with checking my online banking but even more conincidently i was awaiting my card during a religious month of fasting. Now I'm not particularly religious but during that month i was unable to eat between the hours of 3am till around 9pm everyday for a month. So understandably inbetween not eating and having to go work, I didn't really pay much attention to anything else.

And also only one card went missing, the second card which I asked for once I'd discovered the fraud was sent directly to the bank branch. It didn't arrive but there's nothing which has resulted because of that. I still haven't got a debit card but it was only the intial missing card which has caused me problems.

MoneySaverLog

pqrdef wrote: »

(1) He'd have to kick it off by paying a few thousand into the account for his accomplice to withdraw, and leave the money sat there, instead of moving it to a savings account or something, notwithstanding the (first) lost debit card

Some banks like Lloyds TSB actually pay good interest to keep your money in a current account. I personally do not check my online banking every single day. I have no intention of defrauding them either.

pqrdef wrote: »

(2) he'd have to wait until the planned number of withdrawals had been done before reporting that the new card "hadn't arrived", even if that meant waiting longer than one otherwise might

One can never be sure when a new card would arrive, sometimes it can come the next day, othertimes it can take over a week.

pqrdef wrote: »

(3) he'd have to refrain from logging in to his online banking while all this was going on. Personally, with thousands loose in a current account, one card missing, and another overdue, I think I'd have the urge to check my balance. But if the OP is engaged in fraud then he can't do that, because the bank will know that he became aware of the transactions and said nothing.

Like I say I do not check my online banking everyday, once a twice a month is more than enough, as I know what is going in and out and when.

pqrdef wrote: »

Unfortunately, by coincidence, the OP actually did all of these things. There are several things he could have done differently, but in each case he did just the thing he would have to do if he were engaged in fraud.

Tricky one. It's understandable that the bank is suspicious. They've got more than just the card and PIN both going missing.

Putting it another way, the real bad guy was very lucky. Not just a card and matching PIN, but a card that doesn't need to be activated (bank at fault here), and money in the account, and he's left in peace to get on with nicking it, with nobody taking any notice of what he's up to.

Innocent until proven guilty is the law of the land. We went away from trial by fire in the middle ages.

pqrdef

adamp8 wrote: »

And also only one card went missing

You said you asked for a new card because you'd misplaced the previous card.

But the bank's position is a bit odd. They've stopped short of actually accusing you of fraud, but decided to reject your claim on the grounds that you must have been careless with the new card and PIN.

This seems to mean they aren't going to dispute that somebody else drew your money out, but they're saying it was your fault anyway. They may suspect you of fraud, but they don't need to argue that case. They haven't lost any money. All they need to do is defend their position that the card and PIN must have been delivered, against your position that they must have been intercepted in the post and put together. That'll do, because the T&C say that even if somebody else steals your money, it's your loss if you haven't kept your card and PIN safe.

Unfortunately banks are very familiar with customers who don't look after their cards and PINs and passwords. But they often pay out. Costs them a fortune.

DCFC79

Who ever took the card and pin were extremely lucky as they could have been waiting days for either the pin or card to arrive. You reported it to RM yet.

rs65

adamp8 wrote: »

A fortnight later I still had not recieved my card so I contacted my bank who informed me that my debit card had been used by someone and that there had been 11 withdrawals of £300

Were there any withdrawal attempts since then. If not, then it looks dodgy, as if whoever has/had the card knew it would no longer work. If a withdrawal attempt was made then presumably the card was retained - any fingerprints on it?

mickey54

rs65 wrote: »

Were there any withdrawal attempts since then. If not, then it looks dodgy, as if whoever has/had the card knew it would no longer work. If a withdrawal attempt was made then presumably the card was retained - any fingerprints on it?

OP states in an earlier post that the card was retained at Marble Arch - therefore the "thief" has no other means of attempting to obtain cash.

agrinnall

Did you get a new PIN because they issued you a new card with a completely different number? If not, and you asked for the new PIN as well as a card then I can see why they are treating it with suspicion, misplacing your card is not generally a reason for needing to get your PIN reissued, you surely knew what it was the last time you used the card so why do you need it again?

rs65

mickey54 wrote: »

OP states in an earlier post that the card was retained at Marble Arch - therefore the "thief" has no other means of attempting to obtain cash.

Sorry, I missed that.

jonesMUFCforever

IMO an inside job!
Has to be a family member or close family friend who would have had access to OP's house to get access to the mail.

adamp8

Well when I rang up intially to request a new card, i asked for a pin reset (just in case) because I couldn't find the letter that your pin comes on and I do like to keep it just for my own reference purposes. The bank told me that they can't reset me pin but that they would send me a pin reminder along with my card and that i could change it when i recieved it.