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Paul Harrison became increasingly uneasy when unexpected letters and bank cards started arriving at his home in Warrington this January. Having lived there for 22 years, he was surprised to find correspondence addressed to someone entirely unknown to him and his wife. He initially took one letter—sent from HSBC and containing a bank card—to a nearby branch, where he was instructed to send it back to the sender. However, letters continued to arrive, escalating to include multiple pieces of mail such as bank cards, PINs, overdraft warnings, and notices about potential credit agency referrals.
His concern grew when he spoke to his neighbor, Tracy Heaton, who had also received suspicious letters. Ms. Heaton disclosed receiving correspondence addressed to two different men, neither of whom had any connection to her address. She expressed worry about the potential impact on her own credit rating and voiced frustration over HSBC’s response, claiming the bank seemed to dismiss her concerns without taking adequate steps to halt the issue. Between the two of them, it became clear that this problem extended beyond isolated incidents within their Cheshire neighborhood.
The BBC’s Rip Off Britain team investigated and uncovered that at least 12 properties on their street were receiving similar mail linked to fraudulent accounts opened on the same day under common Hungarian names. These accounts are likely part of a larger money laundering scheme, where criminals use stolen or purchased identities to create bank accounts to channel illicit funds. By dividing substantial sums of money and distributing it rapidly across multiple accounts, money launderers attempt to avoid detection. Although the exact amount involved in this Warrington case remains unknown, there is no suggestion that any residents on the street were involved in any wrongdoing.
HSBC responded by acknowledging that it conducts both physical and digital checks on new account applications and claims to investigate promptly when fraud is suspected. The bank apologized to Mr. Harrison and Ms. Heaton for its inadequate response, stating that this was below the standard expected by customers. It confirmed that all fraudulent accounts tied to these Warrington addresses have now been closed. HSBC also advised anyone receiving mail addressed to unknown individuals at their home to either return it by post or bring it to a local branch or banking hub
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