Unauthorised transactions on my A&L debit card-they've deducted money 3mths later!

Melly31

Hi folks, could really do with some advice....
In June this yr i noticed 6 transactions on my online banking statement, all from Paypal & all on 22/06/07 at 04:38am, yet all for different amounts (total only being £122.26), i contacted Alliance & Leicester at once, they cancelled my debit card, sent me another & eventually credited my bank account with the funds.
Out of the blue i received a letter dated 20/09/2007, stating that they have enclosed the proof from Paypal that i have made the transactions & that if they do not hear from me in 7 days (letter wasn't actually received until Monday 24th Sept 07) they'll re-take the funds from my account as i'd of obviously have recognised them.
I did recognise 2 of them, but these 2 were from an earlier time (10/06/07 & 12/06/07) & both transactions were paid for using my Paypal balance, a third transaction was also recognised but the amount stated was £14.99 & the amount taken was £32.98? (again the £14.99 was paid on 10/06/07 with paypal funds. All these items were received at least a week before they were debited from my debit card-as most people know, ebay sellers don't really send out items a week or more before the buyer has paid for them!
The other 3 transactions all stated ebay but the item numbers did not exist!
I immediately sent A&L a letter stating the above (just to note that all of these transactions were not in my name?), A&L received this letter on the 28th Sept, it was sent 1st class recorded delivery & signed for.
On tha 2nd Oct 07 they then debited my account with the £122.26!
They have stated that they have not received the letter that they have signed for on the 28th Sept?
As i get £127.85 a wk tax credits (every Thurs)-this deduction has left me potless!
A&L have stated that Paypal will not refund them the money, so take it up with Paypal.
After spending most of the day on the phone to A&L & Paypal, Paypal have said that my Paypal account has not paid for these transactions using my debit card & that there is pos some confusion with accounts (hense the wrong name being on all the transactions), they've said that as its still classed as unauthorised transactions, then to get back in touch with A&L.
They also said that A&L are the deciding party in all this & that they (Paypal) have in no way refused to refund the money as A&L will have already taken it from them when i filled the chargeback?
Why are A&L lying to me?
I can provide full proof as to my innocence but A&L don't want to know & say to take it up with Paypal, Paypal say its up to A&L?
I'm very confused, but all i def do know is that i'm potless & both companies continually put the blame on each other.
I've contacted the Financial Ombudsman & they've said A&L are at fault & they've started a claim but that doesn't help me now!
Any advice you can give would be greatly appreciated.

Mel.

soolin

In the first instance check your paypal account as that will show you the transactions in more detail. Each transaction should link back to an item and you can then see if any of them were in fact done fraudulently. It might well be that the item no longer exists and that doesn't alone make it fraudulent as they don't stay long on the database but it will still show what the item was.

It is possible for a paypal account to be hacked either by falling for a phishing scam or by being less than secure when choosing a password, however usually when they are hacked they stay hacked and tend not to limit themselves to such small amounts. Also a hacker would of course change the postal address as there is no point in hacking an account and then having the goods sent to the real owner of the account.

Anyway...assuming your check on your paypal account shows it has been hacked report it immediately to paypal. Whilst paypal consider the account to be used properly they will of course tell your bank that all is in order and your bank will quite correctly pay the debits.

Melly31

hi, i have checked with Paypal as stated in my origional post but the bank still won't refund the monay & paypal can't as the transactions are NOT linked to my paypal account?

soolin

Sorry I don't really understand.

Are you saying then that although these transactions show on your bank statement as paypal they do not actually appear in your paypal account? The only explanation if that is the case is that there is a second paypal account linked to your bank account and you need to track that down as someone somewhere must have linked that account up and verified it. paypal do verify accounts so if someone has linked a paypal account to your bank account they must also have access to your bank account as they would have needed to get the verification amounts that were credited to prove the bank account was theirs.