Published on 12, July, 2020
Mum told me this morning that our buildings and contents insurance needing renewing so I offered to look online for a better deal, I found one £200 cheaper than the renewal quote and went to move forward with it, filled in loads of forms etc, like you do, then it came to payment, the bank refused to authorise it, it didn't give any reason other than they thought we were being scammed. The branch ws closed by this time and so tomorrow will be taken up with trying to persaude the bank to let my Mum have access to HER money. It bugs the F**k out of me, they say she has to go on her online or mobile account, she has neither and never has had, She can barely use a mouse or make an emergency phone call on the mobile. We tried her other bank account and they came back saying they needed to send a code only they had two numbers that were wrong, one of them being the house phone that won't accept OTP's.
It's becoming a real problem for people like Mum who are elderly, and don't understand the internet and mobiles, it feels like the only person the banks wants to keep her money safe from is her.
Thanks rant over.
I feel your pain however I also get very angry when these scammers manage to get elderly vulnerable or even hard working people ti trust then so they can clear their accounts out.
I would say you sound like a fantastic daughter and I would get the bank to accept you as some sort of power of attorney on her account.Alternatively you could help with online and be with her when she does it ?
Because of scammers I have had it when i open a new savings account and want to transfer from a current account you end up with the fraud department contacting.It is annoying but I never want to be scammed and would not wish it on anyone it literally destroys people mentally as well as financially.
My final tip is if the bank ever calls always assume it could be a scam and call back from another phone
Thank you, I thiink I can get either full power of attorney or none. Mum dosen't do online, I do it for her, I manage her emai etc, neither of us do much online. I won't do online or mobile banking I'm not computer savy enough and Mum certainly isn't, given that I can crash a digital egg timer, the gods alone know what I could accidently do to the worlds banking system!
I had an interesting one a couple of years ago when paypal called and asked for my friend who also lives here, as he wasn't in they asked me to go through his stuff and find the codes etc they needed. I refused and called the guy a scammer, he kept insisting he was for real, so I asked him why if he was for real was he asking me to do all the things that banks tell you not to do? He really was real as my friend called back later. I did have a phone scammer a couple of years ago try and get me to let him into my mobile banking, I strung him along and played stupid, then told him forcefully that I knew he was a scammer and that I had no such account, he hung up.
I think the staff at many banks leave a lot to be desired, I had one staff member at my bank, try and tell me she couldn't print out a statement for me, even though I thought money was missing from my account, as I could do it all online. I told her I had not internet banking and had learning difficulties and ASD so she spoke loudly and clearly at me, I told her 'I have dyslexia and autism not stupidity or deafness', she did eventually do as I asked, but I went back a couple of days later and spoke to the manager and made a complaint. The woman yesterday seemed like she didn't see it as her job to sort anything out for anybody.
Nobody wants to be scammed, but anti scam measures dreamt up by someone in Whitehall don't aren't really thinking that "everybody" isn't like them, not everybody travels and needs a passport, not everyone can drive or is even allowed to drive. We need proof of address, but that can't be something printed off an online utility account, how do most people pay for their utilities, online.
Theres a real and increasing risk of large numbers of people being excluded through no fault of their own, because people in Whitehall and other places, don't think, or lack the imagination, or just don't care about those without driving licences or passports.
No I feel your pain on this.You either love online and tech which I do or you hate it like my Dad does.You must do as you feel comfortable.
All I could suggest is if you could find someone kind to teach you or some sort of course you may like some elements of technology.
I will give you something I have sorted embracing which is video conferencing.This has enabled me to have a weekly ion line meeting with other people in our community.it has saved my bacon the last few weeks.
i think you know me also the chap having issues with the Police and council.
They embrace tech by emailing me bad news constantly !
I think stay as you are my best friend in fact my only friend has no internet at home no email nothing he loves it
Theres a long story about me and tech, which I won't bore everyone with again or I'll risk getting told off by members who get frustrated with my total lack of skill.