The consumer association UFC Que Choisir Toulouse denounces the attitude of most large banks, which increasingly refuse to reimburse bank fraud. The national association filed a complaint against 12 banks.
Bank card fraud increased by 161% in France between 2010 and 2020. Card stolen, use of contactless, secret code revealed, spear phishing on the Internet, crooks compete in imagination. Sometimes hundreds, even thousands of euros are stolen from the victims’ bank accounts.
When they notice it, they report it to their bank, which has the obligation to reimburse them immediately. However, it would seem that most major banking institutions are dragging their feet in making this refund.
137 reports in Toulouse from 2019 to 2022
The UFC Que Choisir Toulouse screened 137 reports of refusal of reimbursement, between 2019 and 2022, and all of them posed a problem. Nearly 60% of reports relate to fraud over €4,000, which can go up to several tens of thousands of euros.
At the national level, the UFC declined 4,300 refusals, and filed a complaint against twelve establishments, for misleading commercial practices: La Banque Postale, Crédit Agricole, Banque Populaire, BNP Paribas, Société Générale, CIC, LCL, Boursorama, ING, Nickel, Cetelem and Floa Bank.
“We have many cases where banks drag on, ask the customer to fill out a form, and finally refuse. Customers give up, telling themselves that they have no means of recourse,” explains Driss El Hilali, lawyer at the UFC Que Choisir in Toulouse. The association supports its members, and the lawyer recalls that the procedure is free, for frauds of less than €5,000.
Justice gives reason to a Toulouse woman, victim of a fraudulent payment of 780€, facing her bank
“In September 2021, justice ruled in favor of a Toulouse woman, victim of a bank card fraud of €780, against her banking establishment. The customer had reported this fraudulent payment quickly, it was a unique incident. »
Justice revealed that the client had reacted quickly by opposing. “It is not up to the customer to prove that there has been fraud, but rather up to the bank to prove that the customer has committed gross negligence,” adds the lawyer.
The bank, which was worth that the customer would have validated the payment by a security SMS, was ordered to reimburse the customer, with interest.