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It seems we are the vicitms of some kind of fraud. We just discovered now that somebody withdrew money from our current account every 15th of the month for the last 3 months and always at around midnight. The amounts vary and it looks as if they are taking into account the amount that is left in the account. To me it looks like an inside job at the branch we are banking with. Does the word “embargoes” mean anything to anybody reading this?
I have of course informed La Caixa immediately after I discovered this.
My question now is: are we protected from fraud meaning will we the bank refund our money?
I don’t believe this is tax that we owe as we would have received a letter or some sort of advice from our local town hall in Spain I presume. Also the withdrawals only started recently and we have owned our property for a couple of years now.
It is a mystery and I just wonder what our legal position is in this. Has anybody else had a similar experience?
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First thing is that an “embargo” is a legal charge against property or bank account.
Seems to me that the fact your post contains a mention of an embargo, you have seen or been told something by the bank. The fact that you then mention Town Hall, Taxes owed and the Embargo makes me suspect you have somes ideas yourself.
Get an answer from the bank as to what the withdrawal was, and then go from there.
If it is as part of an embargo, then there is no fraud as such, but you might have a defence to the embargo to fight.
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With all due respect but we have a gestor in Spain and he told us as we only have land there is not a large amount to pay and he dealt with that and so did we. Hence it can’t be tax it must be something else. I figured that myself last night and no, we did not get any written notification by the bank or anybody else asking us for money.
I am rapidly coming to the conclusion that the Spanish aren’t the nice people I thought them to be. I have been defending them from my partner for years now. He insists they are only after our money and couldn’t give a damn about anything else. We handle all our affairs correctly as far as Spain is concerned and to just go and raid our bank account without telling us what for is the final straw as far as I am concerned. Everybody is constantly talking about human rights – where are ours? Land grab, bank account raids – I sure hope the chickens will come home to roost For Spain quicker than anticipated but I fear they won’t learn anything. They just bumble along as per usual.
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Have a read of
http://www.andalucia.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=9201
http://www.andalucia.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=14837
http://www.andalucia.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=15932
An embargo can be put on your bank account by the tax authorities, utility companies, ayuntamiento etc against property taxes, unpaid car tax, parking/traffic fines, unpaid IBI, other bills etc etc, quite legally.
You don’t say where you are but check out the BOP online for your province to see if your name appears there. Don’t assume that your gestor has paid everything owing. In Spain most things are self declaration and assessment and bills may never be seen esp if you have no postal address as such. -
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Don’t patronise me!! I am not an idiot. I wouldn’t bother the forum if I hadn’t taken the right steps yet and anyway, YOU try dealing with a bank when you’re based abroad, your bank manager has gone to another branch and the new guy doesn’t speak English despite their clients being 75% English!
Turns out anyway that it WAS Social security payments taken illegally out of our account because the left hand didn’t know what the right hand was doing.
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And anyway, I’ll stick to the people who make valid comments, thanks very much. You should take your sunglasses off every now and then and look at the real issues. In every other European country nobody is allowed to just break into peoples’ bank accounts. Government or no government, it’s down right theft. Spain is VERY happy to take money from the EEC but it is not prepared to play by its rules. Just like France and some other chancers who think they’re just in it for the taking.
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Sabine – no one has broken into your bank account and stolen money. The law in Spain is very clear that if you owe tax or social security an embargo can be placed.
You already knew yesterday when making your first post that there was an embargo in place otherwise you would not have asked what it was!
An embargo is a last resort – you will have been asked for the money many times but have not paid it or not queried it. OK you say in a different post that was because you or your agent gave the authorities a wrong address to send post to.
Last month I got my annual Social Security statement and I owed 27€ because I had paid on an old payslip one month. I got a 7€ “fine” for the short payment when the next day I got a seperate letter about the shortfall and a request for payment along with a special paying in slip. Went to the bank, paid my 34€ and no embargo.
Not sure (although have an idea) who you are aiming the comment about idiots at, but can I ask how have have you managed to start three threads on the same subject?
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@Sabine wrote:
YOU try dealing with a bank when you’re based abroad,
Millions do every day.
@Sabine wrote:
the new guy doesn’t speak English despite their clients being 75% English!
That is disgusting if it is in Spain!!!!
Go in to any bank in UK and tellers can speak French, Spanish, German, Polish. Can’t they?@Sabine wrote:
Turns out anyway that it WAS Social security payments taken illegally out of our account because the left hand didn’t know what the right hand was doing.
You didn’t say if you had questioned your bank prior to asking on a forum?
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