We were contacted when a member of the public spotted unauthorised transactions on their card. But what are these mystery ‘social score’ payments?
A member of the public spotted a £39.30 deduction from ‘Rank My Social’ on their card statement, which was unauthorised. They tracked down the firm online and emailed it.
It said it analyses social media accounts and provides a ‘social score’ indicating the impression they give to the outside world.
It refused a refund, and explained they had likely been enrolled in a free trial in the process of obtaining a loan or finance.
But the member of the public had no recollection of entering a free trial while obtaining any credit.
They then spotted another unauthorised payment, this time from ‘sterling-tracker.co.uk’ for £27.65.
Guide: I think I may have given a fraudster my bank details
Their bank, Bank of Scotland, refunded both payments and prevented further ones, but the mystery of how they were started remains.
What were these mystery payments?
We asked Rank My Social and Sterling Tracker how they obtained the details, but we received no reply.
Sterling Tracker describes itself as ‘an online product designed to help you manage your budget and boost your savings’.
However, 96% of its reviews on Trustpilot are negative, with a majority branding it fraud or theft and describing unauthorised transactions just like this one.
A few describe being unwittingly enrolled while applying or a loan or insurance. You can send a subject access request to both firms and find out exactly where they got your details – here’s how it can be done.
Read checkbox options carefully when signing up for anything, and keep an eye on your bank statements for the forseeable future. Banks must refund unauthorised payments in almost all cases.
Have you ever spotted unauthorised payments on your card? Did you track down the source of the problem?