Westpac

Complaints

Failure to stop fraudulent transactions to overseas scammers. On the 4 May 2023, I received a call from a lady, Karen William from Westpac Anti fraud department who gave me her id number as #CM9874302. She was calling to verify a payment to a person “Ryan Miller” for the amount of $900. I told her I have not authorised such a payment. She asked me if I would like to hold whilst she stopped the payment. She then suggested I get “transferred” to the department who can run a health check on my accounts for any suspicious spyware . She gave me a customer reference #CR68629954 before transferring me. I was then asked to open Any Desk on my phone so they could talk me through the process to “clean” suspicious emails,apps etc. They asked if I had a computer that was linked to my phone and suggested I do the same on it. I am a very suspicious person when it comes to people asking about my finances and as I had previously had a call from westpac 4 or 5 years earlier about a suspicious attempt of a transaction from overseas, I didn’t think this to be any different except as we have become more targeted by scammers and the access to technology, I thought this step of any desk, was similar to remote access help that we have in the workplace. I was told as the anti virus was uploading or downloading it may take a while and I will receive text messages but I don’t need to open them just yet but to let her know when I got one. The following morning I woke up to a text message notifying me my bank account had been blocked due to suspicious activity and to please contact the bank, which I did. I told the lady that I had got the text and I was thankful that they had brought my attention to the suspicious activity to pay Ryan Miller $900. It was then I had discovered that close to $15,000 had been taken from my account in 14 different transactions using 3 different money transfer companies. These transactions ranged from $994.99 to $469.99. I asked the lady to please help and stop the unauthorised transactions as I had been scammed. She told me that she is unable to stop them as they are “pending” but I can lodge disputes once the payment has cleared. This did not make sense to me as I did not approve the transfer of $15,000 to overseas destinations such as Albania, Phillipines etc. Originally, there were 18 attempts with Westpac blocking 2 of these due to “suspicious activity “. In 20 years of banking with Westpac, I have never used a money transfer company or used my money in such a way, my history shows this. I told her that I will be lodging disputes and she suggested I contact the merchants to try to stop payment. This was all on the morning of Friday 5 May and I was already late for work. I got home that evening and attempted to call and sent emails to all merchants asking for a refund as I had been scammed. I was fortunate 2 of these companies, Wise refunded $995.37 and Remitly refunded also. I didn’t have any success with the other companies World Remit, Moneygram and Ria. I sent multiple emails and stayed up until 4am over the weekend trying to call and talk to someone from these companies. I called Westpac fraud on Monday morning to initiate the 14 transaction disputes and told them I had only had success with 2 companies to stop and refund the money. They told me they would also reach out to the 3 merchants and they will keep me updated with any progress via emails as they may also need extra information and documentation such as proof of contact to merchants etc. I responded promptly to any requests Westpac asked of me supply documentation etc and I would call to ask for any progress every 2-3 days as I was extremely anxious, embarrassed and humiliated not to mention financially disabled on how I was going to manage my upcoming payments for my house renovations. Again after another 2 weeks of going in circles and the same emails being sent by westpac asking for the same documents I spoke with Lucy on 24 May 2023 to again lodge a merchant dispute. I again reached out to the merchant who either replied via email or I spoke with verbally informing me they had not received any communication from my bank. Nearly 6 weeks after this all started , I again called westpac to ask for a progress report as I had not received any updates as I only had the same email saying basically “ we have lodged your transaction dispute and will keep you informed of any progress “ to which there was never anything different. I spoke to a lady by the name of Nicole on June 23, 2023 who was very abrupt and talked over me. I asked her for any feedback as the last email I received was on 6 June still saying the investigation is ongoing. Nicole told me it’s in “limbo” and time limits etc are closing in. They have reached out to merchants and had no response. I told her the emails told me they were still investigating so where are they at? She responded with a scoff and told me “ those emails are automated, you won’t get any response, they are continuously sending them out to keep the customer happy “. I told her that was disgusting, that consumers like me were taking those emails as an honest sign of action on Westpac's behalf. As angry I was with her lack of compassion or understanding on how this was affecting my mental health, I afterward silently thanked her for telling the truth that I was not going to get any more from these emails. I told her to only communicate with me when they had a result, good or bad. It has taken me 12 months to talk about this fight. I still break down in tears at the invasion and breach of my personal life. Taking antidepressants and dealing with anxiety. Applying for new identification documents, going through credit checks, changing my emails and having my tech world legitimately protected by ID Support NSW, admitting that I was a victim when I am usually one of the most suspicious people in the room. I believe Westpac did not support me in the slightest when this was first known, and if I had left it all up to them, I would not have been refunded 2 transactions that I had blocked. They did not follow up with merchants, they did not take my banking history in to account when I requested a stop to these payments and I was never re-imbursed or compensated in any way. The financial pain is real, and the mental scars are raw.

My name is Damien Harold white.Supposed to have rent taking out of my bank in automatically didn't come out went into bank to find out why bank had zip pay had taken almost 600 dollars out in one day in $10 increments so they said I have to ring complaints fraud mob did that three months ago roughly got statement from bank showed that they did about a year ago as well same roughly amount sent all off to fraud department have not heard nothing back for roughly three months out of pocket roughly 1200 dollars. Have been kicked out of my rental now living with my cousin and always kids not a good situation at all was living there for three years want them to reimburse my money even when I went into the bank to see why rent causing taken out lady at Westpac said looks like he had been scammed from Zip pay we will cut your card up right now

Purchase in card I haven't made but they never refund them back this been going on for i years I send em evendce and ECT but no nothing

We have legal power of attorney for Wilga, a Westpac customer. However Westpac acts as if they have the power of attorney. The staff are wonderful but their hands are tied. We cannot get any money out on Wilga’s behalf to take her to lunch or buy her clothes. If we pay from our funds Westpac will not repay us even though we have receipts. A bill has to be made out with Wilga’s name and address. MYER, David Jones and coffee shops do not provide any such documentation. It is too complex to change banks as a lot of auto payments are set up with Westpac. We can go to CBA and withdraw the amount we are owed from a second account. If Wilga didn’t have that second account, we would not have the access to Wilga’s account which we are legally entitled to. Wilga has millions which Wilga has trusted us to manage on her behalf. Westpac has our power of attorney registered and we are known to the tellers but each bill we have to pay an account or conduct some business for Wilga we have to produce the POA AND DR Letter as well as both our drivers licences. All are rechecked and details hand copied. This is very time consuming and holds up the tellers cue for some time Westpac are not the POA. We would like to have these restrictions lifted.

We was in at 10:20am Clifford garden Toowoomba 18th,Aplirl. I didn’t get help and the staff was very unprofessional. The staff was racism just ask me to sit and wait. She helped the people who came after me. She said she didnt know when I ask her how to apply tax file number. The attitude make me feel very uncomfortable.

When i withdraw $50000 from my home loan, interest repayment go up by $ 500 around $2600. However, when I return $45000, interest repayment still the same, nothing change still around $2600. I would like to have an adjustment and clear explanation.

I received funds for my car into my Westpac account, after trying to move $3,000 out of my account Westpac blocked me from using my own account. I have got the accounts team of the buyer to contact Westpac to confirm I was the intended recipient and to release the funds Westpac still refuses to release the money until the car is picked up. I cannot use the car and I am forced to hire a car, which puts me further out of pocket because I still don’t have access to my own money to buy another car. Westpac has now put me into a stressful negative state with my mental. They are holding funds on purpose to put me out of pocket and suffer. I want the funds released immediately.

To keep it short at this time I've been seeking answers to my disappearing funds that are not accounted for in any way whatsoever , on one has rite to take funds from my available balance without reason the problem is they just keep dodging my request for an answer

They want me to show my id I did and they tell me they want the original id I used to open the account being my learners licence they have then proceeded to be racial not obey court orders and afca didn’t do a thing I still haven’t gotten my account access back even though I’ve been in several times now putting up with racial Comments. They have cause financial hardship

My account has been locked I have been paid a compensation payout I was injured at work I was on WorkCover for 6 years getting weekly payments from eml insurance my payout was from eml insurance I have all the documentation that it is all legal my account has bn locked for nearly a week which is ridiculous as I can't pay my bills as I'm getting emails my payment was unseccessful