Bank is not paying back the money
A 78-year old woman from Centurion has been struggling to get answers from her bank after she was defrauded twice.
An elderly woman in Centurion is furious at her bank because it refuses to compensate her for money lost through fraud.
Eudia Coetsee (78) told Rekord life was tough as a result of the losses she incurred after her account was cleaned out twice.
In July, R1 488.15, was taken from her account and on 4 August, R4 350.00.
Coetsee of Willows Estate said the bank dismissed her claims for compensation, contending it could not be held liable.
The bank sent her a letter which read: “We regret any inconvenience and assure you that this case was handled to the best of our ability.”
Coetsee said she had never given her bankcard pin to anyone.
She said in the first crime, someone somehow got hold of her details and cloned her card.
“I withdrew money from the ATM inside a shopping mall. When I got home, I saw another SMS with another transaction that went off.”
Coetsee also said on special voter’s day this year, she had to relive the nightmare after all her money was withdrawn from her savings account.
“When I got to the voting station, it was quiet. One of the female registration attendants asked for my ID. I put my bag down on the table in front of her.”
Coetsee said when she asked for ID back, the attendant told her to vote first.
“I left my bag on the table in a second’s confusion, but there was no-one else except for the attendants. When I returned, I took my ID, put it in my bag and left.”
She said later that night, she received an SMS, but she thought it was one of her sons living abroad.
“I didn’t look at the message at that time, and the next morning when I eventually read it, it was a cash withdrawal [notification].”
According to Coetzee, her savings account is only used to pay for utilities.
“My sons would transfer money into that account every month that I use to pay for electricity and water.”
She said because that card was not used often, she kept it in the back of her ID document.
“I do not know how these people do it without having your pin. I am so devastated that this has happened again, because the bank is not helping at all.”
She said learned the hard way that being a loyal customer did not compensate for any risks
A representative of her bank confirmed that the fraud was investigated.
“In cases where the card was stolen and the pin was compromised, the bank does not accept liability for fraud losses,” the bank said.
“It remains the responsibility of the client to protect the card and the pin. This is clearly defined in the terms and conditions when a client takes ownership of a bank card.”
The representative said Coetsee had a similar problem earlier this year and the bank offered “ex gratia” payments.
“The bank will be in contact with Coetsee directly to identify possible vulnerabilities to ensure that no further losses are incurred.”
However, Coetsee was still upset claiming she was battling to recover from the loss.
“An inspector from the bank visited my house, but nothing has been finalised. I am still not sure if I am going to get my money back.”
Also read:
Fraud at petrol filling stations
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