Not upheld: fraud marker recording and account closure complaint against MP Payments UK Limited trading as Zing

Decision detail

Summary

Mr K complained that Zing unfairly recorded a Cifas fraud marker against him after payments received into his account were reported as being the result of a scam. Mr K claimed he had not opened the account and knew nothing about the activity. However, the ombudsman found that Zing had strong evidence including passport identification, video verifications of account opening and operation, and matching device details confirming Mr K had opened and operated the account. The ombudsman found Mr K's initial denial of involvement undermined his credibility and that Zing's evidence was clear and rigorous enough to justify the marker. The complaint was not upheld and the marker remains on Mr K's record for six years.

The Ombudsman's reasoning

The ombudsman found the evidence Zing held was clear, relevant, and rigorous enough to justify recording the fraud marker. The comparison of Mr K's passport to account opening details and video verifications satisfied the ombudsman that Mr K had opened and operated the account. Mr K's initial denial of involvement was viewed as undermining his credibility regarding his claimed lack of knowledge of the payments. The technical evidence including video verifications and matching device details pointed to Mr K's complicity. Cifas, as the data controller, had also confirmed Zing met the standard of proof for filing the marker.

How this compares

Source

Read the original decision on the Financial Ombudsman Service website