Unidentified Bank credits

I had a similar thing with my account. Every couple of months a similar amount appeared. Turned out to be some savings I had forgotten about which paid interest!

I only retired last year so the Christmas bonus took me by surprise this year. I had a letter informing me that the winter fuel payment would be arriving but then after that the mysterious £10 appeared. It took me quite a while to work out what it was - fortunately before I'd wasted time contacting the bank!

Previously my biggest mystery was noticing that my broadband provider had stopped taking my direct debit payment. It turned out that my provider had discontinued the plan I was on but as it had been in my ex H's name he received the email notification despite me asking for the account to be put in my name. When I didn't reply and set up a new account on the new much more expensive tariff they canclled my contract. The email informing me also went to exH. However they didn't cut me off so if I didn't check my bank statements carefully I'd never have noticed. When I eventually phoned them they explained the new deal and I told them I didn't want it. I ended up using their broadband for free for many months until I eventually moved my account elsewhere. I probably could have carried on with their 'free' service long term but I worried if it went wrong I'd be without broadband until I set up with someone else so didn't want to risk it. I'm sure lots of people don't check their accounts carefully so don't notice small discrepancies, but having been raised by an accountant I need mine to balance to the last penny!

Well done Liz46!

So pleased you’ve solved the mystery Auntieflo, now you can go on a spending spree!! Well done Liz46.

Thanks for letting us know!

Ps ours wasn't much either!

Auntieflo I'm glad you have found the source.

Years ago I took a building society book to be updated after a couple of years and was surprised to see several credits from the then Midland Bank.
After a lot of detective work, I realised that we'd received free shares from another building society, the dividends from which were paid into our BS account via their Midland bank account.

So glad to hear of this happy outcome, Auntieflo!
Well done to Liz46 for solving the mystery. ???

Liz46, you qualify for the GN star of the day. ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you so much.
I took out an NSandI bond a few months ago, so I have just looked on my account, and lo and behold, there were the exact figures, with corresponding dates.
It never occurred to me that that is what it could have been, as I had assumed that any interest would be re- invested

So go to the top of the class, as you have solved what the bank couldn't or wouldn't.
I am very grateful, but not rich enough to go somewhere warm and safe, yet.

I don't think they've changed. I think they've found ways to not get caught.
www.icij.org/investigations/fincen-files/hsbc-moved-vast-sums-of-dirty-money-after-paying-record-laundering-fine/

Do you have an account anywhere that pays monthly interest into your bank account? I had a couple of credits and I wondered what they were and then I was checking through my savings one day and realised that I have NS&I Income Bonds and they put the interest into my bank account, the description showing strange letters and numbers.

martin lewis, the money saving expert, is usually on radio 5 live on mondays from 12 noon, and takes calls.
perhaps you could try to ring in or message the show.

I would open up a new current account with a new provider. I recommend the Co-op and Nationwide. Move everything over to them - that way you can leave these unidentified amounts going in to HSBC. If someone is trying to access your account, they will get no joy; if they have made a mistake, the money is there for them. And HSBC don't deserve your custom.
I did wonder if someone repaying a neighbour for some 'lockdown shopping' has made a mistake.

HSBCs shameful track record with money laundering was the reason I left them.
Change your bank account. It's very simple now.

Surely the bank can identify where these credits come from?

The answers they are giving you are totally unsatisfactory. If a BACS credit they will know, if a cheque deposit there is proof and, if a cash credit, there is a record.

You need to speak to someone higher up the chain of command!

Seriously, if it was me I would close the account, my day to day account is separate from my deposit account with manual transfers. Opening an account is easy you can do it online during Covid, as long as you have passport and driving licence etc.

As the bank is not being helpful I think I would open a new savings account with them and transfer any of the payments into it so that you can keep it separate. In the future, if you have to repay it you will have it to hand and can show that you have not spent any of it.
It is probably part of a scam so keep a sharp eye on your account. I was advised many years ago to only keep enough money in my current account to cover expected expenses, everything else should be held in a different account and transferred over as needed and I have done that ever since.

Interesting this letter should come up today, banks are ready to sign an agreement that basically will exonerate them from any fraud may take place on your account.
This will mean if you are scammed it is very unlikely the bank will refund your money.
Lots of people are saying that the banks are not investigating fraud properly, surely it has to go into another account so why are they not investigating these other accounts they maybe abroad but what is to stop them taking action overseas?
TSB is the only UK bank that guarantees to refund customers if they have been victims of scammers.

Just an update.
Yesterday I received another unidentified bank credit.
So, I called the 'Help Line' for HSBC. I was on the phone for over 30 minutes, quite good eh? and the upshot is, guess what?

They can do nothing about it!
If the money was being taken out , then they would raise a dispute.

Oh well, I tried, so maybe I should just go and buy some nice biscuits.

Thank you jeannie99.
The letter that the staff refused to accept on my second visit to the bank, I have now posted through their letter box, last Saturday.
I also sent a secure message, via the bank on- line. The reply was, it could take up to 48 hours to answer.
That was well over a week ago!
If it was £0000000s of pounds, no doubt someone would be able to trace it, but as it is for a small sum, as you say, they probably can't be bothered.
I am keeping diary entries as to the progress, or lack of.

There is an audit trail for all transactions of course your bank can trace it, more like can't be bothered.
I would send a letter to the bank asking for a trace and wait for their response and keep it on file.

Thank you all for your thoughts and input.
I have just caught up, having had a 2 day unexpected hospital stay.
I have filed away the letter, that was not accepted in branch, and sent a secure message, via my bank account on line. I will look and see whether they have responded.
Unfortunately, it is not the Winter Fuel Allowance, or a Premium Bond win. ?
The only information on my account, with the credits, was a string of letters and numbers.
So I will wait and see whether a third credit appears on the 5th December.
(Meanwhile I haven't rushed out and spent all of the money)

Just another thought Auntieflo, you will know yourself if it was paid in by cash or BACS depending what the description says on your bank statement. If it was paid in cash the description should say paid in at then the sort code of the branch where it was paid in, beginning with 40 which is sort code for HSBC. If it was BACS it should have more information.Hope it gets sorted soon.

Winter fuel allowance? Premium bond win?

Are you sure it's not a refund or discount from something you have forgotten? I had the opposite problem as £800 was paid to pay off my credit card. I had no recollection of such a large amount but going back in my diary I realised that because of covid a couple of my bills were never paid and they had added up.

Insist that a note is put on your file that you contested the payments and keep copies of any emails you send them and make a note, including time and substance of discussion of any phone calls, visits to bank etc.