Debit Card Fraud

[blfamily]

I had a phone call from the Nat West Fraud Team today. Although I was suspicious, I did the usual checks and it was the Fraud Team. So I rang them.

 

When I got through to a human, I found out that my card had been used twice in the last 24hrs. 1 when I was shocked to findout that my card had been used whilst I was knocking down a shed at my late uncles and secondally when my daughter was reading to me for her homework!

 

Now my card is blocked to stop any furture use and they will investigate further and try and get the money back.

 

They said the payments were both to the same company. So I thought I would check my wifes business as she is a consultant for a major beauty firm and guess what. Both payments were made on my card without my knowledge.

 

So it looks like she is going to be in the Sh1t shortly.

 

Questions here are

 

She will say I gave permission, will they believe her (considering I was out of the house for the first transaction)?

 

Will the police get involved?

 

How long before my account gets credited with the refunded money?

 

My wife has done this before and owes just over £1000 that has never come back. Does this give grounds for seperation/divorce?

 

Thanks in appreciation

[buzby]

Difficult! Is it a joint account? Because you are married, the assumption would be you agreed to it (or would have, given the chance). If not, then she could fein that she used the card by mistake, and will redress the issue = no doubt by paying your card company for the money you owed.

 

I doubt the police will be involved - they'll probably flag her on the CIFAS database as being party to a fraudulent action which will block her from obtaining credit, cards and a host of financial things that use CIFAS (and this includes insurance).

 

Assuming the card company believe you were not involved, there will be a temporary reversal whilst they investigate. As for grounds for divorce, as Tesco points out, every little helps - but joking aside, there may be a rational explanation and you were not supposed to be defrauded... I mean, how could you NOT notice?

 

I think for the family, you should work things out - and keep your cards in a secure place.

[blfamily]

Hi Buzby.

 

No it isn't a joint account - she has done this before £500 was taken out. And since I have had seperate account, she has forgot to tell me twice! Last time it happened they could not do any thing but re issued me with a new card, I found out myself that time. Obviously I have a fraud marker set on my account and this was spotted this time.

 

As I was out the house when the first occurence happened that is in my favour and that I got back in touch with Nat West once I found out the phone number, rather than ignoring the number.

 

The only rational explaination is that she had to order something twice? before the end of the month to get some special offer. But she had the opportunity to bank her takings on Saturday. so why not use her account?

 

Doesn't help me as I am £340 short with MOT & Service due plus every other bill I pay (she has a good life really & then she can't pay the TV licence nor the phone BT phone bill on time!).

 

Over the past 3-4 years I have been diagnosed with depression - she uses this against me. i.e. when she finds out about the fraud, she will tell me I said yes and I forgot - happens to regular, but since I had therapy I can spot her devious activity!

 

Fingers crossed.

[JimmySpangle]

Instead of asking us, why not ask your wife?

[buzby]

And in the case of forgetfulness (real or imagined) jot things down in a diary or notepad. Works for me!

[shywazz]

Think if i'm correct, you will have to report this a as theft to the police, hence your wife or x as it might be, will most likly be charged with the theft, i take it you both are not living together, hence how did she get your card details etc ? these questions will be asked and need answering. The card company will refund the money as and when the theft is reported and logged as a crime, if you don't want your wife been charged for this crime, then you will have to bear the brunt of the loss. Others might indicate other methods to get the money back, but really unless its reported as a theft i think the chances are slim.

[buzby]

No. The card companies have (since 2000) taken sole responsibility to pursue cases like this.

 

It isn't a police matter.

Edited March 2, 2010 by buzby

[blfamily]

Instead of asking us, why not ask your wife?

 

Why???

 

She has done this before and said I said yes, so why she would not do the same again? I have told her that if it ever happens again then it will be reported as fraud - Nat West are one a head of me on this one, I didn't know it was my wife till after I called them back. It is chance that I found the last 4 of my card on 2 different payments screens of the business she runs.

 

Nat West are sorting this out for me. And if it is her then she will have to explain to her customers that the orders are not coming because she cannot control her debts and that she stole the money for their orders and then stole from her husband hoping he wouldn't know. No doubt she will save face and say she asked me and that I said yes; that I am evil, a bully, suffer from a mental illness and don't know what I am doing most the time, or that she should leave me. Making me the guilty person, when it is her greed and financial mismanagement that has caused this in the first place.

[blfamily]

Think if i'm correct, you will have to report this a as theft to the police, hence your wife or x as it might be, will most likly be charged with the theft, i take it you both are not living together, hence how did she get your card details etc ? these questions will be asked and need answering. The card company will refund the money as and when the theft is reported and logged as a crime, if you don't want your wife been charged for this crime, then you will have to bear the brunt of the loss. Others might indicate other methods to get the money back, but really unless its reported as a theft i think the chances are slim.

 

 

They didn't ask me to report this to the police.

[loopinlouie]

Why???

 

She has done this before and said I said yes, so why she would not do the same again? I have told her that if it ever happens again then it will be reported as fraud - Nat West are one a head of me on this one, I didn't know it was my wife till after I called them back. It is chance that I found the last 4 of my card on 2 different payments screens of the business she runs.

 

Nat West are sorting this out for me. And if it is her then she will have to explain to her customers that the orders are not coming because she cannot control her debts and that she stole the money for their orders and then stole from her husband hoping he wouldn't know. No doubt she will save face and say she asked me and that I said yes; that I am evil, a bully, suffer from a mental illness and don't know what I am doing most the time, or that she should leave me. Making me the guilty person, when it is her greed and financial mismanagement that has caused this in the first place.

 

If living with her or not, she needs to know what damage she is doing to you, financially and stress wise. I worry for you that if shes done it before what will stop her doing it again. Could you both go to marriage counselling and hopefully she could be made to realise she is putting you at risk. If of course she doesnt care then you need to protect yourself in some way, getting new card with new number and lock them away in safe. Make all accounts aware of what she did and be wary to accept orders without three digit code which you hide.

 

Sorry shes leading you a dance, your not stupid and shouldnt put up with itxxxx

[loopinlouie]

They didn't ask me to report this to the police.

 

Do it yourself, she might realise you are annoyed;)

[buzby]

See Message # 7

[dr fox]

Happened to me also (although not by my wife)......anyway in my case the bank advised me to go to the police and get a crime ref number.

 

Then the bank sent out a disclaimer for me to sign stating that i did not use the card on the said date.

 

Money was refunded within a week. The bank did advise that they would pursue the matter, although i dont know the outcome and that was 4 years ago.

 

Probably costs them too much to go through the courts and nothing gets done about it !!

[natalie]

I would imagine this would fall under Unreasonable Behaviour to get divorced if thats what you want.

[blfamily]

I have now found last months bank statement and I see £15 deduction made payable to the company she does Partyplan for (statement was "hidden away" for almost 3 weeks FGS.). Slightly less than what I lost last weekend.

 

Now if she hides statement, could she have hid the letter from the fraud team. assuming they have sent me one?

 

Although she is "self employed" could I go to her employer and tell them what she has done? or just speak to the local area manager?

 

In the meantime, if I don't here from the bank by Monday, I will pop in and have a word, even sign the disclaimer letter if they can print me one off.

 

Looking back over the years, when the mortgage payment was not made; when £500 disappeared out of our then joint account; that she has used my card to pay for her business time after time after time:- she has a serious problem, that has affected me, the kids and eveyone around me.

 

I will write my own disclaimer letter & stick it in the banks letter box tomorrow, or Monday AM.

Edited March 6, 2010 by blfamily
addition

[buzby]

As you say, she's not employed by them, just an 'agent' - so they'll not be interested in you, nor divulge any information (as it would be against the DPA).

 

I can't really see what involving them can do - except perhaps pile on the agnst, which is fine if you seeking payback of sorts, but in the lomg term it doesn't benefit anyone.