Bank employee took £40,000 from customer account
It has been revealed that an employee of HSBC was involved in a fraud which saw £40,000 taken from the savings account of Leonard Poole, an older gentleman who suffers from dementia, over a nine-month period. While the situation was thoroughly investigated by HSBC and all funds returned to the party in question, it does highlight the difficulty of running bank accounts for those people who suffer from illnesses such as dementia which could impact upon their memory and willingness to trust people.
The case in question was very stressful for Leonard Poole's son Richard who was forced to take legal advice and incurred certain costs along the way, all of which were eventually reimbursed by HSBC. However, it does open up the debate of mandates on bank accounts in favour of trusted parties such as family members and what should be done and when it should be done.
For those suffering from illnesses such as dementia, taking away control of their assets and their finances can seem like a very definitive and very final act. However, the need to protect finances, savings and prevent fraud should be uppermost in family member's minds if an illness could in any way impact upon the person's ability to look after their own finances. This is a very complex situation and professional advice should be taken to ensure security for all parties involved.
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