NatWest apologises to Carlisle man after fraud battle

58-year-old Kevin Patrick, from Ivegill south of Carlisle, experienced what he described as a year of “hell” after losing £11,000 from his NatWest bank account to internet fraudsters.

Appearing this week on the BBC programme Watchdog Live, the retired Cumbria Police officer of more than 20 years credits the show with the bank’s ultimate change of heart after a year of refusing to cover his losses.

A NatWest spokesperson said ahead of the show’s airing on Wednesday night that the company had “reviewed Mr Patrick’s case and recognise we did not get this right,”

Mr Patrick said the fraud the fraud to which he fell victim in June last year was the result of a sophisticated online hacking operation.

“My emails became frozen”, Mr Patrick said.

Contacting his internet provider via online support, Mr Patrick was given a unique reference number, and told an engineer would call him.

“If the engineer doesn’t quote the number, I was told – don’t deal with them.”

Subsequently called by a man quoting the reference code, Mr Patrick followed the instructions given to him over the phone – but in doing so was unwittingly giving away remote access to his computer, which was then used to transfer £11,000 out of his NatWest bank account.

Immediately contacting NatWest, Mr Patrick was stunned to discover the company was unwilling to help him.

“The first thing they did is blame me as a customer,” he said.

Refusing to cover his losses, Mr Patrick was told by NatWest the were confident the financial ombudsman – the independent industry watchdog – would side with the bank.

“The statement ‘you can contact the financial ombudsman but we are confident they will uphold our decision’ would put most people off pursuing it further,” Mr Patrick said.

“I feel they did everything in their power to try and get me to disappear.

“I think they’re relying on the fact that people are going to back down.

“It’s easier to fob someone off because they’ve got the power, and they know most people can’t fight them.

“They’ve got some of the best lawyers in Europe defending them.”

Mr Patrick was deeply affected by the experience, and eventually became resigned to the prospect he would not recover his lost money.

“I was feeling very depressed, very upset at the time.

“It does impact on your life.”

Yet Mr Patrick said he recognised he was more fortunate than other fraud victims in the same situation.

“I’m fortunate because I’m careful with my money but for a lot of people that would wipe them out,” he said.

“The stress this has put me through is phenomenal, but I am fortunate that I had other reserves.

“For a lot of people, it would be absolutely crucial. For some people it’s more than a year’s salary, more than their life savings.”

For Mr Patrick, the final insult was when NatWest offered him an £11,000 loan to mitigate the impact of the fraud.

“They then had the audacity to say we can loan you £11,000,” he said.

“You couldn’t make it up.

“I was incredulous when they mentioned a loan. When you’re going through hell, it’s just insulting.”

The turning point in Mr Patrick’s 12-month saga was a chance meeting.

Now running a window shutter installation business, the former police officer was recounting his experience to a client who turned out to be a television producer.

“She eventually got in touch with me and said that she had colleagues who would be interested to speak to me.

“Not long after I was travelling down to London to be interviewed by Steph McGovern, to appear on Watchdog.”

Mr Patrick agreed that the Watchdog team could contact NatWest on his behalf. Shortly after recording his interview with them, he was contacted by the bank to be told he was to be refunded for the full amount he lost.

“I don’t think I would have got that money back yet if it hadn’t been for Watchdog,” Mr Patrick said.

“I am very grateful to Watchdog for getting my money back, but it shouldn’t have to go that far.

A NatWest spokesman apologised to Mr Patrick on behalf of the company.

“We have refunded Mr Patrick in full with compensation and wholeheartedly apologise for the distress caused and the level of service he received,” the spokesperson said.

“Fraud and scams are becoming increasingly sophisticated and challenging for customers, so we are working harder than ever to keep our customers safe and secure.

“For instance, in recent months we have increased the warnings to customers making transactions on the app and online; updated our app; increased alerts to customers and continued to invest heavily in our security features for the protection of our customers.

“Since February, we’ve carried out additional checks on more than 11,000 payments and stopped £8.7m of potential scam payments after alerting our customers.”

The NatWest spokesperson also announced that a new reimbursement model to compensate victims of fraud had been launched this week, in partnership with other high street banking firms.

“We are a founding member of the Contingent Reimbursement Model code launched yesterday and are committed to working with regulators, law enforcers and the industry to try to reduce fraud and increase security for our customers.”

The spokesperson added that NatWest treat each fraud case “individually, and constantly update our processes and procedures to ensure they are fair and above or in-line with the industry and guidance from the ombudsman and regulators.

“Consequentially complaints to the Financial Ombudsman Service have decreased by 48%.”

For Mr Patrick, his experience has left his trust in the company shattered.

“I’m taking all my money out of the NatWest,” he said.

“When you put your money in the bank, the bank have a duty of care to look after your money, that’s why it’s there.

“Gone are the days when the biggest risk to a bank is someone with a sawn-off shotgun, now it’s in the electronic world.

“NatWest need to listen to their customers properly, and not automatically blame them for their lack of security.”