Imagine losing $10,000 to scammers and then being told by your bank that it’s mostly your fault.
This is exactly what happened to 86-year-old Janet Moore, a loyal Bendigo Bank customer.
But what’s even more insulting is that the bank could only recover a mere 40 cents of the stolen funds and had the audacity to imply that her daughter might be involved in the scam.
A Sunday Surprise: Discovering the Scam
Janet Moore regularly checks her bank account online, but one Sunday, she found that her password wasn’t working.
After calling the bank, she was casually told that her account had been compromised. The bank told her not to use her account or computer, but it was too late.
Scammers had already made two transactions totaling $10,000, sending the money to account holders named Philippa and David.
A Lack of Urgency and Blame-Shifting
Janet was shocked to learn that the bank had known about the suspicious transactions two days earlier but had failed to notify her.
She wonders what would have happened if she hadn’t checked her account that Sunday.
The bank’s customer service only added to her stress, with a flustered teller failing to provide adequate assistance.
To make matters worse, the bank implied that her daughter, Julie-Ann, might have been involved in the scam, simply because her name was on the account.
The Devastating Aftermath
The scam occurred just before Christmas, and Janet’s luck went from bad to worse.
A tornado hit her house while she was away, leaving her temporarily living with her daughter. Despite the chaos, Bendigo Bank continued to call her on her destroyed landline, showing a disturbing lack of awareness about her situation.
The Battle for Justice
Janet and her daughter have been fighting for reimbursement and answers from the bank. They’ve escalated the case to the Australian Financial Complaints Authority and are still waiting for a resolution.
The bank offered a $2000 “goodwill gesture,” but only if Janet accepted fault, which she refused to do. Bendigo Bank has since closed the case, only to reopen it after the family lodged a complaint with the AFCA.
Demanding Change: People Before Profit
Janet’s ordeal has led her to support our campaign, People Before Profit, which calls on the federal government to make it mandatory for banks to compensate scam victims, just like in the UK.
It’s time for banks to put people before profit and take responsibility for their customers’ losses.