Dealing with Your Financial Institution Re: Fraudulent Transactions

SupeNintendoChalmers on 17/04/2023 - 19:51

Problem

Lovely, but technologically challenged MIL came to see me about a series of transactions from her Westpac account, upon further inspection it looks as though someone has been taking out unauthorised payments from her account since 2017!

So far I've uncovered over 70 instances of payments which go something like this

DEBIT CARD PURCHASE GOOGLE*DISNEY MOBILE SYDNEY AUS -$13.99

DEBIT CARD PURCHASE GOOGLE*MICROSOFT APPS SYDNEY AUS -$10.00

Now, yes I know, how on earth can any person not be able to know these transactions had taken place? My MIL is so tech challenged that she only upgraded from a dumb phone to a smart phone last year, so she had no way to check her statements, apart from bi-annual statements from the bank. She should have been more diligent, and she refuses to install any apps on her smartphone, apart from 3AW, so here we are.

How have you guys managed this? Westpac keeps telling me to speak to Google. Google barely provides a platform to call a human and discuss this and even on their own site it tells me to speak to the financial institution.

Has anyone been able to get reimbursed for these kinds of transactions?

Financial

Comments

  • deme on 17/04/2023 - 20:08
    -1

    MIL = Mother I love?

    Does she have a google account: https://support.google.com/googleplay/answer/2850369?hl=en

    She should get a new card and if she hasn't done the transactions then tell Westpac to place a chargeback

    Also remove 3AW it's brain cancer

    • SupeNintendoChalmers on 17/04/2023 - 20:13

      Does she have a google account

      Not until last year when she relented and got a google account for the purposes of installing the 3AW app (shudder)
      It still wouldn't explain the transactions prior to 2022 and also her google account has no CCs on file.

      Me guess is she got skimmed in 2017

  • Xistn on 17/04/2023 - 20:17

    Nigerian prince sads…

  • payless69 on 17/04/2023 - 20:18

    Maybe if she would not have answered all them calls from the spammers asking to be paid in gift cards.
    I know endless people who followed them spammers instructions and had gift card charges on their cards.
    Banks send statements EVERY month by default. If she opted out without self checking they will refer to the conditions on their booklet.

  • Settero on 17/04/2023 - 20:18
    +1

    you can dispute transactions via the app or their customer service team , but tbh , that only works for like 120 days , 2017 , bi annual statements , thats at least 8 statements , unless she has some sort of medical reason i dont see any way that a reasonable person would not have noticed and would not be at the minimum partially liable for the loss.

  • AustriaBargain on 17/04/2023 - 21:13
    +1

    Grandchild maybe subscribed to stuff on her device?

    • SupeNintendoChalmers on 17/04/2023 - 21:20

      no kids born until late 2017, before the first transactions occurred.

      My working theory is that just before the first transaction, she went to Sydney for a funeral and probably got skimmed.

  • bmerigan on 17/04/2023 - 21:50
    +2

    Seems she's subscribed to Disney and subscribed to Microsoft (Office / OneDrive). If she's so technologically challenged she probably did this herself.

    • Unorthodox on 17/04/2023 - 22:12

      Yep seems like this is the obvious answer and honestly with how setting up Windows or a new laptop is these days, it's easy to fall into paying for OneDrive, O365 etc.

    • SupeNintendoChalmers on 18/04/2023 - 09:11

      definitely not though. She didn't even know you could stream movies until 2021, shes one of those old school 'cash for almost everything' kinda person

      Also, there are at least 10 other transactions for things like the ones below in 2018. These are games btw, and she still had her old Nokia brick phone when these transactions occurred.

      DEBIT CARD PURCHASE GOOGLE *Shifty Jelly g.co/helppay GBR
      DEBIT CARD PURCHASE GOOGLE *Sago Sago g.co/helppay GBR

  • xuqi on 17/04/2023 - 23:45

    As others have pointed out, it's most likely services she signed up for without realising.

    Unsure what it is you want the service provider, or the financial institution to do for you with records going back ~6 years?

    Even if she is tech illiterate, keeping an eye on your financial transactions isn't someting tech related. Sending out paper copies bi-annually (or more regularly if requested) via post is to cater for tech-challenged individuals.

    MIL would have received numerous copies of bank statements over the past 5-6 years (8-12 statements over that period), all of which would have hightlighted these charges. I don't see why it's now the bank's fault that she didn't read or pay attention to any of them…

    Best case scenario is perhaps if service providers agree to refund say transactions for the past 6 months.

    As far the bank is concerned I doubt they're liable for any of this, but perhaps they may if pushed refund back (I was personally involved in helping an elderly relative with one such issue a few years back, ANZ customer but a fair amount of time & effort was involved) to the last full statement mailed out to your MIL…

    Similar instance (wording) report on MS forums:

    https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/msteams/forum/all/google…

    • SupeNintendoChalmers on 18/04/2023 - 09:13

      Even if she is tech illiterate, keeping an eye on your financial transactions isn't someting tech related. Sending out paper copies bi-annually (or more regularly if requested) via post is to cater for tech-challenged individuals.

      100% agree, she's tried to blame me, my spouse and kids (even though they were babies\toddlers) and I told her off for not taking responsibility.

      Best case scenario is perhaps if service providers agree to refund say transactions for the past 6 months.

      She's adamant someone needs to pay for $1000 + unauthorised transactions over 6 years and yes I've told her she's got Buckleys, but here I am trying to keep the peace.

      • deme on 18/04/2023 - 09:45

        100% agree, she's tried to blame me, my spouse and kids (even though they were babies\toddlers)

        Then why are you involved?

        Let her sort it out

  • Protractor on 18/04/2023 - 09:54

    'told her off'
    Awesome.

    My advice is to have her family put her in contact with consumer support in a govt dept. She needs independent advice. And a family member(probs your wife) with her, so she gets to verify what's going on, and if all you told her aligns with what consumer org says, you will have her trust back. Sometimes in life in situations like this you have to walk away, entirely, and let her fulfil her own destiny, and that's the bottom line.
    You may not be 'her' Mr Fixit of choice anyway.
    Peace may come in the form of backing off.

    • SupeNintendoChalmers on 18/04/2023 - 10:05

      let her fulfil her own destiny, and that's the bottom line.
      You may not be 'her' Mr Fixit of choice anyway.

      Problem we have is that both the missus and I have noticed a marked decline in cognitive function over the last couple of years. She's always been the type of woman who stresses easily, which is why shes probably never bothered to look at her statements. Whilst imho she doesn't have dementia (yet), we are gearing up for this as an eventuality and are starting to have talks about financial custodianship.

      • Protractor on 18/04/2023 - 10:47
        +1

        I have been in that minefield. Lost a few limbs. Get independent advice for yourselves on how to proceed, and how to THEN have the right convo with your MIL.
        Now is the exact time, because there will probs be mood swings ,mistrust dumps etc. It's more than delicate, so get good advice.If she has a long term Dr, maybe there's a starting point. No matter how white knight you see yourself, clouded judgement and fading synapses may not see the same thing, or same motive. If your MIL has other family you may need a full crew open an honest talk fest. HER kids need to be having heart to hearts, but within the atmosphere of they and MIL getting advice(and possibly support first.
        If your MIL is fit and active, do some walking talking, connecting with nature. It may become an organic process that way.

        My experience is degradation can be faster than we (and the affected party) have time and resources to cope.
        Go gently, have an offsider at all times, leave space and be equipped with sound advice and valid support.
        (Even if the advice is not from you. )

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