Fraud or paranoia

[alex812]

I'm not sure where to post this. I spotted a puzzlement on my current account and contacted my bank just in case. Below I reproduce the exchanges so far. Am I being paranoid or what?

Me. On my current account statement there is a PayPal transaction that I don't recognise, namely a PayPal payment of £0.36 on 15 February. Have checked my PayPal account and can find no such sum or adjustment there. Will continue to monitor PayPal but thought it wise to advise the matter just in case this is a test transaction by a fraudster. If I find this 36p transaction is valid I'll let you know.

Bank. I'm sorry to hear that there's been a transaction you don't recognise online! Would you like me to raise this as a dispute for you? This is where our Visa Team will investigate the payment and try to have this refunded to you (as long as they find evidence that you have not authorised this payment). If you'd like me to go ahead and raise this for you, please let me know and I'll be happy to get this sorted.
  
Me. It is not the 36p that is the concern. It's that a fraudster will often probe defences by trying a small transaction before a major hit. The payment does not show in my PayPal account so someone, who is not PayPal, has taken money under the name of PayPal from my current account. I'm reporting a potential fraud.


Any advice welcome

Alex

[mc2fool]

I think you've done just the right thing and I would certainly raise it as a dispute, not just for the sake of 36p but to get Visa looking into that transaction, if for no other reason so that they already have it on their books as "dodgy" should anything further (and bigger) happen from the same source.

[alex812]

Thanks for that mc2fool. Have just now raised a dispute on the 36p since still no sign on PP account of any such amount. My guess is now definitely veering towards fraud. I'll let you know the eventual outcome even if I look like a dork at the end of it.

Alex

[alex812]

This is like swimming in treacle. Bank saying, in effect, not my job guv - take it up with PayPal. PayPal site doesn't seem to have a link to resolve this type of problem - buying/selling disputes yes, fraudulent transactions no. Meanwhile have reduced amount held in current account to just a couple of hundred pounds as a precaution. Any other suggestions?

[stevensfo]

PayPal site doesn't seem to have a link to resolve this type of problem - buying/selling disputes yes, fraudulent transactions no.

The only advice I can think of is to make sure that you put your concerns in writing and send it recorded delivery to the manager of your bank and Paypal. In my experience, a letter carries far more clout than an email or website communication.

Steve

[mc2fool]

This is like swimming in treacle. Bank saying, in effect, not my job guv - take it up with PayPal. PayPal site doesn't seem to have a link to resolve this type of problem - buying/selling disputes yes, fraudulent transactions no. Meanwhile have reduced amount held in current account to just a couple of hundred pounds as a precaution. Any other suggestions?

Sorry, but what are they saying "not my job" about? They offered to raise it as a dispute and now that you have taken them up on that they are saying you can't, or what?!?

Sounds like you want to step it up a gear. Start off by contacting whoever you've been communicating with so far and telling them that you're not happy with their responses to date and would like to know who to contact to file a formal complaint. That in itself may get things moving, but in any case do follow up as stevensfo says, and putting FORMAL COMPLAINT (in bolded capitals!) at the top, along with expressing your hope that they will resolve the matter swiftly without you having to go to the Financial Ombudsman Service.

They'll have eight weeks to give you a "full and final" answer. Note, you can't go to the FOS unless and until you've been through that procedure first.

However, in addition to that, you may give the FOS a call to ask if they have any hints or advice on how to complain to PayPal, and what to do if you get no joy from them (I'm not sure if the FOS's jurisdiction covers the likes of PayPal which, I think, is registered in Luxembourg; check that too before calling).

Here's a couple of links that may be useful:
http://www.financial-ombudsman.org.uk/c ... laints.htm
https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/debt- ... societies/

[ReformedCharacter]

Recently as I set up a payment for a new recipient online I was told by that I had to 'phone them. I did so and spoke to someone with an accent that I only associate with scammers of the 'I'm calling you from Microsoft' variety. Nigerian I think. The person who I spoke to became ever so slightly aggressive when he realised that I was suspicious and kept telling me that I could visit a branch to confirm my identity if I wished. This seemed a little unnecessary to me as I was only attempting to transfer money to another bank with an account in my name.

Anyway, still doubtful about the accent I started to wonder if I might have been persuaded to provide my security details to a scammer and told the gentleman that I would 'phone the bank on another number and continue the security check again...

I explained the situation to the fraud prevention people at the bank and eventually it was sorted out. Paranoia perhaps and I'm sorry that I judged the bank employee on the basis of his accent but then it is unfortunate that my previous experience of talking to similarly accented people had always involved them trying to part me with my money.

RC

[Lootman]

I'm sorry that I judged the bank employee on the basis of his accent but then it is unfortunate that my previous experience of talking to similarly accented people had always involved them trying to part me with my money.

I think I would be a lot more sorry if I had over-ridden my suspicion on the grounds of trying to be politically correct, and then been scammed! It's not your fault that people with Nigerian accents have cornered the market in scams.

[Alaric]

I explained the situation to the fraud prevention people at the bank and eventually it was sorted out.

Banks aren't to be trusted. There was a period where on receipt of a new credit card, you had to phone a number to activate it. Eventually it became apparent this was a marketing near scam, as the purpose of the phone connection had little directly to do with security and more to an associate of the bank trying to sell some fairly worthless identity protection insurance.

http://www.which.co.uk/consumer-rights/ ... n-plan-cpp

[Lootman]

Banks aren't to be trusted. There was a period where on receipt of a new credit card, you had to phone a number to activate it. Eventually it became apparent this was a marketing near scam, as the purpose of the phone connection had little directly to do with security and more to an associate of the bank trying to sell some fairly worthless identity protection insurance.

http://www.which.co.uk/consumer-rights/ ... n-plan-cpp

Yes and, moreover, they also want you to ring them to cancel a card. And when you do, you are passed onto a "retention specialist" who basically tries to nag you into retaining the card.

I cancel cards by post to avoid that.

[alex812]

Latest bank statement shows the 36p re-credited to current account. No explanation, nothing, so I never will know whether this was a fraudster's probing or what.

OP Alex