Signature changed by mother at bank

GloriaShaw85

Hiya,

whilst I was out of the country, my mother went into a Metro Bank store and successfully changed my signature, without my consent. She did this as HMRC refunded an overpayment of my taxes via cheque, and metro bank informed her that the account holder was the only person that could deposit cheques into their accounts. So she went in, changed the signature and shortly deposited a cheque and then withdrew the funds from my account once the funds reached my account. 

Is it fine that Metro Bank allowed her to change the signature? I reported this to them and they’ve written to say she passed verification so it was fine that she changed the signature (she’s my mother, who I lived my whole life with until I went abroad to get married, so all my paperwork was there, and thus of course she can pass verification ). 

Secondly, I had a safety deposit box with them. When I asked to get the dates the box was accessed, they informed me it was last accessed in 2020, which was not true as the box was accessed by my mother in 2021 (she was authorised to access), and thus all items cleaned out, and then when I returned in 2022, I went to see and access the box. So, they don’t seem to take security seriously   Is there a way to report this?

eskbanker

GloriaShaw85 said:

Is it fine that Metro Bank allowed her to change the signature? I reported this to them and they’ve written to say she passed verification so it was fine that she changed the signature (she’s my mother, who I lived my whole life with until I went abroad to get married, so all my paperwork was there, and thus of course she can pass verification ). 

No, not fine, log a formal complaint and escalate to the ombudsman if they don't resolve it adequately.

I can't remember from your previous threads if the police were involved in all this but worth reporting the fraud to them too.

GloriaShaw85

eskbanker said:

GloriaShaw85 said:

Is it fine that Metro Bank allowed her to change the signature? I reported this to them and they’ve written to say she passed verification so it was fine that she changed the signature (she’s my mother, who I lived my whole life with until I went abroad to get married, so all my paperwork was there, and thus of course she can pass verification ). 

No, not fine, log a formal complaint and escalate to the ombudsman if they don't resolve it adequately.

I can't remember from your previous threads if the police were involved in all this but worth reporting the fraud to them too.

Their formal complaint concluded that nothing bad happened. And I fear and am sure they will ensure they’ve cleaned any evidence eg video footage etc because when I worked for them 5 years ago,  they behaved in a sketchy dismissive way back then over my disability once they found out, and started clearing away any evidence. 

Ombudsman is the way to go? Not the FCA? or Prudential authority? Just making sure. 

I have informed the police and ActionFraud. Been told they’re investigating and will be in touch when they need to be. But I’m not optimistic because it’s been over a month. 

CKhalvashi

GloriaShaw85 said:

eskbanker said:

GloriaShaw85 said:

Is it fine that Metro Bank allowed her to change the signature? I reported this to them and they’ve written to say she passed verification so it was fine that she changed the signature (she’s my mother, who I lived my whole life with until I went abroad to get married, so all my paperwork was there, and thus of course she can pass verification ). 

No, not fine, log a formal complaint and escalate to the ombudsman if they don't resolve it adequately.

I can't remember from your previous threads if the police were involved in all this but worth reporting the fraud to them too.

Their formal complaint concluded that nothing bad happened. And I fear and am sure they will ensure they’ve cleaned any evidence eg video footage etc because when I worked for them 5 years ago,  they behaved in a sketchy dismissive way back then over my disability once they found out, and started clearing away any evidence. 

Ombudsman is the way to go? Not the FCA? or Prudential authority? Just making sure. 

I have informed the police and ActionFraud. Been told they’re investigating and will be in touch when they need to be. But I’m not optimistic because it’s been over a month. 

Definitely the way to go.

They will report to the FCA and PRA as required, however their report will make your life easier in doing so later on down the line.

Whether something bad happened and whether something happened that definitely should not have done are different things. The bank is in the wrong here if this has happened as you say (which I'm not doubting, the situation is therefore clear).

p00hsticks

OP - I hope that's not your real name and birth year that you are using as a user name. For security reasons it'd be better to use something less easily identifiable, especially when you're giving out other personal information such as who you bank with and who you used to work for.

The MSE team will be able to change it for you if you get in tocuh with them.

MEM62

GloriaShaw85 said:

I reported this to them and they’ve written to say she passed verification so it was fine that she changed the signature 

I am not convinced.  When I had my ID verified Metro they took my photograph.  I cannot see her passing verification.  

eskbanker

GloriaShaw85 said:

eskbanker said:

GloriaShaw85 said:

Is it fine that Metro Bank allowed her to change the signature? I reported this to them and they’ve written to say she passed verification so it was fine that she changed the signature (she’s my mother, who I lived my whole life with until I went abroad to get married, so all my paperwork was there, and thus of course she can pass verification ). 

No, not fine, log a formal complaint and escalate to the ombudsman if they don't resolve it adequately.

I can't remember from your previous threads if the police were involved in all this but worth reporting the fraud to them too.

Their formal complaint concluded that nothing bad happened. And I fear and am sure they will ensure they’ve cleaned any evidence eg video footage etc because when I worked for them 5 years ago,  they behaved in a sketchy dismissive way back then over my disability once they found out, and started clearing away any evidence. 

Ombudsman is the way to go? Not the FCA? or Prudential authority? Just making sure. 

I have informed the police and ActionFraud. Been told they’re investigating and will be in touch when they need to be. But I’m not optimistic because it’s been over a month. 

Yes, Financial Ombudsman Service is the escalation route if your complaint has been rejected by the bank - neither the FCA nor PRA handle consumer complaints and this is delegated to the FOS.  However, FOS is a slow process and takes many months, so don't expect swift results.

In terms of the incident itself, you need to establish the gap between what the bank should have done and what they actually did.  I'm not familiar with the process of changing signatures on a bank account, but obviously before taking any instructions they're obliged to verify the ID of the person standing in front of them, and this should undoubtedly entail viewing photo ID such as passport or driving licence, both of which have signatures on them.  How exactly have they explained what they did (and didn't do)?

If you haven't already, you can submit a Subject Access Request under the Data Protection Act to obtain a copy of everything they hold about you, focusing specifically on exactly how the signature change process was handled:
https://www.metrobankonline.co.uk/about-us/privacy/

If they told you that a safety deposit box was last accessed in 2020 when you know it was after that, you could also take this up with the data protection officer, but I'd suggest that be raised as a separate matter with less urgency if it didn't involve fraudulent access to your money or possessions.

p00hsticks said:

OP - I hope that's not your real name and birth year that you are using as a user name. For security reasons it'd be better to use something less easily identifiable, especially when you're giving out other personal information such as who you bank with and who you used to work for.

The MSE team will be able to change it for you if you get in tocuh with them.

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6372791/massive-scale-fraud-and-id-theft

GloriaShaw85 said:

GLORIA SHAW IS NOT MY REAL NAME

phillw

If it's below £5000 you could also raise a small claim against her.

DullGreyGuy

GloriaShaw85 said:
Ombudsman is the way to go? Not the FCA? or Prudential authority? Just making sure. 

PRA deals with solvency of significant financial institutes... you think this could bankrupt them?


With this kind of allegation the first question anyone empowered to look into this sort of thing is going to be if you reported her to the police yet. Have you?

eDicky

MEM62 said:

GloriaShaw85 said:

I reported this to them and they’ve written to say she passed verification so it was fine that she changed the signature 

I am not convinced.  When I had my ID verified Metro they took my photograph.  I cannot see her passing verification.  

Metro usually, I believe, verify your identity in branch by viewing the photo taken when the account was opened, matching it with the person before them. Perhaps mother and daughter have sufficiently similar facial appearance.

born_again

Just in case people are not aware this poster has several threads on the same issue.

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/profile/discussions/GloriaShaw85

Op has been told this is really a police matter that need pushing hard.