Borrowing cash for food and sleepless nights, how TSB customers are STILL suffering four weeks after banking meltdown
SCORES of TSB customers have had their bank accounts cleared out by criminals - and many are STILL waiting for refunds.
The Sun has been deluged with emails from readers who have fallen victim to scammers over the last month following the bank’s IT meltdown.
TSB has promised this newspaper that it will refund victims but many customers are unable to even get through to its fraud team to report the crime.
Once they get through on the phone TSB advisers lock their accounts to prevent scammers from stealing cash - but this leaves customers without access to money.
Mum-of-two Susie Goode, 40, from Swansea, spent days on hold to the fraud company after hackers stole £7,400 from her current account and joint account.
More than 11 days since her money was stolen, she hasn't been able to report it to the right department because the phone lines are struggling to cope.
Susie, who didn't want to use her real name, told The Sun: "All my money is gone and the customer services person told me to borrow money from friends or use my husband's credit card.
"It's so embarrassing. We've had to borrow money from a friend to buy food for the kids because we've got nothing.
"It's disgusting that we can't even get through to the fraud team to tell them what's happened. I can't get into my account because it's been locked."
Scammers have been targeting TSB customers amid chaos caused by a planned IT upgrade which left 1.9million customers unable to access their online banking.
But customers with any hope of recovering their cash need to report the issue to the fraud team first.
TSB meltdown: what are your rights?
IF you’re one of the potentially millions of customers affected by TSB’s online banking problems then here are your rights.
- Will your expenses be covered? If you suffer knock-on costs then the bank has confirmed it will reimburse you. Make a note of dates, keep receipts and a log of how much you've been left out of pocket.
- What are the alternatives? Visit a branch or try telephone banking if you urgently need to access cash.
- Is it a data breach? The bank has denied that there has been a data breach but we've asked for more information on this and will update asap. Don't spend money in your account that isn't yours as you will be liable to pay it back.
- How to complain about your bank? Firstly, complain to TSB. If the problem is not resolved to your satisfaction after 8 weeks then you can complain to the Financial Ombudsman Service
Instead, customers are left in the dark about how much money they have in their accounts, and what's going in and out.
Banks must refund fraudulent payments without "undue delay" and by the end of the business day after they are made aware of the problem, according to regulators.
But many customers are victims of a frightening new sim swapping scam where they convince your mobile firm to activate a new sim card giving fraudsters control of your mobile number.
Because both of Susie's accounts were linked to her online banking, scammers were able to transfer cash from one to the other before stealing the lot.
They also extended her overdraft from £300 to £3,000 before stealing it all.
"They've taken all of my money and I can't even get through to the bank to tell them," Susie said.
"You call the fraud number that customer services give you and then you're put on hold and just kept in a queue.
"It just keeps on ringing but after five hours it automatically cuts off. Then you have to call again and you're back at square one.
"I've even gone in to my local branch every few days to see if they can get it sorted there but they have the same problem with it ringing out.
"I'm not sleeping properly because I'm so stressed. I've got a family to look after."
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Since The Sun intervened, Susie has had the funds put back into her account but her debit cards and online banking are still locked so she still can't access the cash.
She added: "It's awful because I'm being paid on Friday and it's all going into an account I can't use so I'm still stuck with no money."
A spokesperson for TSB said: "We’re really sorry for the experience Ms Goode has had and the distress and inconvenience this has caused her. I am pleased to say we have resolved her case and she has been fully refunded.
"Protecting our customers’ money is our number one priority and our fraud detection systems are monitoring customers' accounts and we're on the lookout for suspicious activity.
"We have a specialist team dedicated to investigating the issues reported. If customers have been a victim of fraud as a direct result of our recent IT issues they won’t be left out of pocket."
Many customers were hit with late payment fees after standing orders bounced because the problems still weren't fixed a week later.
TSB said it would waive overdraft fees last month and offer a five per cent raise in its savings rate, but is still being vague about whether customers will receive compensation.
Some customers have managed to get a payout, but one customer only got £40 to cover a late payment on a credit card.
What to do if you think you're a victim of fraud
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 account 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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