Will My Money be Reimbursed if My Bank Card is Stolen?

If your bank card is stolen, will the bank reimburse you for any money taken?

AN increasing number of people are now doing their shopping online due to the coronavirus pandemic, however, this has also led to an increase in the theft of debit and credit card data.

Contactless technology has also made it easier for thieves to spend money on credit or debit cards they have stolen, without the obligation of having to use a pin or signature for purchases.

In the 2018 annual report on the surveillance of the payment systems of the Bank of Spain, data told us that over one million fraudulent operations took place with a value of €88 million, representing 1.4 fraudulent operations out of every 100 cards. This data is extremely high, however, it has risen even higher during the pandemic and 77 per cent of card frauds are through online purchases.

Most think the bank will be responsible for fraudulent charges that have been caused to us, although there are some exceptions.

In the case that a card has been stolen, the bank will return 100 per cent of the money taken once the card has been cancelled, however, until the card has been cancelled the first €50 will be the responsibility of the bank account holder, in accordance with Directive (UR) 2015/2366 of the European Parliament.

In the case of card duplications, the bank will return 100 per cent of any cash stolen, due to it being so difficult to know that your card has been duplicated unless you look at your bank statements.

It is worth noting, however, the European Parliament considers the bank will not be liable if the account holder has been negligent – for example revealing their pin number or giving information to third parties. The money will also not be reimbursed if double authentication has been carried out (entering the pin number and the confirmation code.)

The first thing to do when you notice strange activity on your account or that you do not have your card is to report it stolen with your bank. A request for a refund must also be carried out by using the ‘unrecognised charges form,’ many let you do this through customer services.

Most banks will return the money automatically and within 24 hours, however, they will then investigate the fraud to find out whether there was any negligent behaviour. If the resolution is positive you will keep the refund, if any negligence on your part is found the money must be returned.

Source: Informativos Telecinco