How do I get cash back after scam?
Q. I have been the victim of a scam. How do I go about trying to get my money back?
A. You must report the scam to prevent it happening to other people and it will depend on the nature of the scam as to whether you can recover the money.
Initially we would advise you to do the following:
■If the scammer contacts you then ignore the messages but retain them as evidence.
■If you have transferred money to the scammer within 24 hours, phone the police on 101. If you feel threatened by the scammer dial 999.
■If the scammer has accessed your computer then reset all your passwords.
■If you have transferred money, then contact your bank about the account and check pin numbers have not been stolen so your bank can protect your account.
Contact your bank immediately if:
■ There’s a payment from your bank account you don’t recognise – this is known as an unauthorised transaction,
■You’ve used your debit card and more money was taken than you expected
Explain what’s happened and ask if you can get a refund.
If you’re not happy with how the bank deals with your claim, you can complain to them.
Find out how to do this by checking their website.
If it has been eight weeks since you complained, and you haven’t got your money back, contact the Financial Ombudsman.
You can also contact the ombudsman if you’ve had a letter from the bank saying it’s not going to take any action.
This is sometimes known as a final response letter.
If the ombudsman decides you’ve been treated unfairly, it has got legal powers to put things right.
If you have paid for something you haven’t received, you might be able to get your money back.
Your card provider can ask the seller’s bank to refund the money.
This is known as the chargeback scheme.
If you paid by debit card, you can use chargeback – however much you paid.
If you paid by credit card and the item cost more than £100 but less than £30,000, you might be able to claim under the Consumer Credit Act – this is known as a Section 75 claim.
If the item cost less than £100 and you paid by credit card, you cannot use Section 75, but you can use chargeback.
Contact your bank immediately to let them know what has happened and ask if you can get a refund.
Most banks should reimburse you if you have transferred money to someone because of a scam.
This type of scam is known as an ‘authorised push payment’.
If you’ve paid by Direct Debit, you should be able to get a full refund under the Direct Debit Guarantee.
If you can’t get your money back and you think this is unfair, you should follow the bank’s official complaints process.
If your complaint isn’t sorted out in eight weeks, or you get a final response letter, you can take your case to the Financial Ombudsman.
It’s unlikely you’ll be able to get your money back if you’ve paid through a wire service such as MoneyGram, PayPoint or Western Union.
Even if you can’t get your money back, there are other things you can do – like reporting the scam and getting financial or emotional support.
There are things you can do to protect yourself if you ever need to use a money transfer service again. You should: ■ Only send money to someone you know
■Choose a password that’s hard to guess and don’t share it with others
It’s unlikely you’ll get your money back if you used vouchers or gift cards to pay the scammer.
Q. My daughter wants to change her surname to my maiden name and I want some advice on this. My daughter , by her own choice, wants nothing to do with her father and is determined to change her surname. She is 15 years old.
A. A person under the age of 16 who wants to change their surname will have to have this done by a qualified applicant such as either parents or someone who has responsibilities for the child.
If both parents have this then they both have to agree to the name change.
This is done by applying to the Register General.
There is also the process of deed poll which is when a person cannot change their name officially in Scotland – under the age of 16 both parents have to agree to this.
After turning 16 your daughter can apply at any time herself and must complete and sign form 24 on the National Records for Scotland website.
There are fees involved with the changing of a name and it is £40 to complete the process.
All information and forms can be found on the National Records Registration website at www.nrscotland.gov.uk.
Only one change of surname/forename can be registered for children under 16 and for people aged 16 and over, one change of forename and up to three changes of surname can be recorded. There must be a period of five years between changes of surname.
Q. I have big chunks of plaster from my youngest child’s ceiling coming away and falling onto the floor. I have video evidence from this as there was quite a loud noise coming from the roof and the plaster cracking. I am very lucky that the children were out of the room at the time because it may have been fatal. I informed my public sector landlord straight away and they sent out a joiner to have a look at the initial damage. Another joiner also came out a few days later and both of them told me that the situation was bad. Nothing was actioned to fix the problem at the time so I made another call to the council who sent out an inspector and for the third time a joiner who took the rest of the plasterboard down and has initially fixed the issue. I now need a plasterer to come out and finish off plastering the ceiling before I can redecorate and get my kids room back to normal. There has been a missed appointment by the plasterer and I am now at a loss as to what to do next as I feel that the public sector landlord is not cooperating with me. I feel that I am constantly phoning the landlord and I have not even had an apology from them.
A. There are a number of options for public sector tenants if a landlord has not carried out the repairs required.
If you are a tenant of a council or housing association and the landlord has not fixed defects which have been reported, the tenant can:
■Use the right to repair scheme
■ Use the complaints procedure
■Complain to the local councillor
■Complain to the Ombudsman
■Take court action ■Do the repairs themselves and charge the landlord for the cost
■Take action with other tenants who have a similar problem ■Withhold rent ■Claim compensation. If you have already made a formal complaint to your landlord you will have to wait until they investigate it and reply to your complaint, as the complaints procedure for the public sector landlord must be followed before you can get the Public Sector Ombudsman involved.
Doing the repairs yourself or finding a professional and paying them to do the work and then claiming back from your ombudsman is an option but comes with its own risks as they may not pay for the work or not authorise it.
Withholding rent may be another option– and you would have to ensure that you have the money sitting in your bank account to produce when payment is required. Morally some people do not feel comfortable doing this as it could possibly cause you more stress as you would still receive “payment overdue” letters.
You also have the option to try and claim compensation for the damage to any personal property within the house when the incident occurred.
We would always suggest writing to your public sector landlord and asking them to respond via letter so that you have written proof of correspondence.
Q. I was watching the Martin Lewis Money Show recently and there was a segment about council tax bands. I am in band D and when I checked the Scottish Assessors Association website I was surprised to discover that apart from myself and my immediate neighbour the rest of the houses on the street are band C. I am wondering if I am in the wrong council tax band and how would I go about challenging this.
A. Council tax banding in Scotland was brought in after the old poll tax system and is based on valuations for houses, specifically for the year 1991.
If at that point in time your house had a conservatory or extension or even a larger garden this may have increased the valuation of the house at this time.
However, there is no harm in enquiring about your council tax band and you can do this online at the Scottish Assessors Association website, which is www.saa.gov.uk.
You would search for the property you want to challenge, selecting the property and then select the tab “making a proposal”.
There are time limits with applying for a reassessment.
■ PLEASE NOTE: Rutherglen & Cambuslang Citizens Advice Bureau currently is open for telephone /e-mail advice Monday to Friday from 9.30am until 3pm.