Westpac refunds $70 for card fraud
When Matthew noticed a transaction that wasn’t made by him, he immediately disputed it. Unfortunately, Westpac’s response took longer than expected and he didn’t get the result he was hoping for. Matthew chose to use the Ajust complaints platform and his issue was resolved fairly.
Getting charged for a purchase he didn’t make
Matthew was enjoying a regular Tuesday afternoon, when he noticed he had been charged for an unusual transaction. $70 had been deducted from his account. Seeing the name of the merchant website on the transaction, we imagine Matthew looked it up online to see if it was something he may have purchased, but forgot about. However, it turned out to be a fake website, which is a telling sign of a scam. For privacy reasons, we can’t say the exact name of the website, but it was something along the lines of “passwordresetservice.com”.
Credit card fraud is against the law and luckily, Matthew knew that he had to get in touch with Westpac as soon as possible. We understand that getting a fraudulent charge on your card adds unnecessary stress to your day. Especially since the responsibility is on the victim to report and follow up on it. Putting everything else he had to do aside, Matthew contacted Westpac immediately. He knew that the sooner he acted, the faster his problem could be solved.
Chasing up a solution
He wanted the bank to acknowledge that this was a fraudulent charge, and for it to be returned into his account quickly. Like most people in his shoes, Matthew just wanted this whole mess to be over! He thought it would be resolved without any hiccups, especially because the website his card was charged to wasn’t even real.
When a consumer disputes a transaction, the process for most banks usually looks something like this:
- The customer disputes a transaction
- The bank investigates the transaction
- When the investigation is complete, the bank either refunds the money or upholds the transaction by claiming it was authorised
Matthew took care of the first part. He disputed the transaction with Westpac and patiently waited for their response. This is where things began to take a turn for the worse. As Matthew waited for Westpac to get back to him, he received emails from them which delayed the investigation. This was very disheartening for Matthew.
In the following days, with each email he opened from Westpac, Matthew felt more and more confused. He told Ajust that he didn’t think Westpac was doing anything to help him out with his problem.
Frustrated with the events so far, Matthew decided to take his complaint to the Card Disputes Team at Westpac. When Matthew contacted the card disputes team, he received a response from them in just a few hours. The representatives told Matthew they had already made a decision on his issue and closed it.
The card disputes team believed the transaction was authorised and therefore, it was perfectly legitimate. Because of this decision, Matthew could not receive the refund of $70. This was obviously a shock to Matthew, who knew very well he didn’t make the purchase.
We can imagine how frustrated and exhausted Matthew must have been feeling at this point. He didn’t think that this would go on for such a long time. It was up to Matthew to try and have this re-assessed. Feeling like he had exhausted all his options and still without a fair outcome, Matthew decided to use Ajust for some help.
If you’re a victim of credit card fraud, it can be easy to let your emotions get the best of you and panic. However, it’s important to try and stay vigilant on what you need to do next. Things like communicating your issue chronologically and gathering evidence can really help the process along.
It helps to have a set of steps that you can follow. We’ve written on what you should do if you ever find yourself a victim of credit card fraud here.
Westpac refunds Matthew his money
Matthew entered in the relevant details and attached any evidence he could provide, as prompted by Ajust. A report for Matthew's complaint was created and sent over to Westpac.
From there, it didn’t take long for Matthews $70 to be refunded into his account by Westpac.
When we asked Matthew about his experience, he had this to say:
“Excellent support and help provided by Ajust to resolve the dispute with Westpac.”
At Ajust, we’re always excited to hear back from our users. We’re glad Matthew got this problem off his shoulders and that Westpac followed through with the refund. Utilising an independent platform to launch your complaint can make a big difference!
If you’ve noticed a transaction that doesn’t seem right, try using Ajust. We’re happy to help.
Editor’s note: We’re always excited to share the experiences of consumers that have used Ajust. This Consumer Story is based on a real complaint made through our platform. But we’ve changed some details to protect the consumer's personal information and make the story more enjoyable for our readers.
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