I've been a victim of a Direct Debit Fraud - Barclay's will not refund me

JuicyJesus

Biggles wrote: »

I have to say I was wondering if that was their main beef; maybe the famous 'DD Guarantee' only applies to personal accounts and they feel you've been using it for business (which you clearly have)? Just a thought.

Their next move will almost certainly be to tell you to open a business account for these transactions.

The Direct Debit Guarantee is for the entire Direct Debit system and as such business customers are entitled to use it as well. It's worth pointing out that the DD Guarantee doesn't actually explicitly cover fraudulent debits (i.e. you didn't set up the DD). It only covers where a mistake is made by someone collecting a DD you've set up. Fraud is dealt with separately on a bank-by-bank basis.

Barclays clearly have concerns over this hence them not refunding. By and large, if you have a fraudulent DD set up which you notice the payments for within a reasonable amount of time your bank will refund you. Not reporting multiple payments over eight years totalling over £25,000 is not reasonable in any way, shape or form.

Robisere

I must have received at least a dozen fake PP phishing scams since I first used PP. I check each email carefully against a known PP Header address and if I have the slightest doubt, it goes in Junk without opening it, if it is not already put there by the scanner. Then I "View Message Source" for another check. If I don't like it, I use <spoof@paypal.co.uk> to forward it to PP HQ. If it's crooked, I get a congrats and thanks from PP, if not they OK it. I have never had one verified as genuine by PP, that I have forwarded as a possible phishing attempt.

Just another warning to keep a regular eye on your finances and check your emails carefully. I think the OP's problem stems from being just too busy to check either. It's a very expensive lesson and people are always learning it. I have sympathy for anyone caught like this: it's not good to tell the OP what should have been done: he should see it as a lesson for the future, albeit a costly lesson. It could happen to any of us, without the right precautions. And even then, it may not be enough.