An ANZ customer was left unable to pay for a coffee after she ignored a seemingly “suspicious” text message from the major bank. Aussies have been warned that if they dismiss these types of requests from their bank, they could end up blocked from their accounts.
Banks will reach out to their customers from time to time asking them to confirm their personal details. This is part of industry-wide Know Your Customer or KYC requirements which were introduced in recent years to help combat fraud.
An ANZ spokesperson told Yahoo Finance these simple messages to customers are a regulatory requirement, which comes under the Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorism Financing Act.
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“Under regulatory guidelines, banks are required to verify and regularly update customer information to help prevent fraud, money laundering, and other financial crimes,” the spokesperson said.
“This process generally involves customers confirming or updating their contact details within a specified timeframe.”
Online creator Chloe Ferrari was recently blocked from her ANZ bank account for ignoring the request.
“I was getting multiple text messages from ANZ saying if you don’t click this link and confirm your details, then all withdrawals from your account are gonna be blocked,” the Melbourne woman said.
ANZ’s messages will generally let customers know they need them to complete its ‘Know Your Customer requirements’ and may ask them to log into their internet banking or app and follow the prompts.
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Ferrari has been a customer of ANZ since she was 13 and, thinking it was a scam, ignored the messages.
“The day comes, the day that they say my account’s going to be blocked… I go to pay for my coffee… declined. Declined, $6.40,” she said.
“Yeah, my account is fully blocked. It actually was ANZ, they did just wanna confirm my details.
“But anyways it was ANZ, my fault.”
Ferrari shared the story on social media with many other Aussies saying they’d received similar messages and also assumed it was some kind of scam.
“The exact same thing happened to me. Totally thought a scam till I couldn’t pay for my groceries. Called them and it really was them, been with them over 15 years and never had to before,” one person commented on her video.
“Omg that happened to me so I rang and the lady said it’s a real thing,” another said.
