It started with a text message that the bank sent informing you that the address of the joint account had changed. The message stated that customers should contact the bank if they are not aware of the change of address. In addition to a text message, the bank also sent an email with the same message.
The woman then checked the address in the ABN Amro online environment, but did not see any changed address there. She did not contact her bank further.
A day later, a new debit card and PIN were requested for that checking account, which were sent to the changed address for several days. The debit card was activated by telephone and the PIN code changed. Subsequently, an amount of €1490 was debited from the checking account in two transactions.
Access
The man and woman then contacted their bank about this alleged fraud, after which the bank blocked the debit card. The couple filed a complaint with ABN Amro and wanted the bank to compensate for the damage. After the bank rejected the complaint, the customers filed a complaint with Kifid.
There they stated that they did not understand how this could have happened and how the fraudsters were able to request a new debit card at a changed address. No one had access to their credentials, PINs were not written anywhere. Nor had there been any burglaries and no payments made through dubious websites.
Moreover, it turned out later that the change of address had been made on the man’s account. The victims did not know that different address details could be passed on. The bank should have sent a message to both of them, they told Kifid.
Also, only the woman would have received a text message, while it would have been a – so-called – change of address by the man. According to the bank, applying for a new debit card and making a change of address is only possible by logging in with the correct login details. Without these login details it is not possible to make changes in the secure environment of the bank. It is therefore inevitable that a third party has gained access to the login details of consumers, ABN Amro argued at Kifid.
According to the bank, the customer has not made clear how this has happened. Furthermore, it appears from the bank’s administration that the man’s 06 number was known to the bank, but the woman’s 06 number was not. The text message about the change of address was sent to the man’s phone number. A bank email was also sent to the man about the change of address. That the man would not have received a message is therefore not correct, the bank stated.
careless
The Kifid Disputes Committee ruled that the man and woman themselves are liable for the damage and it cannot be other than that they have not been sufficiently careful with their login details. In addition, they did not respond to the text message they received regarding the change of address, even though they did not request a change of address.
Kifid also rejected the defense that the bank should not only have sent the woman, but also the man a message. Because the bank records have shown that the bank has sent a text message to the 06 number that was registered with it as the man’s telephone number. Another 06 number was not known to the bank. It has not become clear how it is possible that the woman received the text message.
The e-mail from the bank stated, among other things, that the co-account holder’s address will not automatically change. The customers should therefore not only have checked the address details of the woman, but also that of the man.