Why should banks have to refund?

Well, I agree with you in these circumstances. Your friend must have been desperate to have given this man her inheritance, despite warnings from the bank. There are many gullible and naive people around.

I also agree in these circumstances.

And I don't think the bank does have to refund it as it had given so many warnings.

Whether they are gullible, vulnerable or just plain stupid, they are a victim of crime, therefore despite all warnings banks will often refund.

I agree with the bank's decision in this case too.

I would go by the circumstances involved as to how the thief managed to steal the money exactly. I would guess the £11,000 represents the first amount he stole from her - and so they "gave the benefit of the doubt" about that and then, subsequently, thought she should have realised by then.

I would tend to take the attitude of assessing the circumstances if I were the bank - eg had it been a one-off phonecall or email from a thief and most people would have clicked it wasn't a normal person and there's so many of these thieves around and it's probably pretty standard to have several thieves contact us all every darn week. So I'd say banks should continue refunding for one-off payments that could have been stolen in all innocence from the victim - as otherwise we'll all lose whatever trust we have left in the banks to protect our money and start looking for alternatives to them. It's pretty easy to swop bank if one of them started being "awkward" and I've been with my own bank for quite some years now and I stick with them - because I'm satisfied (basically) with the service from them. They had just one hint I was considering leaving them - when they sent me through new cards that were contactless variety - and I promptly rang them and asked them if I was swopping to another bank and told them that I would do so if they didn't send me replacement old-style cards. They did so - so they kept me as a customer. I would have left them if they hadn't.

Re the "romance scammer" - these guys do seem to zoom in particularly on women of the sort of age where it's striking home hard that they seem to be losing their looks (if they had some - ie were attractive/beautiful/pretty). Understandable that a formerly attractive etc woman would want to think "Maybe I've still Got It".

The best thing you can do to prevent the risk of your friend attracting another scammer is to help her with making the best of whatever looks she has left, point out other women in the same agegroup (some as examples of how well they're managing to hold onto any looks they had.....and the rest to prove that ageing looks comes to the best of us and we don't look like "ourselves" any longer...darn it!). It is very hard mentally to accept our looks are being taken off us by Mother Nature - but it's clear it happens to 99% of those who have any. Point out "If it can happen to Brigit Bardot even - then it certainly can to yer-ordinary-woman-in-the-street". Or one I used to think was extremely attractive - ie the singer Debbie Harry (but, if you look at her now, she is still recognizable as herself.....but eyes are tired/waistline is thick/etc).

(Shows just how common thieves are that I got a phonecall from a thief in the middle of typing this....!!!! Phone slammed down the second I heard an automated voice lying to me).

I think we’d need to get the other side of the story, but on the face of it, it sounds as though the banks did all they could be expected to do.

I’m never sure about compensation for things like this. I know people who got thousands back in PPI compensation, but they had signed for the insurance, had the cover (which they may have had to claim on) and had whatever they bought with the credit for years before those who saved to pay cash would have done.

I think that if people are misled, or if banks are aware that customers are buying finance on depreciating assets or unnecessary insurance but go ahead anyway as they (the banks) are profiting, then yes, compensation is deserved. When people opt into paying for things from which the banks don’t benefit, however, I’m not sure that the banks have a duty of care, as they provide what is essentially a free (or very cheap) service that doesn’t provide financial advice.

(I know that they invest our money etc . I mean free at point of use.)

It always astonishes me how stupid these people are, to give money to someone whom you have never met!
To have not heard of these scams you must have been living under a rock.

I do not think in these circumstances compensation should be given.

A fool and his money…………

Re ppi, our business was struggling and took out a loan with our bank. Was told by the manager I had to take out an insurance. I questioned this as we already had a policy but he made it clear it was compulsory. It was clear mis-selling.

Jeez, reading stories like this makes me glad I’m not much to look at and have a very small bank balance.

I agree with you.

I've noticed that every time I go to make a transaction online now, a message pops up asking if i am sure and warning me it could be a scam.
Fair enough, I recently had to make a large transaction by debit card as it was above my credit card limit and the credit card company refused to increase my limit even on a temporary basis (seems to be a common occurrence).
Since then the warnings have appeared.

However, it seems your friend ignored all warnings so no, others should not have to pay for her foolishness.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cq8vnq1eq3po

But I do feel that the scammer should get more than a suspended prison sentence.

I’m never sure about compensation for things like this. I know people who got thousands back in PPI compensation, but they had signed for the insurance, had the cover (which they may have had to claim on) and had whatever they bought with the credit for years before those who saved to pay cash would have done.

There was another scam regarding PPI a few years ago. Someone rang (from India I think), saying my DH was due a refund of PPI on a loan he'd taken out. As he'd not, to my knowledge, taken out a loan and he was standing next to me looking puzzled!, I knew it was probably a scam but I did keep the poor man running back and forth to his manager to get answers to my questions. He shouldn't have been discussing DH's finances with me anyway.

The best thing is to put the phone down, of course.

Sago

It always astonishes me how stupid these people are, to give money to someone whom you have never met!
To have not heard of these scams you must have been living under a rock.

I do not think in these circumstances compensation should be given.

A fool and his money…………

So many very vulnerable people, male and female, are caught up in romance scams.

They are normally recently made alone by death or break ups, they can be targeted via many different sites, not just dating websites.

I too find it so disturbing people are still “caught out” and cannot ever ever imagine being taken in, but then again I’m happily married, surrounded by our children and friends and have a good social life.

Loneliness and grief can make people react in ways they wouldn’t normally.

In my opinion, romance scammers are utter scum!

Jackiest

www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cq8vnq1eq3po

But I do feel that the scammer should get more than a suspended prison sentence.

I read this article, so sad but unfortunately greed played a big part on this.

Must say I have to agree. I once saw a woman on TV, not elderly and apparently reasonably intelligent, who not only sent all her savings to one of these ‘romance scam’ men, but then took out a bank loan for another £10k to send him. The bank asked (as is usual now) what she wanted the money for, and she told them.
They advised her very strongly that it was almost certainly a scam, but she refused to believe them and sent it anyway. I fail to see why a refund would be due in such circs.

Not long ago some close and very longstanding friends of ours who were moving, asked for a fairly substantial loan from us, for a bridging loan.

Dh was questioned quite exhaustively by our bank before making the transfer, but obviously they couldn’t have stopped him. (As we knew it would be, the money was soon repaid BTW, in case anyone’s wondering!)

Whenever I start a transaction to make a payment online from. my account the banking system has an alert in place asking if the recipient might me a scammer, ami sue I wish to proceed with the transaction etc.
I am confident that my bank has criteria in place to monitor dubious payments to suspicious individuals.

The speaker from actionfraud told us that romance fraud was very common as are scams from people who `befriend` via a common-interest group eg a craft group ie become friends and then the scam is set-up

I too agree given the circumstances. Foolish woman

There's no fool like an old fool.

I do understand that people can get lonely, desperate, flattered. Walk a mile in someone else's shoes and all that. I am fortunate that I have never been in that position. However, I think I know myself well enough to know that I would never, ever give anyone my money. If a handsome young man contacted 75 year old me expressing his love, I would suggest he saw a doctor. Also, I have mirrors in my house. I'm not saying I would never get scammed. It can happen to anyone but in my case it wouldn't be a romance scam.

There are 6 ladies that meet up every month for a catch up.
One of these was widowed (68) before COVID. Last year she mentioned
that she had been chatting on-line to David (29)from Spain.
We advised her to be wary and never send him any money.
David then moved to Brazil and asked her to visit. If she would send
the money for her flight he'd get it cheaper than what you pay in the UK.
Again we advised don't do that. It got very serious between them.
One of the other ladies is very good at computers and tried to search for him.
His photo was on different sites with different names.
She still insisted that he was a genuine person.
£135000 later the bank had warned her, we warned her, the family had warned her.
Now she has finally realised he is a scammer.
You can't help stupid people.

Tizliz

Re ppi, our business was struggling and took out a loan with our bank. Was told by the manager I had to take out an insurance. I questioned this as we already had a policy but he made it clear it was compulsory. It was clear mis-selling.

Yes, and people in that position should absolutely be compensated. It’s coercion, and the insurers should be penalised.

Another system that’s failed is my voice is my password
Santander and Halifax failed the test which the bbc did with a cloned voice.

There was a case on TV some time ago, about an elderly man who had been sending money to a person who had sent him a picture of a beautiful woman saying it was her. Somehow a programme about scams got involved. They could not persuade this man that it was a scam. They even contacted the woman whose photo it was. She Facetimed him and told him it wasn't her. He still wasn't convinced.