My mother who is old enough to know better got caught by one of these con merchants for the grand total of ?13,000.
It turns out that when you join in very small print it is for a whole year and as long as she has sent 4 email (one every quarter) she is entitled to take the money out of your bank. If she emailed once a month she can take money once a month, my mother signed up for a weekly one
Thinking it was just a one off.
I am afraid my mum did not win despite fighting it as the woman had proof she had sent out emails even though they were full of rubbish. Thats what the contract entails so you are fighting a losing battle.
Its nightmare I know but its best to just put it behind you and start a new savings account. Dont give card details to anyone you are unsure of online and even be careful with paypal as some manage to set up monthly or yearly withdrawals (my old web master did this without my permission as was leaving him as useless but he managed to take the yearly funds the following year from my paypal account.
When signing up for anything always read the T&Cs thoroughly as the small print is where they catch us out for more and more money.
As for your clients, of course they can tell when we are down or not feeling right. Even when we smile and pretend, if our heart is not in it they can feel it.
As I said it would be better to put it behind you as if she has given the bank proof then you will be fighting for nothing and it will just bring you down more and more.
It sounds a lot fo money to lose but a couple of busy weeks will soon put it back for you. You will also feel better if you are not worrying about it.
It can happen to anyone which is why I am still trying to persuade mother that she cannot sign for anything unless she has read all the T&Cs but she wont and then she wonders why her money is going down quickly
Make tomorrow a new day, forget the past and concentrate on the future. If you are happy, your clients will be happy and the money will be rolling in