An 84-year-old pensioner was forced to live off his credit card after Santander froze his bank account for ten weeks amid a bungled fraud probe. James Campbell, who is hard of hearing and sight impaired, made repeated trips to his local branch in East Kilbride in a bid to fix the error but staff were unable to help.
The OAP’s daughter Elaine told how they believe the issue was sparked by the retired RAF policeman trying to move funds from one account to another online back in June. The Santander fraud team blocked the account and launched an investigation but it left the grandad-of-five without access to his money meaning he was unable to pay care home fees for his wife.
Despite repeated phone calls in a bid to get answers, Elaine, 60, said they felt like they were just ‘banging their heads against a wall’ while her father racked up fees and charges on the credit card. After being contacted by the Daily Record, Santander lifted the block and apologised for the delay while also offering James compensation.
