Been told to empty my safety deposit box, didn't know I had one!

austenozzy

Hi there

This is a slightly odd one. I got a letter from Barclays asking me to empty my barclaysafe premium safety deposit box at the branch on Peckham Rye as the service is being centralised to the midlands and it would cost me £500+ for the contents to be brought to a convenient location for me in the future.

This would all be fine, except for the fact that I had no idea that there was a safety deposit box in my name!

I assumed it was something to do with my parents, who used to keep various documents for deeds and share certs etc in a safety wallet thing, but they tell me they emptied them years ago and discontinued the service.

So now I'm stumped. I fully expect to turn up to look into an empty box, then cancel the service. However, what would happen if I turn up, and someone has stashed a load of money or some other ill-gotten gains in my name? Would I be in some way implicated? If I took it all away, in case my folks have somehow forgotten about the stacks of fifties or the little velvet purse full of rubies they put in there, would I be nicked when I later 'fess up to it?

What would you do?

Cheers

Oz

innovate

Scam. Fraudsters.

Send the letter/email you got to Barclays, and if it's a paper letter, give it to the police.

austenozzy

Hi innovate

No, it's legit. I went to the barclays website to get the number for the barclaysafe service, gave them the ref number from the letter and it's all true. Apparently I took it out in 2003. News to me!

No one has asked me for money - simply to turn up and remove my stuff from the box.

Oz

innovate

austenozzy wrote: »

Apparently I took it out in 2003. News to me!

It's a fraud or a scam. Or you're having a laugh.

mgdavid

or you've a bad memory
or the bank have made a genuine mistake and mixed up two customers' IDs. Probably somebody esle with same or v similar name.

Curiosity alone would make me go along and take a look; if there is something in there to identify another person, point it out there and then. If not, hmmm you're on your own from there!

Lith

kids...


just empty it !!!!!! is the big deal.......


'case closed'

austenozzy

Innovate: Not having a laugh, and not a scam.

MG: I'm 99% sure it's an error of some sort, and I suspect it's more to do with the bank accounts of my parents and I being pretty similar - my dad has the same initials and in 2003 I'd not long left my parents' home. As mentioned, they had this service a while back.

Still, very odd. They couldn't tell me anything about the box (I suppose that's the point of them, to keep stuff private and safe), and I couldn't elect for my mum to go there, as she's 2 miles up the road and I'm several counties away!

Oz

austenozzy

Lith:

Well, if it's not my stuff, I'm not going to just waltz off with it. It'd still be theft, wouldn't it? I just wouldn't want to get collared for it in case it's a thief that has nicked a load of jewellery or something and is letting it cool off. All very silly even considering it, but stranger things have happened.

Anyway, it's pretty much a hypothetical question, as I'm 99.9% sure it's just an empty box!

Cheers

Oz

seriousDFW

Well do make sure you let us know!

MoneySaverLog

I bet it's a empty box, that of your parents as you say. They probably kept the box even though your parents cancelled the service.

Or if you own a house where do you keep the deeds, did the bank keep them for safekeeping? They could be in this box.

Curiosity would get the better of me too. I'd have to go look in the box...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1giVzxyoclE

datostar

If you go to check the box you'll probably find that they expect you to have a key for it. The bank staff usually open the vault, bring out the box into a vestibule room and leave you to it until you're ready for it to be locked away again.