What happens if someone uses my card details without permission in Australia?
You are generally protected from financial loss if someone uses your card details without permission in Australia. Under the ePayments Code, your bank must refund unauthorized transactions, provided you did not act fraudulently or share your PIN. You must report the unauthorized use immediately.
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How it works in practice
Your Protection Under the ePayments Code
In Australia, consumers are heavily protected against unauthorized transactions by the ePayments Code. Almost all Australian banks and credit unions subscribe to this code, which guarantees that you will not be held liable for fraudulent credit or debit card transactions if you were not at fault.
Proving You Are Not at Fault
To secure a full refund, your bank will investigate the circumstances of the unauthorized transaction. As long as you have not acted fraudulently, compromised your security by voluntarily sharing your PIN or passwords, or shown extreme carelessness, the bank must reverse the charges and restore your funds.
The Importance of Prompt Reporting
Time is critical when dealing with card fraud. As soon as you notice an unexpected or unauthorized transaction, you must notify your financial institution. Delaying your report can sometimes shift partial liability onto you, especially if the delay allowed further fraudulent transactions to occur. Once reported, the bank will immediately freeze your card to prevent any further unauthorized use.
Important exceptions
You may be held partially or fully liable for the unauthorized transactions if your bank's investigation determines that you acted fraudulently or participated in the scam.
You will also face liability if you voluntarily shared your card details, PIN, or secure online banking passwords with another person, including trusted family members or friends.
Additionally, if you realized your card was lost or compromised but unreasonably delayed reporting it to your financial institution, you could be held responsible for any unauthorized charges that occurred during that specific period of delay.
What you should do now
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Lock or block your card immediately using your bank's mobile app or online banking portal.
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Call your bank's fraud or emergency hotline to officially report the unauthorized transactions.
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Review your recent bank statements to identify all fraudulent charges and note the exact dates and amounts.
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Request a replacement card from your financial institution with new account details.
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Report the incident to ReportCyber (the Australian Cyber Security Centre) if the card details were stolen online.
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