Shari Vahl, Rip Off Britain and
Jenny Coleman,North West
When letters and bank cards mysteriously started popping through his letter box, Paul Harrison grew increasingly worried somebody was trying to steal his identity.
And when he discovered neighbours on his Cheshire street had also been receiving suspicious mail they soon found out they were likely being targeted as part of a wider, sophisticated money laundering scam.
Mr Harrison, who has lived at his home in Warrington for 22 years, said strange items of post began to arrive in January, addressed to somebody completely unknown to either him or his wife.
“When the first letter arrived from HSBC [it] clearly had a bank card in it,” he told One’s Rip Off Britain programme.
After taking the letter to his nearest HSBC branch, Mr Harrison said he was told to return it to the sender, which he did.
A few days later, though, a similar letter arrived.
After speaking to HSBC’s fraud department he believed the issue had been resolved – until the letters kept coming.
The mysterious addressee was then sent seven letters, a bank card, a PIN, overdraft limit warnings and a warning that an outstanding debt could be referred to a credit reference agency.
Mr Harrison became increasingly worried.
And when he spoke with neighbour Tracy Heaton he found out he was not alone.
Ms Heaton, who had received similar letters for a person unknown to her, feared her address was being used by a fraudster.
“I was very concerned about the implications on myself and credit rating,” she said.
Ms Heaton received eight letters addressed to two different men who had never lived at her property.
Despite contacting HSBC repeatedly, she said she had felt “fobbed off” by the bank, claiming it was “not taking the appropriate action to stop it”.
Mr Harrison then contacted the Rip Off Britain team.
The discovered that at least 12 homes on Mr Harrison and Ms Heaton’s street had been targeted with bogus accounts, set up on the same day in common Hungarian names.
It is possible that these names belong to people who have had their identities stolen, or they have been “bought” by money laundering criminals, allowing their identities to be used to open bank accounts for them.
Seeking to avoid detection, money launderers often split large sums of cash and quickly transfer it into several newly created bank accounts.
It is not known how much money was involved in the Warrington operation.
There is no suggestion of any wrongdoing by Mr Harrison, Ms Heaton or anybody living in their street.
HSBC said it carries out “physical and digital checks when an account application is received” and when fraudulent activity is reported or suspected it always aims to investigate and take appropriate action in a timely manner.
The bank apologised to Mr Harrison and Ms Heaton and said its response was not up to the standard “customers should expect”.
It said it had reviewed what happened and taken action to ensure it does not happen again.
The bank also confirmed the fraudulent accounts on the Warrington street had all now been closed.
Finally, it urged anyone who receives a letter addressed to someone who does not live at that property to return it by post or take it to a local branch or banking hub.