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Money Box: 'I had £18,000 stolen after my drink was spiked'

'I had £18,000 stolen after my drink was spiked'

BBC Radio 4 - Money Box, 'I had £18,000 stolen after my drink was spiked'

A 26-year-old believes his drink was spiked before £18,000 was stolen from bank accounts.

Fraud after drink spiking claims, a proposed retrospective law to collect tax from higher income people who claim child benefit. Account switch risk for some low income households.

A 26-year-old believes his drink was spiked on a night out and his finger print used to unlock his smart phone allowing thieves to steal £18,000 from his bank accounts. A leading anti-fraud campaigner warns that criminals appear to be adopting the "sinister" tactic of spiking drinks to get money. 

The Government is asking Parliament to pass a retrospective law which would make it easier to collect tax from higher income people who claim child benefit. The Finance Bill measures stand to override a legal ruling which allowed some households, where someone has income over £50,000, to keep the High Income Child Benefit Charge which they should have paid. Courts had decided that HMRC should not have used discovery assessments, which allow it to reopen closed tax periods and issue bills for previous years, to recover it.

Some people on low incomes may find it harder to receive tax credits and other benefits after the way the money is paid changes next year. It's part of a wider government push to get all entitlements paid into bank accounts but debt experts warn that some vulnerable people may not meet the criteria for a bank account.

This week Zog Energy became the 25th supplier to collapse. If yours has ceased trading with your account in credit how do you get a refund?

Reporter: Dan Whitworth
Producer: Charmaine Cozier
Researcher: Drew Miller Hyndman
Editor: Emma Rippon

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'I had £18,000 stolen after my drink was spiked'

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