A UK gym client watched £8,000 (47,500 Brazilian reais) disappear from her bank account after her wallet and cell phone were stolen from her locker in the on-site locker room while exercising.
Charlotte, who asked that her last name not be published for her protection, told the BBC she felt her bank blamed her for what had happened and that she felt like a “criminal”.
She believes the thieves got her card password through a bank app installed on her phone, but Santander said she must have issued the code. The bank apologized to her and returned the money.
It all happened on August 24, when all of Charlotte’s belongings, including bank cards and a cell phone, were stolen.
She said she had locked the locker, but when she came back, she found it empty. She said two other gym patrons had raided their lockers.
“I just froze,” she told BBC Radio 4’s You and Yours programme.
She said that when she used her boyfriend’s phone to call the bank, the employee took too long to act, causing her to panic.
“Obviously you want a sense of urgency in that moment from the person who’s answering the call and you want to make sure that all transactions are off, and that doesn’t happen,” she said.
Charlotte said she was told to use her card to make purchases at two Apple Stores and Selfridges for £8,000 using her checking account – all within 90 minutes.
She initially thought her savings account was safe, but was told that the thieves had also transferred all of her savings, a total of £10,000, into her checking account and used much of that money.
Charlotte was told that thieves used her card to make purchases at Selfridges
Photo: PA MEDIA
“I thought that was it,” she said. “I’ve lost everything.” “I couldn’t believe how much damage they did.”
She said she felt “violated” and “concerned”, but assumed Santander would return the money, because she believed she was the target of a scam.
“You failed me”
Charlotte stated that she received a call from the bank a few days later and learned that although Santander was able to cancel some purchases, she would still suffer a loss of 5,000 pounds (29.7 thousand Brazilian reals).
“They said it so rudely and honestly, ‘You’re not going to get your money back,'” she said. It’s your fault that they used your password.”
“I was also accused of writing down my password and keeping it on a piece of paper in my bag. I was so sad because all the hope I had [de receber o dinheiro de volta] fell apart. It was heartbreaking. I didn’t understand how I suddenly went from being a victim of something horrible to feeling like a criminal.”
She said she shared her case on social media to raise awareness and spent the next week “frantically trying to prove her innocence”.
After that, he received a phone call from an employee of Santander, who “apologized sincerely”. “They said they let me down,” she said.
Charlotte Santander was accused of committing a “chain of mistakes,” which included calling her cell phone after the device was stolen, when it was likely to have been in the hands of criminals.
She said that while she’s not sure how the thieves got her password, she believes they accessed it through her banking app. Santander, like some other banks, stores passwords in its apps behind layers of security.
She also believes that the criminals got into the locker rooms due to a security breach in the gym that day.
Santander has apologized for the “wrongful refusal of the refund request and customer service I received” and paid £750 in compensation.
However, the foundation said its “security data” showed that “our app was not hacked.”
Charlotte Whitmore is a contributor at Mediarunsearch.co.uk, covering a broad range of topics including news, politics, business, technology, sport, entertainment, and lifestyle. She focuses on delivering clear, balanced reporting and practical information that helps readers stay informed about current events and emerging developments. Her work highlights stories that matter to everyday audiences, with an emphasis on accuracy, relevance, and accessible journalism that keeps readers connected to the issues shaping the UK and beyond.