Barclay's/Ebay Scam

My partner and i were scammed in January of this year whilst trying to buy a moto home through ebay. We thought we were still on the ebay site however we had been redirected somewhere else, so they say. Anyway to cut a very long story short we have been to ebay, the police, Barclay's Bank, LLoyd's TSB, our local MP, a solicitor and the FOS, all that's left is old uncle tom cobley! Our claim was logged with the FOS in February as it took Barclays all of 3 days to advise all of their enquires had been completed and suggested we contact the FOS. Towards the end of May we had heard nothing from The FOS so we gave them a call. They advised that despite several letters Barclay's had not responded, they would send a final letter. Apparently thefinally responded. I thought the banks ere supposed to be in fear of the FOS, apparently not. We have now received 2 seperate responses from the ajudicator advising that they can not basically see that Barclay's have done anything wrong. We provided a list of 42 scammer accounts all with Barclay's that we have come across on various sites. How can they say Barclay's are operating in a correct manner.I am sure that if i were to go to the bank to open an account i would have to provide far more ID. It seems the only avenue left for us is to take court action against Barclay's, has anyone done this, can anyone offer any advice, thanks.

Can the FOS confirm that the bank have complied with their legal requirements, the statement of policy of CIFAS and the police as represented by Action Fraud ?

If so, where's your money ?


I'll mention the view of CIFAS - (CIFAS is the UK's Fraud Prevention Service with 270 Member organisations spread across banking, credit cards, asset finance, retail credit, mail order, insurance, investment management, telecommunications, factoring and share dealing) - in other words this is the banks talking

http://www.cifas.org.uk/moneymulescams_feb

Providers are legally required to close accounts that are used to launder money and can be heavily fined by international regulators if they fail to do so.

Money from drug dealing, investment and boiler rooms scams, fake lotteries, people trafficking and prostitution is pushed through these scams, so that ‘dirty’ money is made to appear as if it is ‘clean’.


Crimestoppers - (an independent charity helping to find criminals and help solve crimes) - supported by the police and government.

http://www.crimestoppers-uk.org/assets/files/Media%20Centre/more_info.pdf

Money Mules are breaking the law. Ignorance of the law is no defence. If you become a Money Mule you are liable to be prosecuted and could face up to 10 years in prison.

If you become a Money Mule, you could become part of a police investigation, and are often the easiest link in the criminal chain to track down.

The bank account of the Money Mule will be suspended. Being tagged as a fraudster makes it harder to obtain a bank account in the future, and to obtain credit.

A Money Mule is liable to pay back all the money that they have transferred through their account. This could total many thousands of pounds.


Banksafeonline - (The Bank safe Online website is run by the Payments Council, the body with responsibility for ensuring that payment services work for all those that use them in the UK.) - another banking representative body

http://www.banksafeonline.org.uk/common-scams/money-mules

Remember that even if you have nothing to do with the actual extraction of funds from another person's account, by allowing your account to be used to receive and transfer such funds, you will be acting illegally.

Ignorance is no excuse - allowing your bank account to be used for fraud can lead to up to 10 years’ imprisonment!


The FFA - (Financial Fraud Action UK is the name under which the financial services industry co-ordinates its activity on fraud prevention)

http://www.financialfraudaction.org.uk/money-mules.asp

The money you’re transferring is stolen, and what you’re doing is called money laundering, which is illegal. Involvement in money laundering can lead to a criminal sentence of up to ten years in prison.

Although the prospect of making some easy money may appear attractive, any money or ‘wages’ that you are given will be recovered by your bank because they are the proceeds of fraud. You will be the easiest link in the chain to track down and will be involved in any resulting police investigation. Your bank account will be closed down and details of the activity shared with other banks, making it hard for you to open up a bank account in the future.


Action Fraud - (Action Fraud is the UK’s national fraud reporting centre where you should report fraud if you have been scammed or defrauded) - effectively the police have some interesting facts and statistics here.

http://www.actionfraud.police.uk/money-mules-fake-jobs-lead-to-crime-feb11

The overall situation is unacceptable. Your particular case is one that is more effectively pursued because it evidences that money laundering procedures in some banks are palpably ineffective, otherwise different victims wouldn't be losing money to the same money mules again and again.

http://www.jmlsg.org.uk/reporting-suspicions

..... if a financial services firm has knowledge or suspicion that someone might be engaged in a money laundering activity, they have a legal obligation to report this to the UK Financial Intelligence Unit, which is located within the Serious Organised Crime Agency (SOCA).

--------------------------------

Laws and policy are of no use if those appointed to administer them, aren't prepared to apply them. The policy is quite clear and unequivocal and the banks' obligations go far beyond 'not doing anything wrong'. Money laundering regulations impose an obligation on them that goes far beyond acting as passive observers to crime and fraud - to put it bluntly.

The question is whether or not the FOS understand their role any more clearly than the banks. I suspect not.

Presumably your money mule is more likely to be swanning himself on the Riviera than facing 10 years in prison and a life blacklisted and repaying your money. He's probably a high worth customer with his own investment manager.

-------------------------------

Did you get anywhere with your MP ?

Stella Creasey MP has a special interest in matters financial.

I've done well with my MP and I'll consider having a go, as he knows I'm fairly relentless. MP's ignore constituents at their peril.

Had the account previously been reported anywhere on the internet as being involved in fraud.

A case like this would be clear cut, in my opinion, in view of the clear responsibilities and legal obligations embodied in UK money laundering legislation.

I feel particularly ashamed to be British when contacted by foreign victims of this scam, moreso having been in banking before I retired, and the current situation is inexplicable, unjustified and appalling.

Frankly the attitude of the FOS is nothing less than I would expect from low level departmental functionaries and I have had such decisions overturned by my MP when they are so ludicrously contrary to common law, common sense and statute. Let's not pretend that the FSA (the FOS's big brother) didn't preside over one banking catastrophe in the UK, and is well prepared to preside over another. If we adhere to the ethics of a banana republic, we'll end up with an economy to match.

I'm going after the 'money mules' of the scammers and I'll name and shame them with the necessary evidence, because someone has to. I really wonder why the Defence of the Realm has to be left to the likes of HD and others who put in the hard graft which the authorities would do well to admire if they can't do the job themselves. 'Abysmal' somehow just doesn't sum up their overall limp and lackadaisical attitude.

I've got my first 'kill' and, as I automate and power up, more will follow at a pace. I hope it gives someone pride in the shabby system over which they preside.

Hi Terrance. We met our MP at a clinic he held about 2 weeks ago. We went by chance and as someone had not turned up for their appointment managed to speak with him for about 15 minutes.
He promised to contact the police commissionaire, i think he said the banking federation and Ebay.
We spoke to his secretary earlier this week as he needed more information, its early days, lets see where we get.

I can not see that the account that was used to take our money had been used before. We were asked to pay Cristian Brian Sort Code 20-95-61 Account Number 73816850. We know that the account was opened by using a Romanian ID card and a HSBC bank statement. The police have confirmed that the name is incorrect.

I visited a branch of Barclay's yesterday on the pretense that a friend was coming to live in the UK from Romania and requested what ID would be required to open a bank account. She went away and was gone fore sometime. When she returned she advised a passport would be required along with a national insurance number and a utility bill. Have they finally caught on?

I appreciate your response and look forward to any further assistance.t

I have time on my hands and I'm in contact with many other victims from the UK and abroad but even then I can't do all that I wish I could. Many foreign victims are left bewildered and confused by what happens to them and seem to think that the UK has become a 'pirate state' when it comes to banking and the law.

What can be done is limited, but that doesn't mean people should just accept the standard roll of the eyes and shrug of the shoulders as the standard response from the authorities and banks.

Read those links I have provided and you'll wonder why the words of the banks and the police don't match their actions. I consider that there is no more powerful argument than the fine words of banks and the police which prove to be valueless when called upon to act.

Simple - tell the public the truth if they can do nothing, but the problem with that is that they open up a Pandora's Box where everyone will be pulling the same scam, dissolving the banking system and the economy in to chaos, and I'm not exaggerating. With a bit of fine tuning the criminals could turn this in to a billion pound industry, though I sense that's where it's heading already.

I've just begun hunting down the accounts and, if little old me can do it from a home pc, the question has to be asked why a country with the resources to spy on every e-mail you send is helpless against organised crime. Perhaps they're more interested in your everyday tittle tattle than the work of money laundering criminals and terrorists. I got my first one last week and I've posted it, Romanian name with account at Barclays.

I admire and support your gumption and every victim should do the same. The bank and nationality of those involved doesn't concern me. It's the scale of this fraud that does. The fact that one particular bank and one certain nationality are usually involved should be what enables the authorities to shut this nasty crime down.

'Deputy Dipstick' could sort this matter out in a day. In my day banks had fraud departments with awesome powers and reputation. Maybe they got replaced by corporate catering.

I'm just utterly gobsmacked that banks don't understand the harm it does them. I'm going to get neck ache from the amount of time I just shake my head in disbelief reading these accounts.

If MP's get involved, banks will take notice. My MP overturned the decision of an Ombudsman. Even banks take notice when MP's come calling.

The absolute horror is that with my banking knowledge I could guide these crooks in to turning this in to a massive industry, and it would be easy, but I can't even hint at how to do it. The consequences would be horrific.
If non-resident take a week's trip to the UK, set up an account, and then go home they're virtually bullet proof. By setting up an un-incorprated company they can set up a myriad of accounts. If they set up accounts for their children too, there could be thousands of accounts on ice with the potential to launder tens of millions of pounds, and that's just the start. It's so easy they'd be fools not to, but they're doing it already.

That's just the start and all we hear is the sound of fiddle playing.

I'm currently in contact with the scammer who probably scammed you and the mail he sent me is here

http://www.scamwarners.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=73189

The screen prints aren't very good and I'll tidy them up later. I wish I could claim to be a genius but I'm not using special powers. The people we rely on are just being feeble.

Excuse me for all my posts but I have time to do research that others don't have and anything I find of relevance that might be helpful I feel I must add.

This news story is of interest and of relevance, not that I'm suggesting that these people are associated in any way.

http://www.thisisleicestershire.co.uk/Mothers-internet-camper-van-scam/story-15265291-detail/story.html#axzz2WwUUJq4U

Victims of XXXXX XXXXXXXX and XXXX XXX XXXXXX travelled from as far as Germany and Portsmouth to collect the vans, only to discover they had been conned with a false address.

However scammers learn and adapt from the experience of others and the methods of avoiding prosecution are very simple and they currently dance through UK banking procedures and any threat of prosecution in the UK with ease, as is very apparent.

This follow up is enlightening

http://www.scamsurvivors.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=1356

Anyone opening a bank account on a trip to the UK, who then returns home, has access to a money making operation that could net tens of thousands of pounds, much more if it's a family, with little risk. If you organised it with travel and temporary accommodation, the scheme would soon make you a millionaire. With benefit claims it could even be funded by the UK taxpayer. Though this is all a matter of hypothesis, those behind this are well organised as much as the UK isn't.

The interesting point about this article is that it demonstrates very clearly that the police can prosecute in these cases, but their current response to victims appears to indicate that they are well aware that they are now dealing with a crime that has evolved to an extent that renders them impotent.

That is not acceptable.

labda's post today.

http://www.scamwarners.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=10&t=69936&p=169499#p169499

What do you tell victims ? Don't buy British and don't trust UK bank accounts ?

Hopefully elected MP's can understand the consequences of that happening, because it appears that the authorities are happy with the situation.

I must admit I have wondered if I might be being unreasonable or biased in my views and comments, so I decided to do some Googling to discover if the rest of the planet was seeing the same phenomenon, and I found this.

http://www.theage.com.au/national/victims-of-travel-scam-to-launch-class-action-20130420-2i76y.html

Australian holidaymakers will pursue a class action against one of the world's largest banks after hundreds of false accounts were used to facilitate an international travel scam.

When are the authorities going to wake up and realise that there is something seriously wrong with this bank. How many more people are going to be scammed out of their hard earned cash?

I'm lost for words, mostly because such a situation is a reputational disaster in every respect you can imagine, and if nothing is done the problem will escalate to an extent that's untenable.

I'm at a complete loss to understand how this can happen.

Another interesting item in the UK newspapers.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/personalfinance/consumertips/jessicainvestigates/10121326/Fraud-Barclays-doesnt-care-a-jot.html

There is no evidence that it is specifically related to this type of fraud, though it could potentially be indicative of how scam accounts are being set up. I am surprised and unimpressed by what this story reveals.

This comment is interesting

Generally, the FOS doesn’t deal with complaints made by those who are not customers of the provider concerned, although there are exceptions

That is also a surprise as the FSA and FOS are tasked, among other things, with protecting the integrity of the UK banking system, which isn't possible if it excludes itself from handling all bank related complaints. It then gives rise to the situation where a large number of Australians are reported to be launching a class action suit without the FOS ever getting an opportunity to investigate.

The adjudicator at the FOS has kindly advise us that as we diasagree with her decission we now have the right for it to be passed to the Ombudsman. I have as much faith in them as i do Barclays bank.
Its not so much about the money now, its the fact that this so called bank have been allowed to get away with so much and still nothing is done.
We are considering legal action as a last resort. Is anyone out there prepared to join forces, can anyone recommend a solicitor?

I'm completely and utterly baffled by the bank's stance.

What if the scammers' target the USA next ?

I have just nearly been scammed on trying to buy a mercedes on eBay (axa123uk). Watch out for these people as they are still using a realistic eBay fraudulent account which uses a Barclays Bank account. If you transfer your funds you will never get your money back or receive a car, bike or any other item. They gave me reg of car so I could do checks on the vehicle and said that the reason for the sale was due to divorce, hence the low price!!! Don't get fooled and do every check you can including contacting eBay to varify the seller is speaking the truth

The more information you can give us on this the better D.Driver, especially the name and e-mail of the scammer and the bank account details they're using. If you can give us the e-mails and headers, with your own details removed, so much the better.

What we can do is limited, but what we do is thorough and relentless. We collect information on the scammer(s) and will do whatever we can with the information we collect. We can never get too little information and, if it makes the scammer swap and change his identity and tactics, so much the better.