Not upheld: unauthorised transactions / fraud claim complaint against Nationwide Building Society

Decision detail

Summary

Mr K complained that Nationwide Building Society refused to refund eight transactions he claimed were unauthorised, made between 14 and 20 March 2025. The transactions were faster payments completed via the Nationwide online banking app from Mr K's device, which was protected with passcode and biometrics, and Mr K maintained he had sole access to both the device and login credentials. The ombudsman found that without evidence of how an unauthorised third party could have accessed the device and app (such as remote access software or shared one-time passcodes), and given Mr K's denial of suspicious activity, it was more likely that Mr K himself authorised the transactions. The complaint was not upheld and Nationwide was not required to provide a refund.

The Ombudsman's reasoning

The ombudsman found that all transactions were completed online via the Nationwide app on Mr K's device with biometric authentication for each transaction. Given that Mr K had sole possession of the device, it was protected with passcode and biometrics, he had not shared login details, and he denied receiving suspicious communications or downloading unknown apps, the ombudsman concluded it was unlikely someone else could have gained remote access without installing remote access software and obtaining a one-time passcode, neither of which Mr K reported. In the absence of persuasive evidence explaining how someone else could have made these payments without Mr K's knowledge and consent, the ombudsman determined it was more likely that Mr K authorised the transactions himself.

How this compares

Source

Read the original decision on the Financial Ombudsman Service website