Halifax - O2 money card fraud - help please!

[landy_alert]

Hi everyone:)

 

I could do with some help with a Halifax issue please and hope this is the right place......

 

Our son, a student in his final year at uni, has several accounts with the Halifax. Today he called me and said when checking his student current account online he discovered that a payment of £100 had gone out that he did not recognise. It was marked as 'debit payment/O2 money card'. Now, although he has an account with O2 for his Apple i-phone bill, this is a monthly direct debit debit payment which has recently been paid.

 

He called the Halifax and explained that he didn't know what this payment was for and why it had been debited. They checked his account and said a second payment is in the system also for £100 and again for 'O2 money card'. He informed them he hadn't set these payments up or purchased anything from O2 so they agreed to cancel his card and send out a new one. They said they would be unable to stop the second payment going out though.

 

They did say that he wasn't the first person today to call them regarding the same occurence on their account. They also advised him to call O2, which he did, but they were of no help whatsoever.

 

Halifax said they could not refund the money to him until they had investigated the matter as a fraud issue which could take up to 3 weeks, but in the meantime he is out of pocket by £200 which he can ill afford. He was going to transfer his remaining cash into his other Halifax account to safeguard it just in case of further fraudulent activity, but is concerned that if he does this and a direct debit comes out (his rent etc) from the original account Halifax will penalise him for going into unauthorised overdraft.

 

I was wondering if anyone else had experienced a similar situation regarding an O2 money card fraud?

 

Also whether Halifax would be likely to forgive any transgressions into unauthorised o/d as this would have happened through no fault of his own?

 

Finally, whether Halifax were correct in saying they couldn't prevent this other payment going out, even though he had assured them he had not authorised this payment?

 

I have advised him to go into branch tomorrow and speak to someone face-to-face and hopefully he will get further advice.

 

Apologies for the lengthy post and thanks in adbvance for any help you can offer:D

 

Regards,

 

Landy x

[postggj]

thhis is rollocks from hbos

 

there is new legislation now that banks have to refund money reported as fraud with imediate effect while the investigation is going on

 

IME SURE A LINK TO THE RELEVENT THREAD WILL BE POSTED

IVE READ IT SO I KNOW THIS IS GOSPEL

 

CANT STOP A PAYMENT GOING OUT

 

ROLLOCKS

 

ITS CALLED A CHARGE BACK

[landy_alert]

thhis is rollocks from hbos

 

there is new legislation now that banks have to refund money reported as fraud with imediate effect while the investigation is going on

 

IME SURE A LINK TO THE RELEVENT THREAD WILL BE POSTED

IVE READ IT SO I KNOW THIS IS GOSPEL

 

CANT STOP A PAYMENT GOING OUT

 

ROLLOCKS

 

ITS CALLED A CHARGE BACK

 

Thanks postggj - most appreciated! As you say, hopefully someone will post the link. In the meantime I will pass on this info to our son so that he can be assertive on the subject when he goes into branch tomorrow and not let them walk all over him:wink:

[Helford]

I have an O2 Money card (Which is actually run by NatWest). You can only load this card by making a card payment from either a VISA or Mastercard DEBIT card or Solo or Maestro card. Normally you would load from your own card, but you can ask a friend or relative to load by going to:-

 

Adding money - O2 Money

 

 

You will note that a maximum of £100 can be added initially and then nothing more for up to 7 days, then up to £500 a time. depending on the type of O2 card, there may be an annual load limit.

 

I have had lots of problems in loading my own card (even with available funds Lol), mainly due to 'Verified by VISA' issues.

 

HBOS need to get their act together and work out where the money is going, perhaps they can speak with NatWest. O2 themselves seem to have nothing to do with the set up at all.

 

Best of luck!

 

H

[landy_alert]

Hi Helford:)

 

Thanks for your post with further info about the O2 money card!

 

As you say Halifax must be able to find out where this money has gone - hopefully when my son speaks to them in the morning he will insist that they can't just refuse to refund his money until they have got round to investigating the matter - particularly with Christmas just around the corner every penny counts!

 

Regards,

 

Landy x

[postggj]

ime still running down the legislation

 

what i can tell you is it came into force last month

[kiptower]

this bit

 

Financial News - Credit cards News - EU regulations will increase credit card refunds

[postggj]

hats off kiptower

 

just in time

[landy_alert]

Hi Guys:)

 

Very many thanks for your help! I found out a bit myself by googling - it was a 'Payment Services Directive' which came into force on 1st November 2009 and as a result banks have to refund within 10 days unless they can prove you authorised the transaction.

 

I've primed him via email on what he should say and thankfully he's more forthright than Mr L and I ever used to be with our old bank (LTSB:mad:)

 

Hopefully he's learned from our mistakes!

 

Thanks again,

 

Landy x

[landy_alert]

Hi everyone:)

 

Just an update on this -

 

Have just heard from son at uni - he went into Hellifax today and made his point about the Payment Services Directive. Apparently they were a bit non-commital, but when he got home he received a phone call informing him that once he has filled out their fraud investigation form (basically asking whether he authorised someone to use his details, which of course he did not) which is being posted to him, his money will be refunded. It seems that this is what their 'fraud investigation' comprises, so hopefully he will get his money back in time for Christmas:D

 

Thanks again for your help!

 

Regards,

 

Landy x

[formula1mad]

I've had an o2 moneycard since Aug 09. I'd had no problems using it, regularly topping it up online using my visa electron card. I liked to use the o2 card for online payments such as tesco who don't accept visa electron for some reason.

 

But for the last 3 or 4 weeks whenever i've tried to top up my o2 card online using my electron card it comes up saying 'payment didn't got through, contact customer services'. On the 6th time of calling they have said that they have put a block on my o2 card for online top ups for 6 months due to 'issues in the past regarding my top ups'. I said that i was only moving money from my bank account onto my o2 card but she said that there was nothing i could do about it. The only way i can top up the o2 card is at an o2 shop. I can't even top it up at a paypoint she said.

 

Can they do this? Should i take this further? I'm confused as to why they have taken away my online top up facility. There has been no fraudulent activity and i've done nothing wrong. I know it's their card and their rules but surely it's dreadful customer service?

 

Any help or advice on this matter will be very greatfully appreciated