Saved Cards And Mistyped Numbers: Financial Ombudsman Service Warns Of Two Types Of Simple Mistakes That Can Cost You

Small mistakes with digital payments can lead to significant losses and stress, warns Financial Ombudsman Service, Financial Services Complaints Limited (FSCL). Recent cases show how easy it is to send money to the wrong place or be hit with unexpected charges when card details are saved on shared devices.

$20,000 payment doesn’t arrive in son’s account

Using a money transfer service, an older customer sent $20,000 to his son’s overseas bank account, but the money never arrived. The account number was correct, but the routing number – used by banking institutions in some countries – was for a different bank. Despite attempts by the money transfer service and the customer’s son, the money could not be recovered.

Financial Ombudsman Susan Taylor emphasises the importance of checking all account details before confirming payments. “If any of the details are incorrect, your provider may not be able to recover the funds. The opportunity to recall a transaction paid in error is very limited,” Ms Taylor says.

Children, gaming and saved cards

Saving your card details on a shared device can result in unexpected charges. In a recent complaint brought to the Financial Ombudsman Service, a father had saved his credit card details on his computer for in-game purchases. His six-year-old son, Flynn, also used the computer for gaming and unintentionally spent $800 on game ‘gems’, leaving his father with no money and struggling to buy food.

“If you load your card details onto a gaming device, anyone playing on that device could use your card to pay for in-game purchases,” says Ms Taylor. “We recognise how upsetting it is for parents to discover that a child’s game has left them short of money for essentials, which is why it’s so important to secure your card details on shared devices.”

Ms Taylor encourages consumers to take simple protective steps:

“Use passwords or PINs to secure your card and keep a close eye on your accounts. Check your account and transactions regularly, and report anything you don’t recognise early, even if it’s only a small amount of money”.

Failing to protect your card and PIN will likely mean the card issuer isn’t required to reimburse you.

In this case, the card issuer offered a goodwill payment to cover the loss.

Slow down and double check

“In both cases, simple mistakes led to considerable stress,” Ms Taylor says. “The best protection is to slow down and doublecheck details: secure your cards, don’t store card details unnecessarily, and always confirm account numbers and payment details before you click ‘pay’. If something goes wrong, contact your money transfer service or card issuer immediately and seek help early”.

About FSCL – a Financial Ombudsman Service

FSCL’s role is to resolve consumer complaints about financial service providers who are participants of the FSCL scheme. This includes non-bank lenders, credit unions, insurance companies, financial advisers, including mortgage brokers, insurance brokers, corporate trustees, fund managers, transactional service providers, and card issuers.

FSCL’s service is fair, independent, and free for consumers and small businesses.

FSCL was established in 2010 following the approval of the then Minister of Commerce and Consumer Affairs under the Financial Service Providers (Registration and Dispute Resolution) Act 2008 (FSP Act). It is not-for-profit.

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