Not upheld: disputed transactions and account closure complaint against Nationwide Building Society

Decision detail

Summary

Mr and Mrs H complained that Nationwide Building Society wrongfully declined to refund £1,216 in disputed transactions to online bookmakers made on 3 July 2025, and subsequently closed their joint account immediately. Mr H claimed the transactions were unauthorised and questioned why fraud detection systems did not flag them. Nationwide's investigation, supported by the bookmaker's confirmation that correct credentials and Touch ID authentication were used, indicated Mr H had authorised the transactions. The ombudsman found it reasonable for Nationwide to treat the transactions as authorised given the security measures used and consistent device/IP address patterns, and upheld the account closure as within contractual terms. The complaint was not upheld.

The Ombudsman's reasoning

The ombudsman found that based on the bookmaker's evidence showing correct credentials and Touch ID authentication were used, combined with the consistent IP address and device usage patterns, it was reasonable to conclude Mr H authorised the transactions. The ombudsman noted that no one else could have accessed the secure bookmaker account without Mr H's knowledge, and that winnings would have to be returned to Mr H's card, providing no benefit to a fraudster. The fraud detection systems were not unreasonably triggered given the device and IP address were consistent with Mr H's normal usage patterns. The account closure was within Nationwide's contractual rights.

How this compares

Source

Read the original decision on the Financial Ombudsman Service website