Hero who tracked bank fraudsters to win back £20k they stole from him Ba...
Hero who tracked bank fraudsters to win back £20k they stole from him Banks say they won't cover fraud losses so this father turned detective
A banking scam victim has won a stunning victory against fraudsters to recover £20,000 he thought was lost for ever.
In the first case of its kind, Gideon Roseman managed to track down his stolen money after it been sent to a crook's account — and get every penny back.
Gideon was conned when fraudsters posed as the builder he had hired to extend his home. They hacked into the builder's email account and sent the 39-year-old barrister a message asking him to make a lump sum payment before the work could begin.
This is an increasingly common type of scam, where crooks also pose as solicitors, builders, telecoms firms and even bank staff to trick victims into making payments.
Banks cover most fraud, but routinely refuse to repay losses if the customer has authorised the transfer.
And in yesterday's Mail, Ross McEwan, boss of RBS-NatWest, said customers had only themselves to blame.
Typically, banks claim the money cannot be traced because fraudsters have moved the cash into other accounts in the UK and abroad.
However, in a display of tenacity, Gideon used his expert legal knowledge to get the courts to stop all payments in and out of the fraudster's accounts so he could claw back his savings.
His success offers hope to other fraud victims because it shows banks and customers can recover stolen cash after it has left a victim's account — if they act fast enough.
The father-of-two, practising from Ten Old Square, Lincoln's Inn, in London, transferred £20,400 on January 2 after exchanging a series of emails with the imposter posing as his builder.
The next day he received a distressing call from his wife Esther, 39, as he dropped his four-year-old daughter at school.
The builder had checked his emails and found messages to a number of customers demanding payment to a bank account he did not recognise. He said he hadn't sent the emails and wanted to warn clients he'd been hacked.
Gideon immediately called his bank, Barclays, which said it would send a so-called indemnity to Santander, the fraudster's bank. An indemnity is when your bank tells the bank that's received your money that you have been a victim of transfer fraud and asks it to return any money it still has.
'As soon as my wife started talking about the builder, I knew what had happened and a horrible, cold feeling came over my body,' says Gideon. 'At that moment, your mind is racing, trying to work out what to do.
Ross McEwan, boss of RBS-NatWest, said customers had only themselves to blame if they were victims of fraud +4
Ross McEwan, boss of RBS-NatWest, said customers had only themselves to blame if they were victims of fraud
'I wasn't filled with optimism when I spoke to my bank, so I felt as though the only way I would get my money back is to take things into my own hands.'
He got on the next train from Haywards Heath, West Sussex, to London to go to the High Court to apply for the fraudster's bank account to be frozen. This stops money transfers in and out of an account and can be applied for at more than 40 High Court offices around the country.
You just turn up and fill in an N244 form. These are complicated, so you may need legal help.
Gideon took identification, copies of emails from the fraudster and the crook's bank account number and sort code.
It also helps to take evidence from a third-party caught up in the fraud — the builder in Gideon's case. The judge agreed it appeared he had been the victim of fraud and granted the order.
Gideon then contacted Santander's court orders department — which anyone can do by calling a bank's customer service line — and it froze the account after he sent in the document by email.
When Gideon arrived home, he found another email from the fraudster asking for more money to 'cover the VAT' on the work.
He played along and managed to obtain the sort codes and details of another two accounts — one at Barclays and another at Santander. He then returned to the High Court to get these accounts frozen. Again, the judge approved his application.
A banking scam victim has won a stunning victory against fraudsters to recover £20,000 he thought was lost for ever.
In the first case of its kind, Gideon Roseman managed to track down his stolen money after it been sent to a crook's account — and get every penny back.
Gideon was conned when fraudsters posed as the builder he had hired to extend his home. They hacked into the builder's email account and sent the 39-year-old barrister a message asking him to make a lump sum payment before the work could begin.
This is an increasingly common type of scam, where crooks also pose as solicitors, builders, telecoms firms and even bank staff to trick victims into making payments.
Banks cover most fraud, but routinely refuse to repay losses if the customer has authorised the transfer.
And in yesterday's Mail, Ross McEwan, boss of RBS-NatWest, said customers had only themselves to blame.
Typically, banks claim the money cannot be traced because fraudsters have moved the cash into other accounts in the UK and abroad.
However, in a display of tenacity, Gideon used his expert legal knowledge to get the courts to stop all payments in and out of the fraudster's accounts so he could claw back his savings.
His success offers hope to other fraud victims because it shows banks and customers can recover stolen cash after it has left a victim's account — if they act fast enough.
The father-of-two, practising from Ten Old Square, Lincoln's Inn, in London, transferred £20,400 on January 2 after exchanging a series of emails with the imposter posing as his builder.
The next day he received a distressing call from his wife Esther, 39, as he dropped his four-year-old daughter at school.
The builder had checked his emails and found messages to a number of customers demanding payment to a bank account he did not recognise. He said he hadn't sent the emails and wanted to warn clients he'd been hacked.
Gideon immediately called his bank, Barclays, which said it would send a so-called indemnity to Santander, the fraudster's bank. An indemnity is when your bank tells the bank that's received your money that you have been a victim of transfer fraud and asks it to return any money it still has.
'As soon as my wife started talking about the builder, I knew what had happened and a horrible, cold feeling came over my body,' says Gideon. 'At that moment, your mind is racing, trying to work out what to do.
Ross McEwan, boss of RBS-NatWest, said customers had only themselves to blame if they were victims of fraud +4
Ross McEwan, boss of RBS-NatWest, said customers had only themselves to blame if they were victims of fraud
'I wasn't filled with optimism when I spoke to my bank, so I felt as though the only way I would get my money back is to take things into my own hands.'
He got on the next train from Haywards Heath, West Sussex, to London to go to the High Court to apply for the fraudster's bank account to be frozen. This stops money transfers in and out of an account and can be applied for at more than 40 High Court offices around the country.
You just turn up and fill in an N244 form. These are complicated, so you may need legal help.
Gideon took identification, copies of emails from the fraudster and the crook's bank account number and sort code.
It also helps to take evidence from a third-party caught up in the fraud — the builder in Gideon's case. The judge agreed it appeared he had been the victim of fraud and granted the order.
Gideon then contacted Santander's court orders department — which anyone can do by calling a bank's customer service line — and it froze the account after he sent in the document by email.
When Gideon arrived home, he found another email from the fraudster asking for more money to 'cover the VAT' on the work.
He played along and managed to obtain the sort codes and details of another two accounts — one at Barclays and another at Santander. He then returned to the High Court to get these accounts frozen. Again, the judge approved his application.
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