I would encourage people to always get a second opinion from different CS employees at banks, through different platforms if possible so they don’t look at old notes. (Twitter, Branch, Online Banking, App)
For example, someone has stopped communication with me after I bank transferred them funds on Facebook Marketplace and I went to ask Barclays if they’d do anything. One CS representative told me as I made the transfer they couldn’t do anything.
Another one told me that they’d like me to speak to the fraud team, who I can say have been very understanding and are indeed getting in touch with Starling to try and look into the matter.
I hope you manage to get somewhere. Unfortunately, there’s little to no protection when it comes to bank transfers. The Authorised Push Payment (APP) Scam Code offers some protection in certain scenarios, though I’m not sure it would cover what’s happened here. I would strongly advise against sending strangers money via bank transfer, as you’re completely reliant on them to act honestly.
Thanks, I’m pretty sure this is the case too though. Issue is, there really isn’t any recourse in general for something like this. We need some alternative to Facebook Marketplace. Something with an escrow. Maybe this’ll incense me to build it but, I doubt it.
Hopefully AF at least convict the guy. I suspect the money has already left for Poland or taken out in cash at some point.
I doubt it does either, I couldn’t remember pressing a button to confirm that I understood any scam protection so maybe I can claim money via utter stupidity like the donkey that got the FoS request.
It indeed is correct, didn’t really see another way though. I’m genuinely clueless how to transact safely with no fees; people don’t really want to use PayPal for Business & PayPal Friends & Family doesn’t offer protection either. The key issue with FB Marketplace… will probably be my last run-in with it. I could have bought another pen with that 100 that’s now lost. Oh well, mistakes are made I guess.
In another note, do you reckon it’s worth filing a complaint w/ Barclays? Very nearly missed out on any opportunity to have them look into it, due to the inaccuracy of what I was told by my initial two CS visits. Maybe I’ll wait until the result and then see?
Similarly they offered me support via a thing called Victim Support but I don’t really feel like I know what I want to do with that, I’d just like five minutes with the guy to ask why he’d take my money and not have any intention to deliver. I could understand if something went wrong but…
I’d see what Barclays come back with but I think I’d chalk it up to experience. Buying something on FB Marketplace from someone local might be OK, where you can physically go and collect the item and hand over the money, but I wouldn’t use it personally.
Yeah, I only did it because fountain pens are really expensive and this seemed very cheap especially for the pens on offer. But normally they’re gifts for graduation etc and things like that, so I chalked it up to the guy maybe not understanding that a Montblanc are very collectible.
I think I am indeed done with it though, will let it run its course and just not use Marketplace for anything but sales.
APP Fraud does cover purchases over Facebook but its largely a on a best endeavour basis. It’s unlikely you would enjoy sending or receiving bank liability but may get the funds back as part of a recovery of the original transaction.
The Financial Ombudsman Service do seem to take a fairly sweeping interpretation of the APP Scam Code, so stretch the rules to apply it wherever they can. Difficult to say if they would here, and obviously it’s not ideal to need to complain, wait for weeks, refer to the FOS and again wait for weeks for resolution - but worth keeping in mind.
It’s essentially been interpreted as a general “no fault” reimbursement scheme by regulators.
Yeah, it’s so difficult to tell if it’s cheap as a red flag or cheap for some other reason. Personally I’m too wary of scams to use these platforms at all, it’s just not worth it to me.
It indeed is, I just didn’t want to trek to Bath since I’ve only been there a handful of times. Not really comfortable with it the way I am with the home of Nationwide or London.
I’m thinking about it, I could have very easily ended up in a position where I didn’t file anything because of what I asked. At the very least a complaint could have staff reinformed so people in the same boat can get access to help without waiting for the Twitter team (or if they don’t have Twitter, potentially never) to confirm.
It honestly should be, banks should work on a form of escrow system if they’re going to allow peer to peer payments. At the very least they should do something like requiring funds from another account where the transaction was marked as a purchase of goods/services, to be held for a week (in other words, your balance couldn’t dip below that amount) to ensure that in the event of a dispute, the money hadn’t grown legs and done a walkies.
I have concurred what you have, albeit as @Dan mentioned, due to experience. In the future I’ll use something like eBay.
