Why should banks have to refund?

loopyloo

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

Obviously, the bank in question either does not have to refund the entire amount, as they have only paid out a smaller amount, or else they are willing to make a test case of it.

In the circumstances, I do not think we can expect a bank should have to reimburse the full amount, as they had told the client that they suspected a scam more than once and asked if she really intended that the money should be transferred.

Presumably, the bank can prove that these enquires were made by them, and that the client insisted that the transfers should go through.

Online banking is still fairly new and it always takes time for the law to catch up whenever significant changes of this kind are made.

At one time, not so long ago, if you paid for an airline ticket or a holiday and the company went bust before your journey or holiday, that was that - you had lost your money. Today, if you have paid by Master card rather than Visa you are re-imbursed for air tickets, and there may even be a fund that re-imburses you in the case of a travel agency or package holiday or hotel failing.

Presumably, bankers will manage to protect themselves by law in the course of the next couple of years from customers who ignore their advice regarding transferring large sums of money to dubious firms or acquaintances.

Sadly, there is nothing new in lonely women, looking for a husband, being done out of their savings. Men too have been known to fall for a pretty girl or widow's hard-luck story.

In ancient Rome, merchants put up a sign on their stalls: caveat emptor - which being translated means "Let the buyer beware" .in other words check the article for faults before you hand over your money.

Like me, you probably rememember your grandmothers inspecting cloth very carefully before buying it, or turning a garment inside out to inspect the seams.

It is difficult to "be on the alert" all the darn time in case a person is a thief, rather than a normal person.

It isn't a question of being on the alert all the time, in case someone is a thief.

It is just, as in the past, being alert to suspicious approaches. In the past, it would be the man offering to tarmac your drive, for £50, - and wanting to do it now. Or someon offering you something dirt cheap, off the back of a lorry. You just use your common sense.

Yep happened to my friend who’s a teacher, gave a bloke who she never met six grand. Was a total scam!
Anyway bank gave her £2000 & she was going to put a letter forward stating she had MH.. the bank has refused.
Now when she makes a payment they send her a note, “ is this person genuine?
She said, do they think I am daft? Well yes 😩

I am surprised at my aunt, I was putting something in her bin, there was repeat script, name, address, dob, NHS no 😩 I took it home & shredded

I had a phone call after my daughter died, from a "solicitor" who had been instructed to act on behalf of the water services, because there was money owing.

He was very pleasant, full of apologies, and all the rest of it.

It was a scam, and I was told that these people look at obituaries, and target relatives.

If it had been my mum, she would have paid, I'm sure, as she hated owing money, they were very believable, and it was only a small amount.

MissAdventure

I had a phone call after my daughter died, from a "solicitor" who had been instructed to act on behalf of the water services, because there was money owing.

He was very pleasant, full of apologies, and all the rest of it.

It was a scam, and I was told that these people look at obituaries, and target relatives.

If it had been my mum, she would have paid, I'm sure, as she hated owing money, they were very believable, and it was only a small amount.

How did you realise it was a scam?

Seajaye

There is an old saying that a fool and his. Money are easily parted. I imagine everyone who has been scammed would like their money back, and regrets their foolishness but it just means someone else pays for their foolishness including those who may have far less in the first place. I think if the bank have warned the person, then it's I reasonable to expect the bank to pay. More effort should be made by the police to catch the perpetrator when money has been obtained by deception but usually they have long since vanished before the victim reports them.

So many of the scamsters are based overseas anyway.

MissAdventure

I had a phone call after my daughter died, from a "solicitor" who had been instructed to act on behalf of the water services, because there was money owing.

He was very pleasant, full of apologies, and all the rest of it.

It was a scam, and I was told that these people look at obituaries, and target relatives.

If it had been my mum, she would have paid, I'm sure, as she hated owing money, they were very believable, and it was only a small amount.

That is a particularly vile scam.

Yes, I thought it was, too.
So heartless.
As I say, I'm sure people might pay up, too, thinking they've crossed something else off the list that's to be sorted when someone dies.

I can't remember, Mt61.

I think I checked online, because I knew someone's debts died with them anyway, then found a few stories from victims that were virtually the same.

Always utilities, small amounts, and following the same script.

What do intelligent eyes look like CariadAgain?
I obviously have dim ones.

I think it is a rare person who looks good in a mugshot. I used to work in a police station so I've seen lots of them. Even Hugh Grant didn't look great in his mugshot.

MissAdventure

Yes, I thought it was, too.
So heartless.
As I say, I'm sure people might pay up, too, thinking they've crossed something else off the list that's to be sorted when someone dies.

I think that is a fairly easy one to fall for, so many bits of admin to do at a difficult time. Well done you for not falling for it.

I'm too stingy to part with money easily.
I hope!!!

A few years ago someone contacted me on Facebook messenger. He seemed plausible, running a charity for orphans in Uganda.

I was never sure and hated myself for being cynical. It was just after my mum had died so I suppose I was vulnerable.

I sent him £200 because he said he had some hospital fees to pay. I asked him for details of the hospital so I could pay directly but he claimed he was in a different one (thanks to Google maps I knew something wasn't right) but sent it anyway.

Of course, there were more heartbreaking stories to make me feel bad- but in the end I resisted sending more.

In the end I received a message from someone who had actually gone out to help this guy in his orphanage. It had all been a scam. Yes, the orphans were genuine but he wasn't, buying expensive clothes for himself and neglecting the kids.

I was so glad I hadn't sent him more. The lady stayed there to help the kids but sent him packing. Good on her.

So, I am saying that anyone can fall for these plausible stories when they are vulnerable.

We all need to be careful.

Yes, we all have times of being vulnerable, perhaps without even realising.

Some of the romance scammers even admit to their victim that they're scammers, but the victim sees it as proof of how genuine their love is.
Its quite unbelievable

M0nica

^It is difficult to "be on the alert" all the darn time in case a person is a thief, rather than a normal person.^

It isn't a question of being on the alert all the time, in case someone is a thief.

It is just, as in the past, being alert to suspicious approaches. In the past, it would be the man offering to tarmac your drive, for £50, - and wanting to do it now. Or someon offering you something dirt cheap, off the back of a lorry. You just use your common sense.

Which has just reminded me that, when I moved to this area (ie one where a lot of the houses have this concrete type tiles - rather than the slate ones I want/am used to) I have spotted a gang of obvious-to-me workmen going round the area doing pressurewashing of the roofs - and they were getting given the job by a noticeable number of nearby house-owners.

Cue for me thinking "House roofs don't get pressure-washed. We never do - I've never seen that once. Can't really be necessary surely - and yet there these workmen are doing house after house of all these longstanding residents nearby!"

Cue for thinking "I dunno - maybe this not-my-sorta-roof all these houses have does need pressure-washing (unlike our slate ones). I'm going to go googling to see if this is something different that does need to be done - compared to what I'm used to".

Cue for Google telling me "You're right. Roofs do NOT get pressure-washed (even if made in this concrete tile stuff they use there). In fact - it will damage the roof".

Cue for me thinking "I'll stick to my own practice then - of of course roofs don't have that" and, when one of these workmen came up the road in the direction of my house he virtually ran back down it again - as I told him what-for rather clearly. Was very surprised at all these people falling for it - as I analysed the area on the spot when I came looking here at the houses as "The local former 'great and good' obviously live round here. This is going to mean these houses will all be bought up one by one - and modernised - and mine is one of the first here for this treatment".

I would have thought (former) "local 'great and good' of the town" would have realised.....!

My husband died almost a year ago and I had to pay out quite a lot of money which I did using my debit card. I paid one thousand 400 pounds to have the family grave opened and the headstone removed, six thousand to the undertaker for his funeral, one thousand 200 for an oak coffin, one thousand 400 for the wake, one thousand 800 for the home fees for his last week there (which l really resented paying as he had died on the Tuesday and the week went from Monday to Monday) and apart from smaller amounts finally just over a thousand to have the headstone engraved and replaced.

This is a huge sum of money and I am an old lady and not once did my bank check with me that this money was being used for the proper purposes.

I suppose it did look genuine but as my husband was not in the same bank at least they could have checked with me that he really had died

And to top it off I’ve just had a Facebook comment from a man telling me how much he admires my kind words and would like to get to know me better, yes ok dream on 🤭

I suggest you change your bank CeliaAnne

How do we know about the tarmac scam?
Because people have heard of it, because victims have soon about it.

We weren't all born with an in built knowledge of the properties of tarmac.

As the bank tried to warn her several times, I don't think they need to refund any more than they have. My bank even asks me where the money came from if I deposit more than $1,000 in cash. (It's rent monies)
Some people have to start taking more responsibility for what they do.

Seajaye

There is an old saying that a fool and his. Money are easily parted. I imagine everyone who has been scammed would like their money back, and regrets their foolishness but it just means someone else pays for their foolishness including those who may have far less in the first place. I think if the bank have warned the person, then it's I reasonable to expect the bank to pay. More effort should be made by the police to catch the perpetrator when money has been obtained by deception but usually they have long since vanished before the victim reports them.

more effort should be made by the police 🤦🏼‍♀️
I don’t think you’re aware of how clever and serious this business is.
A small town has been built in Laos. This has been built by a Chinese business man.
It is mostly occupied by prisoners who have been bought from prisons.
Their job is to man the phones. They are captive there.
And you think that our police can tackle this.

Having watched the romance scam programme in BBC TV I am astounded at how easy the scammers fool people. Why would an early 20s very attractive lady be attracted to a grizzled, wrinkled man of 70 and upwards? By the same token a, supposedly, handsome young man going 'ga ga' over a grey haired, often overweight lady who is showing her years? They don't stop at sending money for all kinds of things, hospital treatment and air fares to visit - but never do. Why not buy your own ticket and go and visit the person? This can go on for months, even years, and the couple never meet. This scam caught some very intelligent people. Why? Being on your own should not take away all your common sense!!

This film shows how enormous the business is.

www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m001rs7s/hunting-the-catfish-crime-gang

theworriedwell

Pammie1

In these cases I think the bank is entitled not to pay up at all. How anyone can simply give away this amount of money is absolutely beyond me. At some point you have to take personal responsibility and it’s not as though these scams haven’t been highlighted over and over. Unless there is a safeguarding concern where the bank are aware of a medical problem such as dementia etc, and haven’t followed procedure, the responsibility should be on the person.

I became aware of another possible scam this morning. Received an email from British Gas to say that they were refunding a substantial amount of credit on my energy account and increasing the direct debit by quite a lot. I don’t know about anyone else but that just didn’t make any sense to me, because the credit is enough to cover my bills until end of year review in May with no adjustments necessary.

I rang BG and they said they have no record of any email being sent today and the last communication from them was 5 November. They asked me to screenshot the email and send it to them so they could investigate, and they confirmed that the credit would stay on the account and the direct debit would remain the same - no plans to adjust either.

On looking back at the email, if it’s a scam, it’s a very scary one because the amount of credit was correct, as were the direct debit details - gas and electricity account numbers were also correct. There was a link at the bottom of the email to use if I wanted everything to remain the same - which I didn’t click. Thankfully I logged into my account first to check the details and then contacted BG direct. If anyone is with BG I’d be interested to hear if you’ve had anything similar.

Having been offered a 4 figure refund by BG when we were only just in credit nothing surprises me with them. I moved to Octopus and they sorted it out for me. I really didn't want to get into a mess with the gas/electric so didn't want a refund I'm not due.

That in itself sounds like a scam one telephone call to British Gas could probably have sorted. Did you phone them?