Long-time readers will remember my trials and tribulations with First Direct and some slightly dodgy payments from my bank account to a Vanquis Bank credit card (APR 58%) just before Christmas. Just to update you happy few on what happened, First Direct refunded my account both transactions and gave me a new Switch card, which seemed to solve the problem. Which was nice. They never actually told me what happened as a result of their investigations, but there you go.
Interestingly – and whether it was because of the change of card or some artfulness on the part of these particular dodgers, I don’t know – there was no third transaction that would have triggered a deeper investigation by the First Direct frauds department. That might have yielded more information, so I’m assuming two dodgy transactions wasn’t enough to go on or worth the effort.
Nevertheless, it seems to be the tip of a financial iceberg. I just received this email from another worried First Direct customer (name withheld to protect the innocent, of course):
I have just read your article about being a First Direct customer and Vanquis Bank Chatham taking £250 twice from your bank account. I am very worried now because exactly the same thing has happened to me today. Vanquis Bank has taken £203 from my bank account and like you the First Direct Disputes Department say they will investigate the transaction because I didn’t authorise it.
So that’s two First Direct customers undergoing the same scam c/o Vanquis credit card customers. Tip of the iceberg or coincidence? Enquiring minds want to know.