Halifax will not believe it's not a scam

LindsayT

Opened an account with Wise but wasn't able to go ahead as they needed a photo uploading which I'm not able to do.

Jemma01, Sounds like you didn't even read my opening post. I certainly would not be sending money to people I've never met and I don't have internet 'friends'. Don't understand people 'talking' to people on the internet and thinking they are 'friends'.

Browntoa, yes my card was declined for the first and only time in about 40 years in Lidl of all places and apparently it happed to a lot of people in Lidl that day, so not sure what that's got to do with it.

flaneurs_lobster

Might help if you were to say how much money you are trying to transfer. The logistics of sending, say, £100 as opposed to £5000 may well be different. 

Ergates

The unintended (but blindingly obvious) consequences of the Payments Systems Regulator new reimbursement rules strike again.

When the banks are forced to repay anyone who falls victim to a APP scam, then they're going to add a whole bunch of extra hoops to the process - especially for higher risk payments (e.g. like the OP's).

To be frank - I don't blame them.

General_Grant

How much and to where?

Can you withdraw cash, convert to USD and take to them?

wmb194

General_Grant said:

How much and to where?

Can you withdraw cash, convert to USD and take to them?

Or post/courier it to them the old fashioned way.

Jemma01

Desmond_Hume said:

“…to my dearest friends abroad…”

The OP language even reads like a scam to me. 

lol passes the Nigerian Prince vibe 

Eyeful

1. Have you spoken to this friend on the phone since trying to send them the money?
2. How long have you known this friend for?
3. To what country are you trying to send the money?
4. How much money are you trying to send?

boingy

Eyeful said:

1. Have you spoken to this friend on the phone since trying to send them the money?
2. How long have you known this friend for?
3. To what country are you trying to send the money?
4. How much money are you trying to send?

It shouldn't matter, should it?
We should all have the right to waive the protection of the banks and send money to whoever we choose, scam or no scam. The bank correctly should query the payment but the final say should be with us, the customer. We don't all need wrapping in cotton wool. It's our money. We should be free to say "thanks, but no thanks" to the protection, relieve the bank of any liability and then fritter away our money in any way we choose. It's all gone a bit too far imo.

M25

Problem is -this is with idiots/stupid in general- that person will then go to their local paper or some poorly written local BBC story saying the bank did this and that etc and all the time there's no personal responsibility. Never seen a mention of that idea ever on any scam news story.

And the bank will likely cave and pay our money back to the person.

Watched that awful Jason Statham film yesterday The Beekeeper where a stupid woman let someone drain her bank accounts through some sort of scam. It was all a bit heightened and I couldn't get past 30mins of the film but they based the whole film on a couple of scam stories.

I have 2 relatives who absolutely will not use online banking. That's a good choice for the whole family. Just because technology is good for most people doesn't mean everyone should be using it. Not everyone is going to want an AI sex doll either.

Don't answer your door to strangers. Cheaper for everyone.

LindsayT

Just an update. The money will not be going now and my friends took it a lot better than me.
Thank you to the people who made sensible comments.

The comment from Desmond_Hume was hilarious. Maybe he just doesn't have dearest friends. What would you prefer me to call them when I consider that to be the best description?

I agree with boingy that it's all gone a bit too far but having said that, there have been people who have been warned by their bank not to send money and sent it anyway and lied to their bank which is what the scammers have told them to do, then put their story on TV. Yes I watch the scam programmes.