The fraudster steals the savings and the bank washes his hands. UOKiK has up to. Appeals to five banks

“president Yukik He’s been doing explanatory actions on unauthorized transactions for a year. Evidence collected so far has allowed us to put five Banks Allegations of infringement of collective consumer interests. They are: Millennium Bank, BNP Paribas Bank Polandand Credit Agricole Bank Polska, mBank, Santander Bank Polska”— We read in a statement on Monday.

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“Banks are limited to performing operations without thinking and do not feel responsible”

As explained by the bureau, the basis for the charges is the analysis of consumer complaints as well as banks’ reactions and responses to reports of theft. money from consumer accounts. Among the cases studied was the story of a 72-year-old retiree who lost her 30 years of savings.

The fraudster gained access to the credentials and withdrew 170,000 from the retiree’s account. PLN savings and taking a loan for 80 thousand. zloty. The bank changed the currency without thinking and transferred the money abroad, adding a fee for speed of execution to each transfer and giving a high loan to a person with a low pension, and in the entire history of the calculation preferred safe investments

– We read.

UOKiK indicated that the bank did not act even when the fraudster, posing as a pensioner, changed her marital status from a married woman to a widow, such that her husband’s consent was not required for the contract credit. The office asserts that “the bank, despite the law applicable throughout the European Union, did not return the money to the victim. It has solemnly admitted that the pensioner, who was in a difficult financial situation for her, was responsible.”

As we read, there are thousands of similar stories in Poland. The amounts and methods of scammers vary, but they are linked to the theft of funds from the accounts of unaware consumers and the usually negative reaction of banks in response to reported complaints. “Despite the legal obligation, the banks do not return the money, or if they take out a loan, they force consumers who have fallen victim to the scammers to repay it” – notes the Office of Competition and Consumer Protection.

Banks often limit themselves to the ill-considered performance of operations and do not feel responsible, although vigilance can be raised by analyzing the transaction at an early stage, for example, due to unusual amounts or currency, made soon after the data change or access channels. At the same time, banks need to develop more efficient mechanisms that allow suspicious operations to be identified and responded to early, for example using the existing history of customer requests or behavioral biometrics to increase the level of security. Instead, we see some arbitrariness in dismissing consumer complaints, as well as a failure to comply with the Refund Lost Due to Unauthorized Transactions Act.

UOKiK President Thomas Crostini said in a press release.

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The office indicated that banks are required to return the amount of the unauthorized transaction or return the account to its state before this transaction occurred by the end of the working day following the notification. “There are two exceptions: notification of the consumer has been served more than 13 months after the transaction, or there is reasonable suspicion of fraud by the consumer allegedly wronged,” we read. However, in other cases, the bank has to return the account to the state before the unauthorized transaction carried out by fraudsters or return the money to the customer’s account.

UOKiK President Tomasz Chróstny noted that the charges against Bank Millennium, BNP Paribas Bank Polska, Credit Agricole Bank Polska, mBank and Santander Bank Polska are, among other things, of failing to return consumer funds from unauthorized transactions within the statutory period, at Although no circumstances have occurred that would exempt the Bank from this obligation.

The bureau is also examining the practices of the remaining 13 banks investigated. In the event of wrongdoing, the head of UOKiK may bring charges against other financial institutions. Banks may be fined up to 10 percent for violating the collective interests of consumers. trade.

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