Unauthorised or suspicious transactions

If you see suspicious or unusual card  transactions, you can temporarily lock your card through Internet Banking or your Mobile Banking App > Card Controls while you investigate a little further.

As a start, check out the following:

• Was the purchase made by a family member or any other person authorised to use your account?
• If you’re familiar with the merchant perhaps try contacting them directly to resolve the matter
• Is the transaction a regular membership, subscription fee or app download?
• Could a business be trading under a different name you don’t recognise?
• Was the transaction a free trial that has expired?
• Was the transaction made in a foreign currency and converted to Australian dollars?
• Was the transaction a pre-authorisation (eg hotel)?

If you still don’t recognise the  transaction or believe it could be due to fraudulent activity on your account or your security has been compromised here are further steps to take:

Identify if the transaction is unauthorised –   Fraud  or Dispute

If it is a Fraudulent transaction your card needs to be cancelled quickly to prevent any more unauthorised spending

Find out more about lost / Stolen cards

You can cancel your card yourself on the mobile banking app or internet banking

Or you can contact us by phone

• Business hours – call FSCU on (08) 8227 2222 

• After hours  – call our 24/7 Fraud Service on 1300705750

• From overseas call +61 2 8299 9101

Please report fraudulent activity as soon as possible so together we can

• Identify the unauthorised transactions
• Establish the circumstances of the fraud or loss
• Block further unauthorised spending
• Begin the process of seeking reimbursement
• Note a lost or stolen card must also be reported to the police.   

What’s the difference between a Fraud and a Dispute?

Fraud:  

• You didn’t participate in the transaction in any way.
• Your card details have been stolen or compromised and used by a fraudster for financial gain.

Dispute:

You participated in the transaction (perhaps inadvertently) but something has gone wrong.

For example:

• A duplicated transaction
• Incorrect amount charged
• Goods or services were not provided
• A recurring transaction you’ve already cancelled has debited again.
• Remember the transaction date on your statement may be different from the actual date of purchase as there is a time lag between purchasing and processing.

How we can help with disputes:

FSCU aims to help you recover funds you’ve paid  for goods/services in the event you have not been able to come to an agreement with the merchant directly. We do our best to help with enquiries but only the business involved can resolve:

• Refunds or exchanges if you change your mind
• Membership or subscription enquiries
• Issues with software you’ve downloaded

Dispute process

• Once you’ve notified us of a dispute we may be able to raise a chargebac k against the merchant using your supporting evidence

• You should only lodge a dispute after you have attempted to resolve your dispute with the merchant directly and have been unsuccessful.
• You must be able provide documents to support your claim and evidence that you’ve already tried to resolve the issue with the business (for example an email string)
• As part of our investigation, we may ask you for other supporting documents of the transaction you want to dispute.  Requirements will vary depending on the circumstances and nature of the dispute.
• Please contact us as soon as possible as we have a limited timeframe to complete chargebacks under the Visa dispute resolution rules
• It is important to note that the merchant may challenge the chargeback and hence a successful outcome is not guaranteed.
• If we accept your dispute claim, we may post a temporary credit to your account within three business days, depending on the type of dispute

• • We’ll act as a liaison between you and  the merchant’s bank or credit union.
  • If the business decided to challenge your claim, they may re-debit the temporary credit from your account within 30 days.  We’ll assess the document and evidence they provide and if there are  grounds to proceed, we will continue the dispute on your behalf and a second temporary credit may be posted to your account.
  • If the business doesn’t challenge your claim your case will be closed and we’ll let you know the outcome.
  • Most disputes are resolved within 45 days but we’ll let you know if extra time is needed.