{"id":1023,"date":"2025-05-19T07:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-05-19T07:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/alaskanativeowned.com\/?p=1023"},"modified":"2025-05-28T20:29:08","modified_gmt":"2025-05-28T20:29:08","slug":"phone-thieves-stole-10000-from-my-savings-but-the-bank-says-its-my-fault","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alaskanativeowned.com\/index.php\/2025\/05\/19\/phone-thieves-stole-10000-from-my-savings-but-the-bank-says-its-my-fault\/","title":{"rendered":"Phone thieves stole \u00a310,000 from my savings but the bank says it\u2019s my fault"},"content":{"rendered":"<figure class=\"img-container shareable-item wp-caption\">\n<div class=\"img-wrap\">\n\t\t<img width=\"646\" height=\"363\" src=\"https:\/\/alaskanativeowned.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/SEI_251592502-3dbb.jpg\" class=\"article-image wp-image-23100831\" alt=\"Money Problem: Phone thieves stole ?10,000 from my savings but the bank says it?s my fault\" loading=\"lazy\" \/>\t<\/div><figcaption>James&#8217;s banking app was open when his phone was snatched (Picture: Getty\/Metro)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<div class=\"metro-article-audio-player\" data-vars-type=\"article-audio-player\">\n<div class=\"metro-article-audio-player-play-row\">\n\t\t\t\t<button class=\"metro-article-audio-player-play-button\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t<title>Listen to article<\/title>\t\t\t\t\t<span>Listen to article<\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t<\/button><\/p>\n<div class=\"img-container\"><img class=\"sponsor-image\" src=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/wp-content\/themes\/metro\/includes\/site-blocks\/article-audio\/assets\/powered-by.png\" alt=\"Powered by\" data-rewritten=\"false\" \/><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"audio-controls hidden\">\n\t\t\t\t<audio class=\"audio-element\" src=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/ElevenLabs_2025-05-16T15_42_08_Axell-British-YouTube-Personality-_pvc_sp100_s50_sb75_se30_b_m2-4d34.mp3\" controls id=\"audio-683771f49c551\">\t\t\t<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\tYour browser does not support the audio element.<br \/>\n\t\t\t\t<\/audio>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Welcome to the latest instalment of Metro&#8217;s <a data-track=\"inline-tag-auto-link_article\" href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/tag\/the-money-problem\/\">Money Problem<\/a>, from award-winning personal finance journalist and consumer champion, <a href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/author\/sarah-davidson\/\">Sarah Davidson.<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Every Monday, she investigates a reader&#8217;s money dilemma, offering a no-nonsense perspective on what&#8217;s gone wrong along with guidance and advocacy to help make things right.<\/p>\n<p>This week, we hear from James, a 35-year-old Londoner who recently had his <a href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/2025\/02\/06\/iphone-users-issued-five-steps-keep-devices-secure-phone-snatchers-22508043\/\">phone snatched<\/a> &#8211; only the thieves took things one step further, draining his online accounts shortly after.<\/p>\n<p>When he tried to claim the <a href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/2025\/01\/12\/someone-looked-shoulder-robbed-22-600-22316990\/\">stolen cash<\/a> back, James&#8217;s bank refused, leaving him \u00a310,000 down and extremely frustrated.<\/p>\n<div class=\"factbox\" data-ico=\"factbox_article\" data-track-module=\"factbox_article\">\n<h2 class=\"factbox-title\">\n\t\t\t\tSubmit your Metro Money Problem\t\t\t<\/h2>\n<div class=\"factbox-content\">\n<p>Have you been ripped off by a romance scammer? Fighting with family or friends over who should pay for what? Struggling to get by despite a decent income? Or simply want to vent about how you&#8217;ve been treated by a major company?<\/p>\n<p>If you&#8217;ve got a money problem you&#8217;d like Sarah to look into, fill in <a href=\"https:\/\/forms.gle\/Ab8Q9fQkEE3s1HdX7\">this form<\/a> or email <strong>sarah.davidson@metro.co.uk<\/strong>, providing as much detail about your situation as possible. <\/p>\n<p>No issue is too big or small, and all submissions will be treated with the strictest confidence.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The problem&#8230;<\/h2>\n<p>On a night out a few months back, I was checking my banking app when two guys on a moped grabbed my phone and drove away. It all happened in a matter of seconds, and by the time I rushed home to report it, they&#8217;d stolen \u00a310,000 out of my wedding fund with a cash transfer service.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>I did all the things you&#8217;re supposed to: cancelling my cards, changing my passwords and contacting the bank with my crime number. The police were sympathetic but said there wasn&#8217;t much they could do, so I was relying on the unauthorised payment claim to get the money back. <\/p>\n<div class=\"video-player\">\n<div class=\"metro-video-player \" data-track-module=\"video-player\">\n<div class=\"vjs-video-container vjs-fixed vjs-responsive\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t{&#8220;@context&#8221;:&#8221;https:\/\/schema.org&#8221;,&#8221;@type&#8221;:&#8221;VideoObject&#8221;,&#8221;name&#8221;:&#8221;Metro.co.uk&#8221;,&#8221;duration&#8221;:&#8221;T30S&#8221;,&#8221;thumbnailUrl&#8221;:&#8221;https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2025\/05\/19\/16\/98535393-0-image-a-3_1747669105214.jpg&#8221;,&#8221;uploadDate&#8221;:&#8221;2025-05-19T16:09:35+0100&#8243;,&#8221;description&#8221;:&#8221;Deadlines move fast. So do you &#8211; with the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra on Vodafone Business&#8217; powerful network&#8221;,&#8221;contentUrl&#8221;:&#8221;https:\/\/videos.metro.co.uk\/video\/met\/2025\/05\/19\/1760175980206013783\/480x270_MP4_1760175980206013783.mp4&#8243;,&#8221;height&#8221;:270,&#8221;width&#8221;:480}<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t<video id=\"3439011\" class=\"video-js\" poster=\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2025\/05\/19\/16\/98535393-0-image-a-1_1747669102260.jpg\" data-opts=\"{&quot;controls&quot;:true,&quot;preload&quot;:&quot;metadata&quot;,&quot;autoplay&quot;:false,&quot;videoId&quot;:3439011,&quot;duration&quot;:30,&quot;pageURL&quot;:&quot;The-power-AI-small-business&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;The power of AI for small business&quot;,&quot;previewText&quot;:&quot;Deadlines move fast. 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preload=\"metadata\" playsinline><\/p>\n<p class=\"vjs-no-js\">To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web<br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tbrowser that<br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/videojs.com\/html5-video-support\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">supports HTML5<br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tvideo<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t<\/video>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"metro-video-player__up-next-placeholder\">\n<div class=\"metro-video-player__up-next-placeholder-header\">\n<div class=\"metro-video-player__up-next-placeholder-header-label\">\n<p>Up Next<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"spinner\"><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"metro-related-video-carousel__navigation\">\n<div class=\"metro-related-video-carousel__arrow metro-related-video-carousel__arrow--left disabled\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<title>Previous Page<\/title>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"metro-related-video-carousel__page\"><\/div>\n<div 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class=\"metro-related-video-carousel__related-video-placeholder-headline\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span><\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span><\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span><\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"metro-related-video-carousel__related-video-placeholder\">\n<div class=\"metro-related-video-carousel__related-video-placeholder-thumbnail\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"metro-related-video-carousel__related-video-placeholder-headline\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span><\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span><\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span><\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>\t\t\twindow.addEventListener(&#8216;metroVideo:relatedVideosCarouselLoaded&#8217;, function(data) {<br \/>\n\t\t\t\tif (typeof(data.detail) === &#8216;undefined&#8217; || typeof(data.detail.carousel) === &#8216;undefined&#8217; || typeof(data.detail.carousel.el_) === &#8216;undefined&#8217;) {<br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\treturn;<br \/>\n\t\t\t\t}<br \/>\n\t\t\t\tvar player = data.detail.carousel.el_;<br \/>\n\t\t\t\tvar container = player.closest(&#8216;.metro-video-player&#8217;);<br \/>\n\t\t\t\tvar placeholder = container.querySelector(&#8216;.metro-video-player__up-next-placeholder&#8217;);<br \/>\n\t\t\t\tcontainer.removeChild(placeholder);<br \/>\n\t\t\t\tcontainer.classList.add(&#8216;metro-video-player&#8211;related-videos-loaded&#8217;);<br \/>\n\t\t\t});<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>However, I&#8217;ve just been told my refund has been refused because of &#8216;gross negligence&#8217; on my part.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>I feel like I&#8217;m being blamed when I was the victim of a crime &#8211; do I have grounds to appeal the decision?\u00a0<\/p>\n<section class=\"metro-comment-cta\">\n<div class=\"metro-comment-cta__inner\"><span class=\"metro-comment-cta__text-wrap\"><title>Comment now<\/title><span class=\"metro-comment-cta__text\">Have you experienced a similar situation with online banking fraud? Share your experience.<\/span><\/span><a class=\"metro-comment-cta__button\" href=\"#metro-comments-container\">Comment Now<\/a><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The advice&#8230;<\/h2>\n<p>First of all, I am so sorry this happened to you. Being robbed, assaulted or made the victim of any crime is abhorrent, and leaves lasting emotional damage that can still affect people years later.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>In your case you lost not just your phone &#8211; which likely cost upwards of \u00a3700 &#8211; you also saw \u00a310,000 of savings drained from your bank account. That\u2019s a huge chunk of money, and made worse by the fact it was destined to pay for your wedding.<\/p>\n<p>Sadly, you are far from alone. In September last year the Home Office published figures showing that 78,000 people <a href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/2024\/09\/03\/200-smartphones-snatched-uk-streets-every-day-new-figures-show-21536518\/\">had their phones or bags snatched<\/a> out of their hands in the previous 12 months &#8211; equivalent to more than 200 snatch thefts every day across England and Wales.<\/p>\n<p>Far, far too often victims are blamed for their &#8216;stupidity&#8217; in falling for <a href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/2025\/05\/01\/map-shows-areas-worst-hit-scams-uk-18-000-000-lost-this-year-alone-23002793\/\">online or telephone scams<\/a> that result in them authorising a payment from their bank account to a fraudster.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>To hear that this is happening when a person is physically subjected to a robbery and then loses money as the result of an unauthorised payment is, frankly, sickening.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>This said, there are a few things to say here &#8211; and some we can learn.\u00a0<\/p>\n<figure class=\"img-container shareable-item wp-caption\">\n<div class=\"img-wrap\">\n\t\t<img width=\"646\" height=\"431\" src=\"https:\/\/alaskanativeowned.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/GettyImages-146473300.jpg\" class=\"article-image wp-image-23101104\" alt=\"Young man checks phone as he crosses the road\" loading=\"lazy\" \/>\t<\/div><figcaption>The bank claim he was &#8216;grossly negligent&#8217; (Picture: Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>First, you did all the right things as you say. Cancelling cards, changing passwords and reporting the theft to the police and your bank as soon as you were able was a sterling effort. Well done.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Check your home insurance policy and whether your bank account has mobile phone insurance covered. With the crime number, you should be able to claim back the value of the stolen phone after paying an excess.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>The second thing to say is going to sound less palatable.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Unfortunately, your \u00a310,000 is barely a drop in the ocean of money stolen by criminals each year. The latest fraud report from UK Finance showed an eye-watering \u00a31.17 billion was stolen by fraudsters in 2023.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Within that total, \u00a3709million was unauthorised payment fraud affecting almost three million victims. You\u2019re one of them. And that\u2019s what you\u2019re up against in your fight to gain recompense from your bank.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>If they have reasonable grounds to refuse to reimburse you, they\u2019ll do it. They have a duty to their shareholders after all.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>The third is to understand what your rights and protections are.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Your phone was stolen from you while your banking app was open. As such, you did not authorise the transfer of \u00a310,000 from your account but the payment itself was authorised from within your banking app.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Your case falls under rules that state your bank can refuse to reimburse you if you fail to &#8216;take all reasonable steps to keep safe personalised security credentials relating to a payment instrument or an account information service&#8217;.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>In order for them to refuse to cover your loss, the bank must prove that you &#8216;acted intentionally or with gross negligence, by not keeping the payment instrument safe, adhering to the terms governing its use, or failing to report its loss theft or misappropriation&#8217;.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Here\u2019s where the thump in the chest comes I\u2019m afraid:\u00a0that payment instrument is your mobile phone.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Now, it\u2019s completely unreasonable to expect anyone to prevent themselves from being targeted by thieves as you were. But, even though it leaves a sour taste in the mouth, it is reasonable to expect you to ensure you\u2019re in a safe environment when you\u2019re logging into your banking app.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>You say two guys on a moped grabbed your phone and drove away. That suggests you\u2019re standing outside on a pavement, near the kerb or in the road.\u00a0You won\u2019t be the only one who\u2019s done it but, in hindsight, I\u2019m sure you can see that was probably not a decision you\u2019d make again.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Though you did not want to disclose the name of your bank, meaning I cannot check this with them, I would strongly suspect this is where your claim has fallen over.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div class=\"factbox\" data-ico=\"factbox_article\" data-track-module=\"factbox_article\">\n<h2 class=\"factbox-title\">\n\t\t\t\tTips to stay safe\t\t\t<\/h2>\n<div class=\"factbox-content\">\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Most banking apps should have additional security layers to prevent unauthorised transfers, even in the case that your phone, laptop or tablet is stolen while the app is open. Check what two-factor authentication steps are available and enable them.\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Set up remote locking and wiping facilities on your phone. It will mean getting to another phone or laptop, but it is nonetheless worth doing.\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Enable your phone\u2019s theft protections \u2013 some phones can detect if they\u2019ve been snatched and will lock automatically.\u00a0\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Ensure all your phone&#8217;s security features are enabled, such as biometrics and screen lock after a very short inactivity period.\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Thieves try to steal phones while they\u2019re unlocked as that gives them full access. Typically, they\u2019ll switch it to airplane mode so you can\u2019t use the remote locking feature. To jump this, use your phone\u2019s shortcuts app to create an automation that locks your screen automatically when your phone is turned onto airplane mode.\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Only ever open banking apps in a safe and secure environment, never in the open, by a road or in a public or crowded space.\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>If you are a victim of robbery, report it to the police or contact\u202f <a href=\"https:\/\/www.crimestoppers-uk.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Crimestoppers<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The following organisations may also be able to help.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/eur01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.actionfraud.police.uk%2Freport_fraud&amp;data=05%7C02%7CSerena.Pinto%40psr.org.uk%7Cbdffd80edd9148e86e7c08dce204f450%7C551f9db3821c44578551b43423dce661%7C1%7C0%7C638633758123316689%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&amp;sdata=PoXZ44TdYmPLr69sOldIvGdXobyT17izVyDc%2BBAx38I%3D&amp;reserved=0\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>Action Fraud<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/eur01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.victimsupport.org.uk%2F&amp;data=05%7C02%7CSerena.Pinto%40psr.org.uk%7Cbdffd80edd9148e86e7c08dce204f450%7C551f9db3821c44578551b43423dce661%7C1%7C0%7C638633758123333124%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&amp;sdata=gnTkD%2BN1m8vsUpTt0f2%2BUPU5Zxal%2B7CMO68ap7Fh2Co%3D&amp;reserved=0\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>Victim Support<\/strong><\/a>\u202f\u00a0<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/eur01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.citizensadvice.org.uk%2F&amp;data=05%7C02%7CSerena.Pinto%40psr.org.uk%7Cbdffd80edd9148e86e7c08dce204f450%7C551f9db3821c44578551b43423dce661%7C1%7C0%7C638633758123352055%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&amp;sdata=8Y9odUXSzGqaa1%2BJyiJFJenPlYakGLWq2sAdcscP%2FNk%3D&amp;reserved=0\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>Citizen\u2019s Advice<\/strong><\/a>\u202f<\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>To go back to your question: you feel like you\u2019re being blamed when you were the victim of a crime, and want know if you have grounds to appeal the decision?\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>To answer the first part: yes. You are being blamed when you were the victim of a crime. It is indisputably not fair.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>To answer the second part: no. You are governed by the law that underpins your contract with your bank and you did something innocent but silly.\u00a0\u00a0You do have the right to complain though, and the steps to do so are below.<\/p>\n<p>I\u2019d also take from this absolutely gutting, galling situation a cautionary lesson. Next time, do everything you can to keep your money safe before something goes wrong.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Final thing for me to say. I\u2019m sorry. Genuinely. It makes me feel ill to think you\u2019ve lost your wedding savings in such an unfair and despicable situation.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>But, as my mum has always said, life isn\u2019t fair my girl. Get used to it.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div class=\"factbox\" data-ico=\"factbox_article\" data-track-module=\"factbox_article\">\n<h2 class=\"factbox-title\">\n\t\t\t\tHow to complain if you\u2019re unhappy with your bank \t\t\t<\/h2>\n<div class=\"factbox-content\">\n<p>If you feel like you\u2019ve been treated unfairly by a financial business, or if you\u2019re unhappy with a financial service, you have the\u202f<a href=\"https:\/\/www.fca.org.uk\/consumers\/your-rights-financial-services\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">right to complain<\/a>. Follow these steps from the Financial Conduct Authority.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>Contact the firm<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The firms we authorise must have a process in place for resolving complaints.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>So if you\u2019re unhappy with a financial product or service, get in touch with the firm. Tell them what happened and when, and ask them to put things right. Make a record of how and when you got in touch.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>You normally need to complain within six years of the problem happening or, if later, within three years of you becoming aware that you had cause to complain.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>You can check the\u202f<a href=\"https:\/\/register.fca.org.uk\/s\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Financial Services Register<\/a>\u202fto make sure a firm is authorised.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>You get a response<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Unless they resolve your complaint within three business days, all firms must reply in writing to let you know they&#8217;ve received your complaint.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>In general, firms must get back to you in writing to let you know the outcome of your complaint within eight weeks. They must tell you whether your complaint has been successful or not, or why they need more time to investigate.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Payment service providers and e-money issuers must normally respond to certain complaints within 15 business days. If they can&#8217;t provide a final response, they must explain the reasons for the delay.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>You must then get a final response within 35 business days from the day when you first made the complaint.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>Contact the Financial Ombudsman Service<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>If you\u2019re unhappy with the firm&#8217;s decision, or you don&#8217;t hear from them in the right timeframe, the \u202f<a href=\"https:\/\/www.financial-ombudsman.org.uk\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Financial Ombudsman Service<\/a>\u202fmay be able to help. Find out if they can, by using their\u202f<a href=\"https:\/\/www.financial-ombudsman.org.uk\/make-complaint\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">online complaint checker<\/a>.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>The Financial Ombudsman\u202fis a free, independent service for settling disputes between financial services firms and their customers. It can deal with complaints about a wide range of issues, from pet insurance to stocks and shares.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Once you\u2019ve contacted them, the team at the Financial Ombudsman will talk to the firm and then decide whether to uphold your complaint.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>If they decide in your favour, and you agree to the terms, the firm must comply with the decision.\u202fIf the firm does not comply with the decision, you should contact the Financial Ombudsman.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s important you contact the Financial Ombudsman within six months of receiving a final response from the firm, or they may not be able to help.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><strong><em>Sarah Davidson is an award-winning financial editor and head of research at WPB<\/em><\/strong>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong><em>Got a money worry or dilemma? Email <\/em><\/strong><a href=\"mailto:sarah.davidson@metro.co.uk\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong><em>sarah.davidson@metro.co.uk<\/em><\/strong><\/a><strong><em>&nbsp;<\/em><\/strong>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>James&#8217;s banking app was open when his phone was snatched (Picture: Getty\/Metro) Listen to article Listen to article Your browser does not support the audio element. Welcome to the latest instalment of Metro&#8217;s Money Problem, from award-winning personal finance journalist and consumer champion, Sarah Davidson. Every Monday, she investigates a reader&#8217;s money dilemma, offering a [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1025,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[10],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/alaskanativeowned.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1023"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/alaskanativeowned.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/alaskanativeowned.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alaskanativeowned.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alaskanativeowned.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1023"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/alaskanativeowned.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1023\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1028,"href":"https:\/\/alaskanativeowned.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1023\/revisions\/1028"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alaskanativeowned.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1025"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/alaskanativeowned.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1023"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alaskanativeowned.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1023"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alaskanativeowned.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1023"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}