Not upheld: scam and fraud - alleged investment scam complaint against Starling Bank Limited

Decision detail

Summary

Miss D complained to Starling Bank after losing £18,204 between May and July 2021 to what she believed was a property investment scam perpetrated by an individual named 'S' who had approached her through friends. Starling did not uphold her complaint, and the case was escalated to the Financial Ombudsman Service. Although the ombudsman acknowledged that Miss D appeared genuine and had likely been exploited due to her vulnerability, the complaint was not upheld because Miss D could not provide sufficient evidence to prove a scam had occurred, including no messages with the individual and only a document with no personal information or clear connection to the payments made.

The Ombudsman's reasoning

The ombudsman acknowledged that Miss D appeared genuine and had likely been taken advantage of, but found that she had not provided sufficient evidence to establish that a scam had occurred. Without clear documentation, messages, or other corroborating evidence showing what was agreed, what Miss D was told, or the nature of the scam, the ombudsman could not fairly conclude that Starling should refund the money. The ombudsman also noted that Starling would have been unable to recover funds from the receiving bank without evidence of a scam.

How this compares

Source

Read the original decision on the Financial Ombudsman Service website