Brit who had £3k swiped from his bank account in Mexican bar gets his money back thanks to The Sun
Depeche Mode fan Glyn Tookey was initially told by NatWest that he wouldn't be getting any of his money back after trying to pay for drinks in the central American country
A MUSIC fan who had more than £3,000 swiped from his bank account from a Mexican bar has got his money back - thanks to The Sun.
Glyn Tookey, 49, was in the Mexico City with friends to watch 1980s electro rockers Depeche Mode, when he was scammed for the cash when trying to settle a drinks bill.
The sales director from Portsmouth realised something was wrong when the barman didn't return with his and his friend's card after around five minutes.
Panicked, he checked his online banking straight away and found that the £3,000 had been taken.
After being then thrown out the bar, he called NatWest - only to be told he wouldn't be getting a refund, because according the bank he had entered his pin number to approve the payment.
That's something Mr Tookey strenuously denies.
"I felt absolutely sick to my stomach," the 49-year-old said.
"After waiting for five minutes I started to become suspicious and asked for my card to be given back and after arguing the barman who said my card wasn't working, we were pushed out the bar.
"When I got through to NatWest, I was told within two minutes that I was going to be refused as I had apparently entered my pin.
"I never entered my pin - and I felt like I was being made out as some sort of criminal, I had no support and it felt like the bank couldn't care less."
How to protect yourself from scams
SCAMMERS are becoming increasingly clever to trick customers into transferring them money or giving away their personal information. But there are steps you can take to protect yourself.
- Never give out personal or financial information on the phone or by email. Your bank, the police or any other organisation will never ask you for these in full
- Never allow someone remote access to your computer following a cold call
- Don’t rely on caller ID – numbers can be spoofed by fraudsters to make it look like they’re calling from a trusted number
- Your bank, the police or any other company, will never call to ask you to transfer your money out of your account for security reasons
- Be wary of all cold calls claiming to be from banks, police, or other trusted organisations – if you have any concerns, call back on an independently verified number
- If you have fallen victim to a scam, call Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040
After reporting the incident, Mr Tookey claims the Mexican police told him that tourists were being increasingly targeted for their cash with card scams in the country.
He then called NatWest again from Heathrow Airport when he returned to the UK - but says he was again told that he wouldn't be getting his money back and if he was unhappy he could take his complaint to the Financial Ombudsman Service.
To make it even more frustrating, his friend who also had £3,000 stolen at the same time had his money refunded from his bank, Halifax, within 24 hours.
But as a last resort he contacted The Sun - and within hours of us getting in touch the bank, Mr Tookey received a call saying he would be getting his money back after all.
";It has been unbelievable, I was absolutely devastated," he said.
"I can't thank The Sun enough - when NatWest called me, they said that there had been more attempts made to take money from my account.
More on money
"I've had to borrow money to survive this month, and I've been a customer with the bank for 24 years but they weren't interested."
Under the Payments Service Regulations, a bank can't simply say that the use of a pin number proves that a customer authorised a payment and can use it at as a reason to reject a refund.
But even then, Mr Tookey is adamant that he didn't enter his pin while he was at the bar anyway.
A spokesman for the bank said: "All fraud cases and refund decisions are dealt with on a case by case basis.
"On full investigation of the circumstances behind the fraudulent activity on Mr Tookey’s card, a decision was made to uphold his claim and refund Mr Tookey for the loss incurred.
";Customers should always be vigilant when using their cards and pins."
What to do if you think you're a victim of fraud via your debit card
BEING scammed for your cash can be really upsetting. Here's what you should do if you think you've been targeted from the Money Advice Service.
When you realise there's a problem contact your bank straight away - they can cancel your card, stop anymore money being taken and launch an investigation into what's happened.
Under the Payments Service Regulations, you must be refunded if you've had money taken from your debit card without your permission.
In these cases you might be liable for any unauthorised withdrawals made before you tell your bank, up to a maximum of £50.
If the bank has grounds to think you have been "grossly negligent" - for example you wrote your pin number down or told someone else it - it can refuse to refund you.
But unless it can prove you're liable it should refund the money and leave your account in the same state it was before the fraud took place.
If your bank rejects your claim, follow their complaints procedure and if that fails, contact the Financial Ombudsman Service.
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