Not upheld: identity fraud and data security in branch environment complaint against Nationwide Building Society

Decision detail

Summary

Mr L complained that during a visit to an NBS branch, security questions asked at the counter in a public environment led to his personal information being overheard and subsequently used by criminals to fraudulently apply for lending products in his name. Mr L reported the matter to police, who allegedly apprehended suspects who admitted to the fraud. However, when asked to provide police evidence or credit reports to support his claim, Mr L declined to do so. The ombudsman found that without evidence linking the branch interaction to the fraud, NBS could not be held responsible, and the complaint was not upheld.

The Ombudsman's reasoning

The ombudsman found that while sympathizing with Mr L's situation, the complaint could not be upheld because Mr L failed to provide evidence linking the branch interaction to the identity fraud. The ombudsman noted that asking security questions at the counter is common industry practice, and that Mr L could have requested a more private setting if uncomfortable. Without evidence of the causal link between NBS' actions and the fraud, the ombudsman could not find NBS responsible.

How this compares

Source

Read the original decision on the Financial Ombudsman Service website