Despite lots of publicity warning of scams, there are many cases of people transferring money overseas to fraudsters posing as romantic partners.

In one case the customer’s bank suspected it could be a fraud and tried to talk the customer out of the transfer of $20,000.  He insisted in carrying on and then tried to send a further $26,000.  The bank put a stop on international transfers, which caused the customer to complain the bank was not following his instructions.  It refused to transfer the money so he sent it to another NZ bank and then sent it overseas.

That other bank also suspected a fraud and so he next made cash withdrawals of $11,000 and sent those too.

The Ombudsman held that the bank was not liable for the $20,000 or $26,000, but should have prevented him withdrawing the $11,000 cash after it suspected a fraud.

 

Leading law firms committed to helping clients cost-effectively will have a range of fixed-price Initial Consultations to suit most people’s needs in quickly learning what their options are.  At Rainey Collins we have an experienced team who can answer your questions and put you on the right track.

Alan Knowsley