Not upheld: fraud marker recording and account closure complaint against TSB Bank Plc

Decision detail

Summary

Mr F complained that TSB Bank Plc unfairly recorded a fraud marker against him at Cifas and closed his account after he received fraudulent funds in September 2025. Mr F claimed he was a victim of a scam and had not knowingly participated in fraud, stating he had been following scammers' instructions. However, during a phone call with TSB, Mr F had stated he did not recognise the transactions and had not shared his banking details, which contradicted his later claims. The ombudsman found the inconsistencies in Mr F's account, combined with his failure to provide tangible evidence of third-party involvement and his deletion of messages, suggested he had knowledge of and complicity in the underlying activity. The ombudsman upheld TSB's decision to record the marker and close the account.

The Ombudsman's reasoning

The ombudsman found that Mr F's statements during the phone call with TSB were inconsistent with his later claims. During the call, Mr F stated he had not recognised the transactions and had not shared his banking details, yet later claimed he had been following scammers' instructions to move money. The ombudsman found Mr F was calm during the call and the questions were clear, making the explanation of confusion and panic unsatisfactory. The ombudsman also noted that Mr F failed to provide tangible evidence of third-party involvement despite being given the opportunity, and questioned why he would delete messages and block the scammers if he genuinely believed he had been scammed. The ombudsman concluded that the evidence suggested Mr F knew more than he was willing to say initially, pointing to complicity in the underlying activity.

How this compares

Source

Read the original decision on the Financial Ombudsman Service website