Help, ex friend is calling the police on me for theft and fraud

So I was staying round a friends house for 3 weeks down in a different part of the countRy. Everything I ate/used was my own money - I paid for everything (from toilet roll to a packet of crisps). We had a massive argument and I was forced to leave her house. Little did I know I had her bank card in my ticket holder- she put it in there for safe keeping, I didn't take it purposefully.
I was about to go all the way home which was a 7 hour journey, before messaging my friend in cornwall who offered for me to stay round hers. I paid for the train ticket myself to get there but I didn't have enough for bus ticket (£1.70) so I used her card contactless. It was approved so I didn't think anything of it. I was willingly going to give her the £2 back when we were going to meet to exchange the card.
We arranged to meet today, but cancelled and said that she's called the police, claiming I've spent money and it's gone into overdraft. Now I'm scared I'm going to face charges for theft and fraud 😭 I didn't steal it at all I didn't even realise I had it until I got to the train station.
What's going to happen to me ? (I'm 16)

Reply 1

madmirrors

Original post by Melissapool

Nothing's going to happen to you, just tell the police the truth and offer to pay your friend the money back and apologise for taking the card by accident. My girlfriend's driving instructor drove off with a tenner she gave him by accident that he was meant to give her back for a cancelled lesson. Just be calm cause everything's gonna be ok 😊

Reply 2

londonmyst

It sounds like your friend has set you up and you have played into her hands by using her card.
Banks don't allow people under 18 to have overdrafts, so if your friend is under 18 she's probably lying about being in overdraft.

Get the card back to her along with the £2 asap and have a witness see you do it.

If she has really called the police tell them she gave you her card, that she and you agreed for you to repay the £2 used on the card.
Keep all text messages from her where she mentions giving you the card and agrees with you to pay back the £2.

In future, never ever use somebody else's card and never allow anyone else to use yours.

Original post by Melissapool

Reply 3

6iX 9iNE

You’ll only get sent to juvey anyway.. that aint nothing big..

On a serious note though jackshit will come of this the feds will probs laugh

Reply 4

xoxAngel_Kxox

You should never use someone else's card without asking first, even if you do plan to pay them back. If your "ex friend" is telling the truth and it took her overdrawn, that could cost her more than the £1.70 you used it for, which isn't really fair on her.

Find out what charges there were if any, and ask for proof that it was your transaction that took her overdrawn, and pay the money back into her account.

Yeah, it's technically theft, but to be honest given the circumstances I can't see any other outcome than her being laughed out of the police station - regardless of the technicalities. The police just don't have the time or manpower to be prosecuting people over £1.70.

Reply 5

Handel17

it will be fine. I doubt she's even called the police. and if she has then she's just wasting precious time when the police don't have much time. it will cost the police a lot more than £2 to deal with her call!
just let your parents know what's happened and they should b able to support you. it will be fine. next time don't use her card but oh well. what's done is done and nothing is going to happen from this. it will be fine. just tell everyone the truth if people ask!

Reply 6

bspercy

Lol £2 fraud. I give you the death penalty on 1 day notice. What’s your last meal?

Reply 7

I'm God

Original post by bspercy

Lol £2 fraud. I give you the death penalty on 1 day notice. What’s your last meal?

I would ask for a £3 meal deal lol

Reply 8

TracyRed

Police cba when someone's house been robbed, the likelihood of them being arsy is slim, especially if you had the card in your purse by accident. Also you're 16 and only spend 1.70 which you are going to give back so they will more likely want use to resolve it that way rather than going to the courts. Plus your 16 and young so I doubt they would even take the call seriously.

Also, if your friend gets arsey over 1.70 tell her to stop being a stingy *******

Reply 9

<..........>

Well, bring back hanging.

Kidding. In all seriousness, you should not have used the card without permission. You did commit theft in that sense.
First off, you need to get the card back into her possession as quickly possible. Post it recorded delivery, take it down there, whatever.. Get the card returned to her. While you're at it, pop a five-pound note in the envelope alongside the card with a note saying sorry for making use of the card - briefly explaining the circumstances.

Contact her and ask her if the card and the accompanying money means that she's fully reimbursed and happy now that she's not been impacted negatively, and if she feels she's incurred more of a cost than the five pounds then ask her to demonstrate that. If that turns out to be true then you really do need to pay that. It isn't fair for her to be out of pocket and legally, you would technically be responsible for that.

Once that's all taken care of, then stay very far way from this girl in the future because she sounds like a nightmare.
No police force in the country is going to pursue you for a £1.70 theft.