Stiffed / ID Theft

[5bellies]

Hi,

I wonder if anyone here can offer any advice.

Ok, here goes, my son is 20, and at some point in June had some "friends" at his flat. I use the term loosely, as someone took his bank card from the flat. They then put what I presume is a stolen cheque in his bank account for £1800. On the fourth day, they did a counter withdrawal for 1600 and took some from various shops. This was all done in and around Bolton/ Bury. 30ish miles from home. At the same time there were two credit applications for mobile phones - one passed the other failed (wrong DOB)

 

We went into the bank, they had swallowed up his housing benefit, bounced the cheque, deducted the amounts spent, charged him for going overdrawn, and in summary left him £2k overdrawn.

 

We have reported it to the bank - who said "tuff luck" your liable, we reported it to the police who said "see the bank".

 

Does anyone have any ideas of a good path to take?

 

Thanks in advance

 

F5b

[Conniff]

The first thing to do, especially if he is having benefits paid into the account, is to open an account at another bank and transfer all payments to that.

[5bellies]

We have done that, and we are looking after his money for him. Just after that he got a job, and we have had his pay put into our bank. This is so he can catch up and make sure his rent is paid.

 

£150 Housing Benefit, and £110 JSA were paid in, but the bank wouldn't return it so we had to pay his rent for him.

 

The council also paid a second lot in, but he went to the council to try and find it - they told him to go to the bank and get it back, as they couldn't use it to offset a debt. As it is housing benefit.

That still leaves the £260 in limbo