Am I being lied to?

I've just had a friend come to stay with me for a week to recover from the stress of finding that someone has used her details to purchase many items from Paypal. She doesn't normally even use the internet, so didn't know anything about Paypal. She reported the payments withdrawn from her bank account by Paypal to her bank - Natwest, who cancelled her card and issued another, but the purchases continued and Paypal continued to take the money from her bank account. Each month she went into the bank to report more charges from Paypal, the most recent card was cancelled, and yet another one issued. Neither the bank, nor the fraud people were of any help whatsoever, and it was left to her to find out, by making contact with Paypal, how this could keep happening. It seems that while the bank was cancelling the card, Paypal still hold the details of the original card on their files, until the card expires!! It's all VERY complicated, and after trying to sort it out, she's ended up suffering severe stress and being put on 'happy' pills by her doctor.

She has also had money taken from various cash machines in her area, after having reported that she'd had a problem with a machine one day to both Tesco (machine outside their store), and the Natwest bank, who told her that it wasn't worth their even looking at the CCTV, as the chances were that whoever took the money wore a hoody and wouldn't be recognised. We actually feel that this has all be done by a family member, and if they'd been prepared to get the CCTV, my friend may well have been able to recognise the culprit, but it was all too much trouble, and a police officer, who threatened to arrest HER, after she got so stressed out, having lost over a £1000, that she shouted at him, told her that she might as well forget that she ever had that money, as they're simply too short staffed these days to look into things!!!

The reason I've told this story, is that it seems it's all too easy for people to steal our identity and our money, and therefore the OP MUST complain in writing to the bank who has allowed this account to be opened, when the girl doesn't even live at the address.

I do hope that there aren't any repercussions, but do please keep a close eye on your mother's accounts in general, as if she's done this, she may have accessed your mother's other details and have done other things too.

a few days.. that doesn't make it a permanent address. Just bin the card and tell the bank to cancel the card and account. What if she runs up bills, loans etc because she has a bank account to that address...flippin cheek!

and look on all 3 CRA files
Check my file covers all the credit agencies in one place and helps you resolve any anomaly.

You cannot join a CRA and get an 'association' removed from someone else's file. That's ridiculous. Please don't give out incorrect information

You get their association with YOU removed from YOUR file.

And yes you can. I have done it.

blueskies
She would have to have known your DOB too.

Sorry. It's the OP's mother she is talking about. I thought it was her MiL. Oops! Still, my previous uncorroborated thoughts on the matter, stand.

Seakay
Unless the OP has POA or a signed letter from the MiL giving the bank permission to talk to the OP on her behalf, then no bank will discuss anything to do with another person's account, fraudulent or not.

dragonfly46
What were the £500 worth of goods and where were they sent? Sounds iffy to me.

You cannot join a CRA and get an 'association' removed from someone else's file. That's ridiculous. Please don't give out incorrect information.

gabriella I am pleased it worked out for you. I just worry that they allowed £ 500 worth of goods to leave their premises a month after they were told it was a fraudulent account.

NanaRayna
I would have thought that a Met officer would have had more about him than to send letters back to the debt collection agency.
He needs to contact them to disassociate himself from all the debts and look on all 3 CRA files (sign up for a 30 day free trial) to see if there is a default mark.
Once he disassociates himself from the debts the DC agencies will not discuss it further with him and any court action in his name will be halted.
Best to notify Action Fraud too.

Do not speak to the bank about it. It "associates" you.

Return to sender
Join Check My File & get any associations removed

Of course your mum will not be liable for the gf's debts. That is utter rubbish

It is not.
It may show as an "associated person" on credit files and debt collectors can legally go after associated persons in some cases

Send it "return to sender, addressee not at this address"

dragonfly46
Here's my order.

dragonfly46
I received my order from Studio at 2:32 pm, well within the scheduled time frame advised by Hermes (2-4) all packaged in a box inside a heavy duty plastic bag. Order was £5.18 - free p&p. No probs. Maybe you were just unlucky to get someone incompetent when you rang...bad luck
Glad you sorted it albeit after lots of effort on your part.

We have had repeated visits by court officers and bailiffs to my ex's address because some complete stranger who does not pay his bills or fines has been claiming to live there. As my ex works for the Metropolitan Police this could have a bad effect on his reputation professionally. And if court officers or bailiffs were to turn up at an elderly lady's address for the same reason it would cause untold distress.
Contact the bank and let them know the conniving girl does not live there. It may not help (we kept sending back the letters to unknown people to the credit companies, banks etc but it didn't stop the fallout) but at least it should be on record that this particular account is not at home with your Mum!

holdingontometeeth

No credit reference agency will talk to anyone except the person whose credit file it is.
You can pay £20 for a two year CIFAS marker on your mother's file but the card with which you pay, will have to be in her name. You can also have it password protected which means that anyone trying to obtain credit in her name, would have to give random letters from the password besides any other security questions which may be asked.
Not all of the 'big 3', Experian, Equifax, Trans Union, have the same company information as it depends on the company as to which CRA they use to determine your credit worthiness.

I don't think you do need a UK address to keep an account (not what this is about I know but OPs have mentioned it) - we lived abroad for 20 years and kept a UK account and now have account in our former country of residence while living here! I think as long as it's all above board then there isn't a problem

Raise a complaint with the bank (they are more likely to take it seriously if they are defending an accusation rather than being asked to give information which would compromise them) that your mother in law's details have been used fraudulently, a debit card has been sent for someone who doesn't live at the address and is not related to the householder and you can't understand why the bank has allowed this to happen

mumofmadboys She isn't but that doesn't mean that she might not be harassed by debt collectors.

Of course your mum will not be liable for the gf's debts. That is utter rubbish

Dew, although the situation has changed regarding an address being blacklisted; it's important that your DM is not distressed by the potential of this situation. If the gf (you haven't elaborated on why she is so dodgy but have hinted so therefore a possibility it seems) runs up debts and has given your DM's address; then bailiffs could turn up at the house demanding goods to settle those debts. I would do as others have suggested by contacting the bank in writing to tell them the address has been used without permission. Return letters with 'Not known at this address' and importantly, warn your DM that should anyone ever knock on the door demanding access to goods, she must refuse them entry. Not even for a cup of tea and chat to sort things out (which is what nice people do not realising once in they can take what they want). They cannot force entry without a court order and if they do turn up, it will give you time to contact the agency to explain the situation and avert a court order.

It seems a bit weird. I have a relative (bi-polar) who I think is on the straight and narrow now but has a history of opening accounts to get loans fraudulently. She got into an awful mess and it took a while to sort out. All done on-line of course, pretending to be her estranged husband as she could fake his signature. It makes you wonder who you can trust, doesn't it? Hope you sort it out.

In your place I would check with Citizens' Advice or with a solicitor whether your mother risks being held liable for any debts incurred by this young woman. There could perhaps also be issues with your mother's pension if she is suddenly seen as not living alone.

I think you need to tell her flatly that your mother does not want her or anyone else using her address and ask her to transfer the account to another address.

I doubt the bank will be willing to talk or correspond with you about this, but perhaps a solicitor's letter on behalf of your mother, pointing out that she has not given permission for her address to be used by a temporary guest might help. It might also come in useful later, if there are repercussions.