Pensioners' fraud nightmare

Photo: Jan Harwood

Credit card fraud victims George & Mary Hollis.

An elderly couple almost ran out of food after credit card fraudsters emptied their bank account.

Mary and George Hollis, both pensioners from Wardle Edge, had a nasty shock when their bank statement showed over £300 had vanished, and had been used to order two mobile phones at an address in London.

The pair, both in their 70s, had a further blow when they contacted the bank, Lloyds TSB, to find there had been a “manual error” delaying the return of their cash.

Mary Hollis made a distressed call to Empire Stores, where the order had been made, and thankfully put a stop to the delivery.

But Lloyds TSB, despite having a policy to return funds under the circumstances, admitted to an error in the office which lead to a delay, meaning the couple had to do without for three weeks.

George Hollis said: “It was awful; we had to wait before we could do our shopping.

“We were eating potatoes out of the cupboard and we were getting worried as to when we’d get our money back.

“We’re both pensioners, £300 is a lot of money to us”.

Mary added: “When I realised the money had gone I got straight onto the bank. It was quite obvious as I never use Empire Stores.

“I’m just glad they cancelled the order and they never got their phones.”

Councillor Jean Ashworth, a friend of the Hollis’ who helped them to get their story published, has warned shoppers to be vigilant with their credit cards. She said: “People need to keep a close eye on their cards.

“We need to warn people that this is happening all the time.

“Don’t let your card out of your sight when you pay at a shop, and always check your bank account”.

A spokeswoman from Lloyds TSB apologised for the error. She said: “In cases of this kind, the bank refunds customers before seeking reimbursement from the retailer, as is the case with Mr & Mrs Hollis.

“A credit of this kind would normally take 4/5 days to clear. Unfortunately, due to a manual error, the money was credited to the Hollis’ account a little later, on 4th March 2009. We would like to apologise for this delay.

“We would like to remind customers that, where they are the innocent victims of fraud, we will always reimburse them.”

The Hollis’ have had the full amount of £346.50 returned to them, and have decided not to pursue the issue with the MET Police.