....

If it was you then please let me take this opportunity to say thank you. Any grumbles that i have had are not against you personally, because you were the only one that listened to me - the only one that was willing to take on board my predicament and take some positive action to see me through this and i'm sorry if i was short with you on the phone, but if i was, then please understand that it was out of sheer frustration. I know you all had procedures to follow, but you just went that little bit extra for me and helped me out. My main problem is a) with the whole fraud thing and b) the whole system of claiming back. Also the fact that the account was allowed to go overdrawn with no checks annoyed me too....but you did explain the possibilities of why that happened (different companies have different floor levels re checking payments). So, please take this as a big thank you from me and yes it has all been sorted out now. I sent the forms back re the fraud and yesterday received a letter stating that my account had been rectified. Thanks again x

Even if the friend did give all security details, without express autorisation from the customer, the company should not discuss financial details. The customer either needs to write in or this can be done over the phone with the customer giving full name and d.o.b. of the person they give permission to speak on their behalf to discuss the account. Anything else is breaking the DPA

A while back i applied for a contract sim with Topaz Mobile as i had applied for one from Orange, but they sent me one that was already connected to a corporate account (don't ask). Anyway, i finally told Orange not to bother. The sim came from Topaz, but on the same day a new sim came from Orange so i sent the Topaz one straight back without even opening it - but put a covering letter in with the return. Never gave it another thought until i had a letter from a collection agency stating that i owed £60 odd pounds for 3 months line rental. I'd not had any bills from Topaz at this stage. I advised the collection agency that i had sent the sim straight back without opening and activating so they could see that i'd never used it. They asked if i sent it recorded ( i hadn't stupidly) and they said they would look into it. A few days later i got a letter from them saying they had contacted Topaz and they claim not to have received the sim and as i hadn't sent it recorded i was liable for the next 2 years line rental as stated in the contract even though, from the records, Topaz could agree that the sim has not been activated to date. So now they want me to pay the £60 odd quid, plus charges, plus continue to pay them £20 a month for 2 years even though they admit that they know the sim has never been activated. Is there anything i can do ? Thanks

Hi just a quickie to keep this at the top - Also, have i posted in the right place ?

Hi, I had a visit from a bailiff this evening informing me that he was calling re council tax from 2007/2008. He said he was here to make an agreement with me and needed to come in to list my goods. I said that as far as i was aware i didn't have to let him in and the only way he could make his list was by gaining peaceful entry either by me letting him in or him finding an open window etc etc. He informed me that i was wrong and that if i refused to let him in this evening he would be back with a van and a locksmith in a couple of days. Is this right ? After reading up on here, it now seems that the way to go would be they pass the case back to the council and then they go various ways so i believe...attachment to earnings etc. I am quite willing to contact the council if this will be passed back, although i gather they probably won't take the case back anyway, but it's worth calling them. Anyway, any advice as to wether he was right and can gain entry by force without me letting him in ever is correct. Thanks

Hello Yourbank - yep thats what i thought However, after spending an hour in the bank waiting for them to get it all verified, they finally allowed me to make a withdrawal. This was such a relief as it was my birthday last Saturday and my mum took me to London for the day on Wednesday ! I didn't need bags of money as tickets were her treat, but i couldn't have gone penniless as that would have been taking the mickey. I only spent £15 all day - didn't realise that would be possible in London. Had a letter through the post today from the Halifax asking me to fill in a form re the fraudulent transaction and to send it back to them. Just one confusing part though - They ask me to fill in the part about reporting a lost/stolen card to the police and give the crime ref number. Although i did report this to the police and was given a crime ref number, i didn't report it as a lost/stolen card, but just card fraud as i still had the card. Do i fill the details in anyway ? I didn't get the officers number/name who i spoke to on the phone though. Best i just fill in as much as i can and if they need any more they will contact me do you think ? It was so nice to be able to go to the supermarket and shop at last ! Thanks for all your help on this. It's so nice that places like this exist and you dont' have to call premium rate numbers to get help

OK little update. Was fed up with the 'don't care' attitude of Halifax so went online to check the complaints procedure...First step 'Call Customer Relations Manager'. Called the number, went through my whole sorry story only for the customer relations manager to tell me the same thing " We can't do anything and you'll have to wait until the case is resolved". I advised him that i understood there was a procedure to go through but because of Halifax's willingness to give me a fraudulant overdraft (and not at any other time), and then being refused help point blank everywhere i turn even though i was having money paid in that was rightfully mine but was being eaten up by said fraudulant overdraft, i was going to have to take this higher and could he please give me the details of the Ombudsman i need to contact. Customer relations manager then went through to the Fraud Dept and came back to inform me that if i go into my bank they will honour a withdrawal up to the amount that i should be in credit for. He gave me a code to quote so that the bank manager can call the fraud dept to clarify its genuine. This is still going to take 4 - 6 weeks to sort out but at least someone has given me a lifeline at last ! Thanks for letting me spout off in here

Re my original message (Halifax)- i have looked online today and my Child Benefit has been paid in and swallowed up by the enormous overdraft. Called the Fraud Dept and they said they are currently working 3 days behind - so my case should be looked at tomorrow....."Hooray"!! i thought BUT - unfortunately, yes it will be looked at possibly tomorrow, but that is just the beginning. It will still take between 4 and 6 weeks to resolve and get my account back into credit so i can actually access my money. I know this isn't the banks fault, but they don't seem to have any inclination to help me at all. It' s just basically 'tough luck, we'll get round to you when we can'. I understand that in the grand scheme of things i've got off pretty lightly as some people are fleeced for 1000's of pounds, but it's just the inconvenience of it all and the fact that they are quite happy to leave me sitting here with 3 young children and no money

They haven't confirmed, although they said they presume it is because of the nature of the purchase. It's been sitting on my live account staus since the 6th for all to see.....

Hi yes i cancelled it on the day i realised and reported the fraud to the bank. Also reported to police that day to get a crime ref number to give to the bank. The trans was made on the 6th, i reported on the 7th.

Hi, just registered and this is my first post, although i do come on regularly if i need any advice ! Sorry if this is in thr wrong place...i did look around, but this is the only place i could really see. Feel free to move it if its incorrect Anyway, i would appreciate some help or just pointing in the right direction, but its a bit of a long winded one, sorry. Last Thursday i logged onto my internet banking to discover some lovely person fancied a holiday and had booked tickets worth a few hundred quid with my debit card. Not only had it wiped my account out, but it had also taken me nearly £300 overdrawn. Interestingly i don't have an overdraft facility so i was a bit puzzled....but back to that later. I got a crime ref number and then logged the fraud complaint with the bank straight away only to be spoken to by the most unhelpful person in the whole universe i think. She told me that i couldn't talk to the fraud department directly as they didn't take calls and that this would take 4 to 6 weeks to resolve and basically they couldn't help me as anyone could do a large transaction on their account and claim it wasn't them. Went to see my bank manager on Friday morning who couldn't really do alot as i don't have the overdraft facility on my account so it was a case of sit and wait, but as a GOGW they would refund any charges (how kind). Was really annoyed, angry, upset and feeling ill with worry so called Halifax that tea time and was told that of course i could speak to the fraud dept and was given a direct number to call Monday morning to arrange an emergency overdraft which they could do. Called them this morning, to be told that, no they couldn't arrange an overdraft as i didn't have the facility. When i questioned how on earth i'd managed to go overdrawn by hundreds of pounds because of this fraud when i didn't have an overdraft facility they didn't have any answers. Anyway, have been sitting here and decided to call the bank manager again for some help. Explained that all i had was what they took and that i have money being paid in on Weds this week which will just get swallowed up by this overdraft that is there but i'm not allowed to have. Explained that i have 3 young children, no money and am in dire straits, yet nobody wants to help at all. His answer was to advise that he will try and open a new account for me with an overdraft facility - BUT a) it means a credit check and b) i won't get the overdraft facility. If i could i would have opened an account with that originally. Can anyone help or advise me of the best thing to do. I do work, but claim WFTC, which will go in this week but be eaten up. I have asked WFTC to pay into another account that i never use now, but they said it's probably too late and the money may still go into the Halifax account. Surely someone somewhere in the banking system should be able to help me. As far as i can see, Halifax are at fault here for allowing the account to go overdrawn, thus my money that myself and my children are depending. What happened to duty of care to customers ? Ok whilst i was typing this, bank manager called to advise that the application didn't go through and it's a case of sitting and waiting. Excellent ! Thanks in advance and sorry its so long winded.