Help with Credit Card Stolen

Hello. I am posting this to see if anyone has had a similar experience and to get any advice.

I just came back from an overseas trip and unfortunately I got pickpocketed in Athens and my wallet was stolen and my Qantas Premier credit card was used for 5 x 500 Euro transactions before I received an email saying suspected fraud to which I then looked in my bag to notice my wallet was stolen and I obviously then called up the bank and cancelled the card and raised a dispute.

I received a letter to say that my chargeback requests have been all denied, because the transactions were pin authorised! I am shocked how this can be so. I hardly used this card on the trip and had not yet used it in Greece, as it was stolen from the airport to the hotel.

I escalated this with the card issuer (Citibank) and provided a police report, and they have just come back to me and said that there is no fault from the bank as the transactions were PIN authorised. They have said that they are willing to write off 50% of the transactions as a 'good will gesture'.

I am not sure what to do?! I can't see how a valid PIN could have been used. It was not written down anywhere, or used for days, let alone in that country. I have tried to appeal my case with the agent on the phone, even asking to see if they can offer a higher than 50% to write off, as almost $2500 is still a lot of money to pay. She was incredibly rude and said that was the 'final decision'. When I kept pressing her and nicely asking for her to see if she can at least ask for more, she said she could but with no promise and saying that she can't guarantee that the offer of 50% would even remain.

Has anyone had a similar situation? Any advice on what I should do please? :(

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Comments

  • +12

    Claim through travel insurance? Also, if they're will to refund 50% then prob take it to the next level and go to the financial ombudsman.

    • +1

      Yeah, clearly outline what you expect from them. The police report and everything else. Outline exactly what transactions were not yours and that you expect them to be refunded. If they don't resolve that, straight to the Financial Ombudsman with your requests to the bank.

      The Ombudsman will generally want to see that you've requested a specific resolution with the bank first and that they've rejected before they'll initiate anything.

    • Unfortunetly my travel Insurance does not cover such loss or cash loss. Only personal items. Should I accept the 50% and then go to ombudsman in your opinion?

      • +21

        Not legal advice, but I would not accept it, as this might mean you're agreeing that it was your fault and that the matter is permanently closed.

        The fact they're offering anything really says that they know it's their problem, otherwise they would offer you zero.

        If they won't refund my credit card annual fee then I don't think they'd be handing out $1250 willy nilly if they didn't have to.

        • +1

          Yeah she said that the bank was 'not at fault' but they were offering 50% of the almost $5000 AUD as a 'good will gesture'.

          • @AussieTiger: Have they continued using the card and it is up to $5,000 AUD now? lol

            • +1

              @CodeXD: No, the amount they used is close to $5000 AUD. The $2500 I mentioned above, refers to the 50% of that which they have offered to cover…

            • @CodeXD: OP did say 5x500 Euro, not AUD

        • +2

          "Not legal advice, but I would not accept it, as this might mean you're agreeing that it was your fault and that the matter is permanently closed."

          Incorrect!
          They are just denying responsibility as the PIN code was used.
          They are just trying to resolve the matter at minimal cost to them.
          If OP was to blame then they would not make this offer.

          • +2

            @Dr Phil:

            If OP was to blame then they would not make this offer

            You can't make that claim. You do not know NAB's internal policies and procedures.

            • +1

              @YesPleaseThankYou: Yes I do!
              Its a fact!

              This has nothing to do with policies and procedures
              Its about THE LAW !

              See here from Finanical Rights Legal Centre

              This is the advice OP is looking to receive:

              Unauthorised transactions

              A transaction is unauthorised if you did not perform the transaction, or did not agree to someone else performing the transaction for you.

              However, if the transaction was made with your knowledge and consent, then it is an authorised transaction.

              Check your statements regularly to see if there are any unauthorised transactions on your account.

              In general, you are not liable for unauthorised transactions. However, you may be liable for some or all of the transaction if you contributed to the loss or unreasonably delayed reporting the unauthorised transaction.

              More information here:
              https://financialrights.org.au/factsheet/reversing-bank-tran…

              • +1

                @Dr Phil: LOL, none of that is the law. What I said earlier stands.

                • -5

                  @YesPleaseThankYou: Fool be you ignoring THE FACTS
                  No point arguing when you dont even acknowledge legal advice from a legal authority.

                  You have offered nothing to assist OP
                  You just want to argue your invalid point

                  • @Dr Phil: People make offers for all sorts of reasons, and might do so, eg, even where the other party is likely to have contributed to the loss (just as seems likely in the current matter).

                    Also, the Finanical [sic] Rights Legal Centre is not a 'legal authority', making another one of your claims incorrect.

                  • +11

                    @Dr Phil: My wife had her credit card stolen but I haven't reported it as the thief is spending way less than she normally does.

      • +3

        I wouldn't accept the 50%, they'll have some clause in that, that you can't go after them for more and that you're admitting some fault.

        Clearly state how you want it resolved, with the police report and threaten to go to the Ombudsman if it's not resolved. If they don't resolve it, raise with the ombudsman.

        If you've genuinely not used the card for the transactions as you claimed, Financial Ombudsman will be able to sort it out.

      • +3

        I wouldn't accept 50%. I would definitely go to the ombudsman.

  • +1

    Do you normally need to enter a pin no matter the amount? Maybe relaxing the pin requirements is counted as pin authorised?

    We had our credit card details compromised when travelling and CommBank had no issue refunding the money for the purchases made online (they were very nice about it and reassured me that i will get my money back). Maybe that's the difference, online there is no pin requirement?

    I suspect the difference between 'details stolen' and 'fraud' is that when it is stolen, it is beyond your ability to do anything whereas fraud is basically 'you have done something silly and we cannot be held responsible'.

    Good luck, suggest you go to a different card provider.

    • +10

      I suspect the crims knew someone/somewhere where the "auto authorize" amount was $500 - hence the 5 x 500 - instead of a single 2500 …

      As above, do not accept a partial offer as this means the issue is resolved (in AFCA and Citibank eyes)!

      It's a pressure tactic to get you to agree and save them some $$

    • +1

      If I am not mistaken, the rule of MC/VISA states that POS sales cannot be charged back. The bank can reimburse you given it is stolen but that would be outside MC/VISA rules. The question is that usually, the "no-pin" amount is AUD$100 (I have seen AUD$200 can go through without PIN but rare) so how the heck did this go through.

      Therefore, I think you should take it up to AFCA.

      • +3

        The question is that usually, the "no-pin" amount is AUD$100 (I have seen AUD$200 can go through without PIN but rare) so how the heck did this go through.

        The no PIN limit was temporarily raised to $200 during the COVID era.

  • +6

    Make an AFCA complaint.

    https://www.afca.org.au/make-a-complaint

    It starts costing them a sheet-load of money to not resolve something through this method. Even people who did extremely dumb things that were entirely their own fault, like sending $100k to a Nigerian price, have sometimes got all their money back just because the bank doesn't want to put any more money into fighting it.

    As for how it happened, maybe your PIN was skimmed at an ATM and then someone followed you to pickpocket you very shortly after that, knowing they had your PIN?

    • She was so firm to say that there is no fault with the bank as they were pin authoirsed. IF that is is the case (which again I dont even know how that is so), do I have much leg to stand on with the AFCA?

  • -1

    Should I let them know that I have made an AFCA complaint? Can the complaint be made regardless of whether I accept there 50% 'offer'?

    Also, I did think my pin had been skimmed, but honestly we had just arrived in Greece and hadn't used the card yet. The card was stolen on the train from the airport to hotel! I am honestly perplexed at how it can be 'pin authorised for this reason! And it wasnt one of those easy pins like 1234 or date of birth etc.

    • +3

      The AFCA complaint is a dispute that includes them in it, so they will automatically know / have to respond to it / get charged money for it. You don't necessarily have to tell them as they'll become involved in it regardless, however, the gentle mention/threat that you are going to raise it might kick them along. Just say no you don't accept 50% as you require 100%, non-negotiable. Give them a reasonable date for it to be resolved in your favour by, and say you'll raise it with AFCA straight after that deadline. I'd probably give them a 1 week deadline (depending on how quickly they normally respond).

      • -3

        She was so firm to say that there is no fault with the bank as they were pin authoirsed. IF that is is the case (which again I dont even know how that is so), do I have much leg to stand on with the AFCA?

        • +3

          The bank is always going to find in their own favour if they have an opportunity to do so. AFCA is essentially like a court/mediator, so they will help you. If the PIN thing is true, then there is some other flaw in their security, in which case you're still the victim of fraud. The only reason you would come undone and lose this with AFCA is if you admitted to giving your pin to anyone including a family member or writing it down anywhere.

        • +1

          Just go AFCA and request full amount + compensation for lack of service from NAB.

    • +2

      Can the complaint be made regardless of whether I accept there 50% 'offer'?

      Nope, the bank will show AFCA that and the issue will be "done" … in no circumstance accept the 50% if intending to take it further !!

  • +11

    What some random customer service agent says on the phone is not the gospel truth for now and forever.

    You are going to need to make some effort beyond calling the bank's number, and asking advice on this forum.

    You will need to place your claim in writing to the bank. Provide all details. A timeline. Describe what you have done so far: Responded to bank, reported to police, called bank. Add in what you understand the customer service agent told you.

    Say how you want this ultimately resolved: full refund of the money, not this 50% nonsense.

    You will need to give them time to investigate. They have to get a police report from Athens. I'd say two weeks minimum.

    If they haven't responded, or satisfactorily resolved the matter by then, you can go to the AFCA. Again, providing them with all your details and correspondence. If they accpet your case, it is highly likely it would be determined in your favour.

    But you must be meticulous with your details, and patient.

  • AFCA may be your last resort but they are horrendous in their dealings and often side with the banks because ultimstely they are paid by them. They call themselves indepedent but they are not!
    https://www.productreview.com.au/listings/australian-financi…

    Also look at this Facebook group
    https://www.facebook.com/groups/1577467686148080/?ref=share&…

    • -1

      Oh gosh! This is very deflating and does not give me too much hope! :(

      • +1

        I had a positive outcome from an AFCA complaint a few years back. You really just need to be meticulous, methodical and understand AFCA's processes and rules. Just make it really easy for the AFCA employee to tick all the necessary boxes to side with you.

        • -1

          FWIW, I would try to suss out as much documentation and evidence about Citi's investigation before you involve AFCA though. Try to communicate in writing with them. But if you do or have made any phone calls, write a complete account of the call/s and email them to yourself.

      • +3

        I would advise you to stop worrying and questioning, and start documenting and lodging the dispute. Putting mental effort in on Ozbargain and facebook groups is no longer productive, when you have all the information you need to proceed. Just saying!

    • lol yes of course everyone who lost an afca complaint is going to whine about it online.

      I think the banks view the money the have to pay for afca as a "tax" for operating their business. They certainly have no influence over cases.

  • Did you use your PIN at an ATM or elsewhere?

    Otherwise, I don't see how the thieves used your PIN and your bank is full of crap.

    • +1

      No! Which is what I find odd! When I said that to them, she said there is some official report which shows that?!

      • +5

        Ask them for a copy.

      • +1

        Yeah, that's f'd then.

        Look, they're trying to gaslight you. Keep on fighting it.

  • as it was stolen from the airport to the hotel.

    Did you catch the train ?

    • +1

      Yes! I believe this is where it happened. :(

      • +5

        It was stolen by gypsies. They are all over Athens and Rome, expecially on trains and buses.

          • +4

            @tenpercent: No, it is fact…

            • -6

              @jv:

              It was stolen by gypsies.

              Is that a fact? Evidence?

              • +1

                @tenpercent:

                Is that a fact?

                Yes it is…

                • -4

                  @jv: How do you know?

                  • @tenpercent:

                    How do you know?

                    I've been to both Athens and Rome.

                    • -6

                      @jv: Did someone introduce themself to you as a Gypsy and then proceed to steal your card details?

                      • +1

                        @tenpercent: Not me, others…

                        • @jv: On the bright side, at least they were polite stereotypes?

          • +8

            @dylo:

            Most educated people are aware

            No, there are lots of Gypsies/Romani living in Athens and Rome.

            They work in gangs and usually have the young kids begging and/or pickpocketing…

            Any tourist guide there will warn you… Lots of videos of them in action.

              • +4

                @dylo: Neither do I

            • @jv: The image that comes to my mind is the gang of children in the movie Hostel with baseball bats who beat to a pulp their victims.

              • @joka: except now they don't use baseball bats, but they have become experts at taking your valueables and not being detected.

              • +2

                @joka:

                A 2015 police inquiry revealed that, in Rome, 40 families control 287 underage pickpockets. The families live in the gypsy camps of Rome and its surroundings. The gang who operated in Termini three years ago was squatting a factory in Aprilia. Magistrate Simonetta Matone stated that current situation reminds her of the early 90s when she and her colleagues monitored a gang of pickpockets. Each morning, a group of children left a camp in the outskirts of Rome for the historical centre. When the magistrate interrogated the children, they all said they left the camp to “go to work.”

                https://www.italianinsider.it/?q=node/6216

            • +2

              @jv: Not just those towns. A long long time ago I has homeless and I was taken in by a gang of Gypsy pickpockets in London who offered to teach me the trade, near Euston station, based in a shop front on main street in Camden Town. Some gangs are local and stay in lucrative locations and others are true Gypsies and move around for the seasonal pickings and to mitigate the chance of being caught.

              Had I taken them up on their offer I would have lived a very different life. An easier one than the one I've lived. Who would believe it …

              Either way it was a privilege to know them. More honest than our politicians and businessmen. :-)

          • +1

            @dylo: Tyson Fury disagrees with this.

        • They prefer to be referred to as tsigane.

          • +1

            @eccaz:

            "Tsigane" is a French term, that refers to the Roma people, also known as Gypsies.

            • +1

              @jv: I believe it to be an Eastern European term, though it is used in many countries.

              • @eccaz:

                Origin
                early 19th century: via French and Romanian from medieval Greek tsigganos, shortened from Byzantine Greek adigganos, athigganos ‘member of heretical sect’, literally ‘that does not wish to be touched’.

                • +1

                  @jv: The irony is that they love to do a lot of touching.

        • +4

          I have to agree with jv.

          You have to live in Europe for a sometime to notice this. You can tell by the way they dress. Of course not just the gypsies but also thieves depending heavily on substance as well. They can smell tourists with bucket style handbags, they follow them and usually it happens when you are focused on something such as about to insert the ticket into the machine. They operate in pairs, one watch from far for any 'danger' while the other steals. If you catch them red handed, they can bluntly deny without panic. They will even say you placed your bag too close to their hands. Sometimes they will claim your bag zippers hurt their hands. They are professional it's a daily thing, it's survival for them. It's amusing and refreshing to see this happening in broad daylight. The locals don't want to get involved, turn a blind eye. They scurry and hide when there's police, reappear again at another location. They will roam between train stations without getting out of the gate, they trains and etc. I have seen this in a few EU countries.

  • +3

    Are you able to explore what PIN authorised means?

    I'm sure we all understand what it means means, but for instance, when is PIN vs no PIN triggered. Presumably they'll say only $100 (as example), such that the $500 'must' have been PIN authorised. Can they reveal what number was input? If so, does that number actually match your PIN for the card?

    Is the PIN authorisation an assumption based on the amount purchased or is there actual evidence that the PIN was input? At anytime during the card being away from you, was the PIN changed?

    In short, there may be value in trying to understand their investigation rather than argue the outcome.

  • +3

    Don't accept an 'offer' of goodwill or anything else less than a full chargeback. Sometimes the front facing customer rep people do not have access to as much internal data or are not as knowledgeable as someone from the dedicated fraud team. If you keep escalating your complaint you might end up talking to someone from the bank who knows what they are talking about. As mentioned, document all the timeline and state your expectation then escalate to AFCA once you've exhausted the banks complaint process and tell them you're going to do that.

  • +1
  • Terrible bad luck OP, not a good way to start a holiday.
    I had my CC used in America 5 times a year ago, I was here. Was at hallmark and some rice co.
    NAB refunded me and the fees in about 10 days. Was $2K.
    Got nothing from them just happen to see it on Internet banking.
    Pays to check more often lol

  • +1

    Some pinpads (and the acquiring set up) are set up poorly or just will allow a PIN bypass so technically the person you talked to isn't correct.
    - realistically if the set up is correct, your card should trigger a message and if the pinpad has pin enabled it should require it.

    Also note that in other countries, this is quite common (e.g signature still being used in the US, and in some Asian countries).

    It's worth raising a formal complaint (and actually needed before AFCA btw) and you should get them to confirm it was PIN authorised.
    Good chance if not, you'll be in a better spot and if it goes to AFCA you're more likely to get a better outcome.

    There are some additional intricacies but to build your case it's best to have more info
    - which merchants were the card used at
    - did you not have limits set
    - how soon did you respond to the notification etc
    - card present disputes are very difficult but it really depends on whether it could have been a pin bypassed case

  • +1

    Simply on the basis they had my card, and without having to produce any proof they were the cardholder, a branch of my credit union since turned bank let someone withdraw $1500 in cash from my debit card.

    Fortunately it was actually me.

    But I've advised them that as a result I'm moving my banking somewhere else, and am doing so.

    It was doubly annoying because I was withdrawing the money to pay a bill in cash because the credit union's excessive on-line security had prevented me from paying the bill by bank transfer. Then they demonstrated a complete lack of any security in branch transactions by just handing me the cash without asking for even my PIN, let alone photo ID.

  • +36

    Thank you all for your advice and for encouraging me to stay strong! I stood firm with the bank and I started a claim with AFCA and mentioned this to them. They Initially offered to write off 80% of the $5000, but after getting a more reasonable manager on the phone and explaning to him again the situation, and I told him I did not want to pay for any of it. He passed on that information and they just came back and said that they will write off 100% and the letter will be emailed to me on Monday or Tuesday to confirm this!!!

    Feeling very relived! But it shouldn't have taken all this back and forth and I still dont understand how my pin number was supposedly used. They confirmed that a pin number is requierd for all transactions over $100.

    • +2

      Amazing news, and so quick for a resolution.

      I can only assume they are seeing something on their end that they're not telling you. Cause when a pin has been used, usually banks won't give a cent back.

      Thing is with AFCA, the complaint goes back to the bank, the complaints team calls you for a resolution etc…. the only difference is that the bank gets charged per AFCA complaint and if the customer isn't happy with the outcome, the customer can go back to AFCA again then the bank will now be charged at level 2 and 3 and so on with the max charge.

      From memory, with the telco ombudsman, the highest complaint charge from the ombudsman is like $10k. So if a customer is complaining about a $300 bill charge, what's more financially better? $300 credit or $10k ombudsman bill?

    • +2

      Could be their friend POS - thieves works with someone who will sell gift cards from his terminal and skip PIN.

    • -1

      Do you mind sharing what your PIN number was? Wonder if it may have been an easy one to guess within 3 tries.

    • Glad to hear that your persistence worked.

      I encourage everyone to have payment notifications on their credit cards.

      Twice I've been stung on my American Express, the first time for $900 for a Ryanair flight in Europe and another for $25 at Maccas.
      I rang AMEX within minutes and they blocked the card and started the process to reverse the charges.

  • I have citibank qantas premier, and knowing how unsecure it is and how unhelpful the customer service is, I’ll cancel it as soon as my points come. This is so scary.

    Glad that OP case ends with a happy ending.

    • +1

      knowing how unsecure it is

      If it was that bad, we'd be hearing these stories every day.

      Sounds to me that the OP had his card skimmed and PIN compromised and is very lucky to be receiving a full refund.

  • Hello, gsta12 :)

  • -2

    OP did you get any different answers to your cross post to Whirlpool? https://forums.whirlpool.net.au/thread/3246kmnq

    • +5

      Seems like a pointless question since you can read that post already.

  • +1

    @AussieTiger As somebody who is travelling to Athens in a few weeks, I was wondering if you could share where you had the card and if anything else was taken. Do have any advice on where to keep valuables to avoid pick pockets?

    • -1

      There are only about 1 billion posts about pickpockets in Greece, Italy, Spain, Bulgaria and elsewhere; but I'm sure the OP will be able to provide you with valuable insights.

      • +1

        Not interested in what the billion other people have to say about pick pockets and not interested in your opinion of OP being able to provide advice. I was interested in gaining personal insights on what could have been done differently.

        • Thieves have a saying: if it's in front pocket - it's yours, if it's in back pocket it's ours.

    • Don't keep stuff in your pockets then.

      Jokes aside… These pouch goes in between your clothes and body. There's a neck strap, it isn't the comfiest but you won't lose a thing. I put my passport, and $100M RBZ in there, stuff it in my pants you have to undress me to steal it.

      https://seatosummit.com.au/products/neck-pouch-rfid

      https://seatosummit.com.au/products/neck-wallet-rfid

    • I hear that they draw the line on cavity searching, so if you're comfortable enough there's a pocket that's secure.

  • Banks getting creative to SUCK even more money from people

  • -2

    Serious question, I know this sucks for you but who should fit the bill for this if not you?

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