Direct Credit Scam?

June 13, 2018 9:21 AM

Over the last 2 weeks, I have had 3 direct credits to my Australian bank account that I don't recognise. The first 2 were both from the same reference number, the third one occurred yesterday from a different reference number. The reference details for all of the deposits mention my bank, but the fact that when I contacted the bank they had no idea what the deposits were has me concerned. Has anyone else experienced this? Is it a scam?

They are all for relatively small amounts (~$24 for the first 2 and $18 for the third one). I have lodged a request for more info, but the turnaround time is 2 weeks.

posted by Kris10_b to Work & Money (5 answers total)

Two weeks is nuts; can you simply report it as fraud instead? May get a faster response.
posted by aramaic at 9:33 AM on June 13, 2018

Yes, I would report this as potential fraud. Let them sort it out. A lot can happen in two weeks.
posted by praemunire at 10:43 AM on June 13, 2018

Yes, this is fraud. In my case it was a couple small credits immediately followed by identical refunds, all with vague names, and then it was a series of small debits until I reported it. I learned not to use my debit card for online shopping and to review my balance frequently.
posted by blnkfrnk at 1:53 PM on June 13, 2018

The small deposits are to confirm the account and routing numbers they have are still active. Eventually (probably soon) they will debit your account for as much as they can. You might want to go into the bank and get a freeze on your account and/or transfer everything to a new account.
posted by Thorzdad at 5:42 PM on June 13, 2018 [1 favorite]

Response by poster: I managed to talk to someone a bit more helpful - turns out the first 2 are capital payments related to shares I hold, so they don't appear to be a scam. Still not sure what the third one is though.
posted by Kris10_b at 7:44 PM on June 13, 2018