ASK TONY: Waiting two months for £5k refund after card machine hacked

I use Zettle to take credit and debit card payments for my small business. I sell ladies’ Italian clothing at a market in Somerset.

My account was breached in April but I didn’t notice until July, when my business accounts were low. I informed Zettle, providing a crime number. Since then I have experienced rebuffs and delays.

I lost £5,482 — a substantial sum for a small business. I was told funds would be in my account by October 18. Nothing arrived.

L. B., Clevedon, Somerset.

UnZettling: A market trader found herself £5,482 out of pocket after scammers hacked into the iZettle  device she uses to take credit and debit card transactions

Tony Hazell replies: Zettle is a payment service which was taken over by PayPal in 2018. Your account was hacked, and the money was sent to a building society account.

When I got in touch with PayPal, it quickly refunded the fraudulent payments. It also provided a new free dock and credit card machine, and gave you a £20 voucher.

You were very happy with this but told me: ‘My concern is that once the hacker was in my account, it was too easy to delete and change the existing bank account details.’

A PayPal spokesman says: ‘We never lose sight of the fact that we are entrusted to look after people’s money. We take this responsibility very seriously and use advanced fraud and risk management tools to keep our customers safe.’

Clerical Medical won’t accept my signature  

Clerical Medical wrote in August to say my Home Investor policy would mature on October 18. I returned the forms immediately. 

On October 15, I received a letter, dated October 4, stating that the signatures didn’t match.

I called to query which signature was required as the policy has my maiden name as well as those from my first and second marriages. 

I was told the company wanted the most recent, which was the signature I had sent.

I emailed a scan, then on October 18 phoned again and was told the information had been added to the file. On October 25, the firm said it still wasn’t happy with my signature and wanted a copy of my passport or other identification. 

I emailed a scanned copy the same day. Then I was told it may take up to 105 working days to receive my money!

H. O., Shaftesbury, Dorset.

Tony Hazell replies: This policy was meant to repay your mortgage. If this had remained your intention, you may have faced three months of interest payments while the firm faffed around.

You had long ago given up relying on it to repay your mortgage, but the £48,000 you were expecting after paying £98.40 per month since 1996 would still come in handy. 

Lloyds Bank, which now owns Clerical Medical, says it received your forms in September. There followed the to-ing and fro-ing.

Lloyds has paid your money, added £200 compensation plus £85.42 interest covering the dilly-dallying period. A spokesman says: ‘We appreciate that our communication should have been better.’

Son’s left me out of pocket after I sold him my home on the cheap

I sold my £680,000 home to my son for £230,000. He said he would release equity so I could have a peaceful retirement. 

He also has a mortgage of £230,000 on a two-bedroom flat valued at £480,000, where I live and pay rent.

I have requested some money as I am now 70 and still working as a nurse. He now says he can’t get equity release. What can I do?

M. W., Reading, Berks.

Tony Hazell replies: Your letter is a stark warning to parents not to give away assets to the detriment of their own life. It sounds to me as though your son is over-stretched financially and is expecting you to work into your 70s to maintain his lifestyle.

You must have a frank conversation and take financial advice. Your last resort would be to reduce or stop paying rent — but this would have serious implications for your son.

Rachel McEleney, associate tax director at Deloitte, says you must be aware of inheritance tax. ‘This will depend on the precise arrangements between M. W. and her son, and whether the rent that she is paying is the full market rate.

‘If she has sold a property worth £680,000 for £230,000, without her having a legal entitlement to further proceeds, she has made a gift to him worth £450,000.

‘Ordinarily, this transfer could become exempt from inheritance tax after seven years, but the arrangement that she has made with her son regarding occupation of the flat could complicate this.’

Ms McEleney says that anti-avoidance provisions could create inheritance tax or income tax charges if you have retained some direct or indirect benefit following the gift. She adds: ‘These provisions generally don’t apply if full market rent is being paid.’ You and your son should seek tax advice.

• Write to asktony@dailymail. co.uk or Ask Tony, Money Mail, Northcliffe House, 2 Derry Street, London W8 5TT. Please include your phone number, address and a note addressed to the offending organisation giving permission to talk to Tony Hazell. We regret we cannot reply to individual letters. Please do not send original documents as we cannot take responsibility for them. No legal responsibility can be accepted by the Daily Mail for answers given 

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