Not upheld: scam refund claim and service delays complaint against NATIONAL WESTMINSTER BANK PUBLIC LIMITED COMPANY

Decision detail

Summary

Mr B made two payments totalling £2,500 to purchase trainers online and claimed they never arrived, requesting NatWest refund the money as a scam victim. NatWest refused the refund but paid £50 compensation for response delays. The ombudsman found the complaint not upheld because Mr B failed to provide sufficient evidence of a scam despite multiple opportunities, including communication records or proof of non-delivery. The ombudsman noted that even with faster NatWest response, recovery would have been unlikely as funds had already been removed from the recipient account. The £50 compensation was deemed fair for the service delays experienced.

The Ombudsman's reasoning

The ombudsman determined that before requiring a refund, there must be sufficient evidence that a scam occurred and a loss was suffered. Despite multiple requests for evidence, Mr B could not provide communication records with the seller or proof that trainers were not delivered. The deletion of the social media profile, while explained by Mr B as potentially avoidable with faster NatWest response, does not change the current lack of evidence. Additionally, the funds had already been removed from the recipient account before Mr B reported the scam, meaning NatWest's response time would not have enabled recovery.

How this compares

Source

Read the original decision on the Financial Ombudsman Service website