Bristol man banned by banks after falling victim to email scam
A Bristol man has been banned from having a bank account – after more than £8,000 was allegedly withdrawn in an email scam.
Billy Brown, 19, of Knowle West, had his account closed and his credit rating blacklisted after his bank accused him of giving email fraudsters his online bank details.
The checkout supervisor at Sainsbury's in Ashton could also miss out on this month's pay because the supermarket will only pay wages in an electronic transfer into a bank account in his name.
Mr Brown denies revealing his password or account number to fraudsters.
Within days of Mr Brown receiving the fake email, which claimed to be from Abbey, a cheque for £8,200 was paid into his account.
Three days later – before the cheque had cleared – he claims an online withdrawal for the same amount was taken from the account.
The cheque later bounced, leaving Mr Brown's account £8,200 overdrawn, he told the Bristol Post.
Abbey immediately closed the account to prevent fraudsters taking any more cash.
Mr Brown said Abbey opened a new account for him, but closed it just days later when he said bank officials claimed the fraud was only made possible by him responding to a scam email.
Abbey also blacklisted him, preventing him from opening an account at another bank, he said. Mr Brown denies responding to the email.
He told the Bristol Post: "I know not to reply to these emails. I know it's a scam. I remember getting the email. I opened it, read it but then deleted it.
"I've never given anyone my bank details, PIN number or password.
"I've not done anything wrong. I can't believe the way I've been treated by Abbey.
"They've refused to explain why they allowed £8,200 to be withdrawn when I didn't have the funds in my account.
"All they've told me is that the cheque came from a bank in Cheshire.
"Although they didn't say it, the way they spoke to me makes me think they suspect me of carrying out the fraud, which is ridiculous. I didn't have an overdraft on that account so there's no way they should have allowed that money to be withdrawn.
"But instead of admitting fault they've blacklisted my credit rating, preventing me from getting another bank account anywhere else. It's outrageous.
"And on top of all that I probably won't be paid this month because Sainsbury's say it's a condition of my employment that I have a bank account into which my wages can be paid."
Mr Brown is now taking legal advice after being rejected by every major bank for a new account, including Lloyds, HSBC, Barclays, Halifax, and Natwest.
Nationwide building society told him it might be able to offer a basic account without a card he could use in cash machines or shops, meaning he'd have to withdraw any money over the counter.
Hundreds of thousands of "phishing" emails, claiming to be from banks, are sent out every year. They urge people to log on to a fake website to update their bank details.
That website, which is often made to look like a bank's official site, then asks for account numbers, passwords and online registration details.
Using this information, fraudsters can access the bank account and withdraw cash.
In a copy of Mr Brown's statement seen by the Bristol Post, the £8,200 withdrawal is shown as a "returned cheque". Before it was closed, his account was £8,186.39 in the red.
The Banking Code Standards Board said it was not unusual for banks to allow money to be paid out before a cheque has cleared – in effect extending the account holder's temporary credit.
The banking code, which all UK banks subscribe to, states: "Treat emails you receive from senders claiming to be from your bank or building society with caution and be wary of emails asking you for any personal security details.
"Always access internet banking sites by typing the bank or building society's address into your web browser. Never go to an internet banking site from a link in an e-mail and then enter personal details."
The code also states: "If you [customers] act fraudulently, you will be responsible for all losses on your account. If you act without reasonable care, and this causes losses, you may be responsible for them."
Abbey said it was investigating the case but refused to comment on why Mr Brown's credit rating had been blacklisted. A spokeswoman said: "We take all incidents of fraud seriously and fully investigate them. We are looking into the specific details of Mr Brown's case."
On his wages, a spokesman for Sainsbury's said: "We are working with the colleague in question to find a solution and are confident that the matter will be resolved shortly."
14 Comments
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by Bex, Bristol
Tuesday, February 24 2009, 11:00AM
“I refer to those earlier unfavourable comments and would say hindsight is a wonderful thing and it is easy for those who are clearly pompous enough to have it.
I know Billy and know that he would never do such a thing. It is disgraceful the way he has been treated and feel this this matter should be rectified as soon as possible.
Support you all the way Bill”
by Peter, Bristol
Tuesday, February 24 2009, 7:45AM
“It looks as if his first mistake was not to have Internet Security software in his system, along with an associated update service contract, because it is very likely that the email contained a Trojan programme that secretly harvested his bank details and sent them to the crooks - IS software that is up to date will delete the Trojan as it arrives - there are many such Trojan-loaded emails being sent out. His second mistake was to open the email (but that's a very easy one to make , so you need the IS s/w and support to protect you).
The bank should be employing a computer forensics service to analyse his system rather than assuming that he is guilty.
But beware: users of internet banking services often have to comply with contract conditions under which they agree to maintain up to date IS software in their systems.”
by GEORGE, BRISTOL
Monday, February 23 2009, 7:00PM
“Apologies for spelling of 'villiefied'”
by GEORGE, BRISTOL
Monday, February 23 2009, 6:59PM
“Martin - Clifton, 'sounds very suspicious to me'. What a nasty remark - I have had my computer about 10 years at least and I have never had a fake email. Another victim being villiefied by posters!!!!!!”
by Natalie Harrison, bristol
Monday, February 23 2009, 3:34PM
“i am the lads fiancee, i know he didnt do a thing with the email all he did was read it didnt reply or click a thing, this is bloody outragous and it needs to be sorted. he cant do anymore than what he has done, i just hope this issue gets resolved and my boyfriend can get bk to normal good luck babe:)”
by kelly, bristol
Monday, February 23 2009, 2:10PM
“a few years ago i received a letter which was sent to my previous address ( my parents) stating i owed a nail bar in town, hsbc bank and several shops and that i was extreemly overdrawn and in arrears with my loan, i had NEVER been a hsbc customer and im a nail technician so there is no way that i would visit a vietnemise nail bar, and i lived nowhere near the shops that the cheques had been presented as payment. It turns out that a 16 year old girl who shared the same first & last name as me ( but different middle names) had somehow got hold of my details and had managed to convince the bank that my address was now her new address and to send all correspondence there, so thats why i was receving copies of the returned cheques and threatening letters from the vietemise nail bar owner, I was furious and i went there to prove it wasnt me which they accpeted but the police didnt seem to interested and the bank could do little to contact her, eventually the bank called me to say that the police had manged to get hold of the girl and that she had been having some very personal problems and was in care and thats why she did what she did, but as far as im aware she wasnt prosecuted neither was i informed of how she managed to get my details. The police would not tell me anything accpet that as i wasnt being pursued for the monies then i was expceted to forget about it, but i wanted to know how she did it, the only solution we came up with was that our dustbin was stolen about 2 months before this had happend and she may have got my old address details from anything that i may have put in the bin. It was very annoying and while i uderstand she may have been under some personal distress thats no excuse and it took me some months to sort it all out and to stop the banks ect visting my parents home. My dad was unwell at the time and he still is and they did not need added stress of treatening letters of baliff action ect !”
by Julian Evans - identity fraud expert, Cambridge
Monday, February 23 2009, 1:58PM
“Banks will never send emails with LINKS to customers. Always type in the bank address - NEVER click a link (including from your favourites) when connecting to any financial website. Check the PADLOCK with a verfiication tool i.e. verification engine is FREE - Google it”
by Martin, Clifton
Monday, February 23 2009, 1:22PM
“Sounds very suspicious to me.
"Within days of Mr Brown receiving the fake email".
So he only got the one fake email?, I get many a week and have done for over a decade. I have never replied to a single one.
If the bank has blacklisted him, then they must have a very good reason.”
by Sarah, Bristol
Monday, February 23 2009, 1:06PM
“There has to be an element of trust between bank and customer. The banks are always so quick to assume you are in the wrong or at fault. I guess we will never know whether this young lad did reply to the email or not, but what remains true is that the bank should be working with him to investigate what actually happened rather than blacklisting him! Extremely harsh, lets face it, banks haven't exactly been very responsable of late have they!”
by Sharon, Bristol
Monday, February 23 2009, 12:23PM
“I really feel for this lad, we had our bank card cloned, and 'they' tried to purchase airline tickets to the value of £3990, thankfully our bank knew this wasn't normal 'activity' on our account and blocked all our cards.....just a shame they didn't tell us first as we tried to pay for our new leather suite the same day....lol.
No, we were very grateful they caught it so quickly, especially as it was the day our loan money went into our account and my husbands wages!!”