A furious grandmother has accused NatWest of calling her “a liar” after claiming scammers stole thousands of pounds from her account (The Wokingham Paper, June 7).
The 64 year-old, who has asked not to be named, banked at the Wokingham branch.
She said a scammer claiming to be from the NatWest fraud team transferred the money to a fake TSB account.
Now NatWest has written to the pensioner claiming she authorised the transaction which she denies and is refusing to reimburse her.
Speaking to The Wokingham Paper, she said: “NatWest is calling me a liar which I find very offensive.
“The bank claim I transferred the money from my phone. That is absolute nonsense. They have refused to investigate the matter properly and are only replying to what they want to reply.”
The scam happened after a man called the woman’s house warning that her two NatWest accounts had been compromised.
He advised her to transfer cash into another account he claimed was with the same bank but turned out to be one with the TSB.
“He knew my account numbers and even my mother’s maiden name. He spoke very politely and was authoritative,” added the grandmother.
“I didn’t give him any information except to confirm who I was.
“I went to the Wokingham branch the next day and discovered I only had £11 left in my account. The staff put a block on all transactions and rang their fraud team. However, since then, I have heard nothing despite promises to keep me informed.”
In a letter, NatWest said it has ‘completed’ its investigation into the case.
“At NatWest we take all instances of reported scams very seriously and carry out a detailed assessment of all cases reported to us,” the letter stated.
“As previously advised, as you authorised this transaction the bank accepts no liability. We have contacted the beneficiary bank but unfortunately no funds remain.
“I appreciate that you will be disappointed with this outcome and I apologise I have not been able to resolve matters to your satisfaction.”
The pensioner added: “This matter is not finished. I have called in the banking ombudsman. I cannot afford to lose the money I have. It is a struggle for me and I am determined to fight this all the way.”
