Identifying a standing order - Help appreciated

dizzie

Hi,

I would be really grateful if anyone could help on this one.

I checked our latest HSBC bank statement to find a standing order had been paid in April which we could not identify. It shows as a standing order payable to my husband at an account held at RBS - but he does not have an account with RBS.

I double checked our previous statements - and the same amount was taken last April also. (We obviously hadn't scrutinised our statements as well last April). HSBC has confirmed that the SO was set up last year.

We are awaiting a copy of the mandate form, but I am told that the writing appears to be "similar to my husbands", and that it is down as going out to an account which bears my husband's name.

I have the account number and sort code of this mystery account, but we know that this account is not my husbands.

It may be that the payment is genuine (e.g. an annual subscription that should bear a company/organisation name, and should just be referenced as my husband).

HSBC tell me that they can not check the name on the account into which this money is being paid - they can only check that the account no/sort code actually exist. RBS are unable to check to see whether this is an error by checking the name on this account, and have told us to go back to HSBC.

If anyone has any advice as to how we go about identifying who this is actually being paid to, I would be so grateful. Until we know this, we don't know if the payment is genuine (but wrongly named) or fraudulent.

Thanks for any replies.

Rafter

Well - if it fraud then the bank should refund your money for processing a standing order request that doesn't have a genuine signature.

I wouldn't worry until you have the paperwork. Most likely that the reference on the SO is your husbands name, not the company, charity or whoever this was set up for.

R.

Meltdown_2

I suppose if you post the sortcode/account number of the mystery account here, someone might recognise it (because they are making a payment to that organisation, too).

robnye

or just the sort code - dont want to get into any trouble posting peoples account numbers - now do we

Mikeyorks

The Sort Code ..... will merely reveal what is already known - it's a payment to RBS? Needs the Account to pinpoint it a bit ..... as the OP has clarified it cannot be a personal account, we're not all going to set up DDs on it?;)

ShelfStacker_3

Mikeyorks wrote: »

The Sort Code ..... will merely reveal what is already known - it's a payment to RBS? Needs the Account to pinpoint it a bit ..... as the OP has clarified it cannot be a personal account, we're not all going to set up DDs on it?;)

the sortcode will also show the branch where it's held, which could be of value.

Would still be wary of posting full account details, but the sort code alone can't do much damage.

Mikeyorks

ShelfStacker wrote: »

but the sort code alone can't do much damage.

Or be much help? Of my accounts with my Bank I have a variety of 4 different Sort Codes ..... despite they allegedly all map down onto the same (small) Branch.

Careful_with_that_Axe

Sort codes vary with different types of accounts - a basic bank account will have a different sort code from, say a savings account, which will be different to a loan account. Hope this might help you narrow it down to the type of account this is being paid into.

PBA

If you don't want to post the account number, try googling it. If it's a payment to an organisation the details will probably be on their website somewhere, so google should be able to find it.

Another thought, RBS can't give out details of the account holder, but they should pass a letter on to them. So find out which branch the account is held with, and write a letter for them to forward on asking them to confirm who they are. If it's legit you'll probably get a response, unlikely if it's not legit (but TBH I can't see a fraudster setting up an annual standing order, they'd want to clear you out quickly!)