I waited five months to get my £8,000 back

NATWEST refused to refund university lecturer Rebecca Scott for five months after fraudsters stole almost £8,000 from her bank account.

She had received a phone call from a man claiming to be from NatWest’s fraud team. He asked her to log in to online banking and took her through her most recent transactions, which were legitimate.

He said he was concerned about her account security.

The next day she got another call from the same man. He said her account had been compromised and they had to move her savings of £7,744.38.

The fraudster sent a code to Rebecca’s phone which she entered into her card reader. When she called NatWest later to ensure her account would not be blocked while she was travelling, she found her balance was just £200.

She realised she had been a victim of fraud, reported it to the bank and was told her account was now secure. Yet, hours later, the criminals accessed her account again and stole her £2,000 overdraft.

It was only after five months of letters of complaint and advice from Which? that the bank refunded her fully. Rebecca, 34 (above), says: ‘Losing all that money was devastating, and the bank left me high and dry for five months.’

A NatWest spokesman said: ‘We take fraud and scams very seriously and review every case on its own merit.’