is this fraud?

[steveewonder]

Hi All,

Im a newbie to the board but looks like im by no means alone.my problem is this.i currently recieve benefits as i got made redundant,i also get housing benefit which is also paid into my natwest account.now i was always under the impression that if you checked the balance on your online bank and the balance at the cash machine and they were the same that really chances are its correct and you have that amount in the account.So for example its the 18th of the month and i have £85 in the account.i use my card and put a £5 credit on my phone and withdraw the £80 at the cash machine.This is still leaving my account balance at a +.So at this present time im not overdrawn.

I go home and check my online bank and there it is £5 for vodaphone and an £80 atm withdrawral.On the 19th i check my account and still the same.So on the 20th i check my account and im overdrawn for account charges.but now according to the online banking these were taken on the 18th.but when i checked on the 18th and 19th and took screen shots they wasnt there.but now they were.but the thing that really annoys me is when you ring up to complain they tell you exactly what they see on the screen.and looking at it that way it looks like i have done this.but what they also did was to charge me £28 for going overdrawn,plus an additional £35 charge aswell because i used my card to top up my phone they said it was because of that i went overdrawn.

I tried to explain that if this was the case i would not of been able to draw out £80 from the atm but did not want to listen.this has been happening for a good 18 months now and this month i thought ive had enough.i took screenshots so i could prove it,first person i spoke to stopped the charges for next month.

im sorry this is long winded but there have been times when my bank has took all my benefit money leaving me with nothing and its a no win situation.so is it fraud when they add charges in like they did and what should i do.

thanks for listening

[rwkshaw]

Are these charges for a direct debit or something not being paid? Usually if you spend £x on your debit card, the bank will deduct £x from your available balance, but sometimes the business that you are using your card with doesn't immediately debit your acount, but when they do, it is back dated and it is usually these things that mess it all up..

 

However, what it all usually boils down to is that YOU (the account holder) should know how much you have spent and when you spent it, and if it hasn't already been debited from your account you should always leave that amount in the account.. I learned that the hard way..

[jansus]

To be clear - were there any transactions going through that you could see afterwards that did actually put you overdrawn - or id you had no charges would your balance be zero?

[ieuanMr]

Maybe you could start up again and use cash withdrawals or open a Post Ofiice account. As long as there is a convenient Post Office near to where you live. I have read your explanation several times but cannot quite work out why you are going overdrawn. Could it be the clearing system take 4 days for cheques? I am not sure, but there is always a tiime lapse between when you draw money and where it shows up. I would certainly recommend changing your bank and starting again. I suppose you could egt a clearer picture by checking your bank statements carfully, I know NaTWest sends these out almost evry week so it should not be ahrd to do. It seems to me that there is an overlap from when you draw money and what shows on the screen.

 

Sorry if this isn't much help.

 

regards

 

Ieaun

[yourbank]

Hi All,

Im a newbie to the board but looks like im by no means alone.my problem is this.i currently recieve benefits as i got made redundant,i also get housing benefit which is also paid into my natwest account.now i was always under the impression that if you checked the balance on your online bank and the balance at the cash machine and they were the same that really chances are its correct and you have that amount in the account.So for example its the 18th of the month and i have £85 in the account.i use my card and put a £5 credit on my phone and withdraw the £80 at the cash machine.This is still leaving my account balance at a +.So at this present time im not overdrawn.

I go home and check my online bank and there it is £5 for vodaphone and an £80 atm withdrawral.On the 19th i check my account and still the same.So on the 20th i check my account and im overdrawn for account charges.but now according to the online banking these were taken on the 18th.but when i checked on the 18th and 19th and took screen shots they wasnt there.but now they were.but the thing that really annoys me is when you ring up to complain they tell you exactly what they see on the screen.and looking at it that way it looks like i have done this.but what they also did was to charge me £28 for going overdrawn,plus an additional £35 charge aswell because i used my card to top up my phone they said it was because of that i went overdrawn.

I tried to explain that if this was the case i would not of been able to draw out £80 from the atm but did not want to listen.this has been happening for a good 18 months now and this month i thought ive had enough.i took screenshots so i could prove it,first person i spoke to stopped the charges for next month.

im sorry this is long winded but there have been times when my bank has took all my benefit money leaving me with nothing and its a no win situation.so is it fraud when they add charges in like they did and what should i do.

thanks for listening

 

2 questions come to mind.

When on the 19th did you check the balance online?

the next question is the type of account you have ie step, advantage Blue, advantage gold?(top of your statement will show you this).

 

It's not fraud by the way.