BIG Fraud Problem with Natwest, I don't know what to do!

lizzyliz_2

Hi all,

My sisters debit card was lost with the pin (all in her purse) and because she doesnt really use it she realised abit late (3/4 weeks)
(She doesnt do online or telephone banking)

During the time it was lost / stolen fraudulent activities were done on it, someone set an overdraft on the card, put 2 cheques (which bounced after one day) and whilst the account was credited with the amount on the cheques they successfully transferred around 3000 to another account
then after the cheques bounced the minus of what they transferred was to my sisters account

on top of this they additionally withdrew 250 from an ATM

Natwest have been very difficult with this and keep on sending to and from the branch for confirmation of ID

we were sent a letter saying the 250 would not be refunded as it was through an ATM and the card could not have been cloned (even though we said it was LOST)

anyway, my bigger concern is the 3000, we dont have money like that to pay back and this has gone on for over 2 months

The was one occasion where a Natwest worker said to my sister "they will DEFINITELY clear the charges they can Obviously see that it's fraud"
but then on another day after, the same guy said "We're not sure what they will do"

What do I do???

By the way my sister is ONLY 16!!!!

Thanks

Baileycat

lizzyliz wrote: »

Hi all,

My sisters debit card was lost with the pin (all in her purse) and because she doesnt really use it she realised abit late (3/4 weeks)
(She doesnt do online or telephone banking)

During the time it was lost / stolen fraudulent activities were done on it, someone set an overdraft on the card, put 2 cheques (which bounced after one day) and whilst the account was credited with the amount on the cheques they successfully transferred around 3000 to another account
then after the cheques bounced the minus of what they transferred was to my sisters account

on top of this they additionally withdrew 250 from an ATM

Natwest have been very difficult with this and keep on sending to and from the branch for confirmation of ID

we were sent a letter saying the 250 would not be refunded as it was through an ATM and the card could not have been cloned (even though we said it was LOST)

anyway, my bigger concern is the 3000, we dont have money like that to pay back and this has gone on for over 2 months

The was one occasion where a Natwest worker said to my sister "they will DEFINITELY clear the charges they can Obviously see that it's fraud"
but then on another day after, the same guy said "We're not sure what they will do"

What do I do???

By the way my sister is ONLY 16!!!!

Thanks

I'm curious to know how they managed to set up an overdraft on the bank account of a 16-year old, surely as this is a credit facility you'd have to be 18 to apply for this? Shame on them if this was overlooked/not noticed.

Despite not having more to add, I really do feel for you & hope you can get this resolved soon what an awful situation to be in.

I'm sure she won't need reminding after this, but advise her to NEVER, ever leave her card & PIN in the same place. It's always wise to spend a few moments memorising the PIN & then destroy it completely, in a secure fashion, straight after doing so.

DevCoder

I doubt very much Natwest will refund anything if the PIN was stored with the card, this is one of the T&C's that's been broken so liability falls onto your sister Im afraid.

lizzyliz_2

but wouldnt they even consider that they should have realised something weird was going on when the big checks came through and the overdraft was set

also bearing in mind her age... how do they expect a 16 year old to pay this back

would I be able to write a letter (on her behalf) trying to fight her case?
and I am still holding on to what the customer advisor said in the branch

also would this effect her credit rating or anything, it IS a debit card..
I just don't understand how a bank can't notice this

thank you for the replies

Baileycat

lizzyliz wrote: »

also would this effect her credit rating or anything, it IS a debit card..
I just don't understand how a bank can't notice this

thank you for the replies

I don't know how this will work, surely if she's < 18yrs old she doesn't yet have a credit rating? Could be wrong though... I'm astonished that they've missed this too, and I'd be wanting answers.

If you plan on writing to them on her behalf, it'd be wise to enclose some sort of written statement signed by your sister, confirming that she gives you authority to deal with the matter on her behalf. Without this they are unlikely to disclose any account-specific information to you, so it's better to beat them to it and provide it along with your initial letter.

HTH x