Bank backtracks on case of couple left devastated by son’s $50K theft

A couple left devastated after their son stole almost $50,000 from them have received a little bit of relief, with their bank finally agreeing to recompense them for their losses.

According to A Current Affair‘s exclusive report that aired on Thursday night, Commonwealth Bank said it would make a “goodwill payment” to cover the son’s fraudulent transactions.

Expat British couple Tony and Jill Lewis told their heartbreaking story to ACA on Tuesday night, revealing that their son Russell had stolen their life savings while they were on holiday. The pair, who are bow caring for Russell’s six-year-old daughter while he serves a jail term for his crimes, said they wanted their son deported, presumably to Britain, where they emigrated from in 1985 when Russell was 10, when he ends his sentence in 2020.

The theft left them locked in a five-year battle with Commonwealth Bank, which reportedly refused to accept that Lewis’ weren’t aware of Russell’s intentions when he broke into their home while they were visiting family in the UK. Their son reportedly found PINs for their bank accounts that they had written down and used their stolen bank cards to drain their accounts of $47,100 in total.

The couple said they had told CommBank that their accounts would remain dormant while they were outside Australia, but the bank reportedly refused to recompense them for the fraud.

Speaking to ACA on Thursday night, however, the Lewis’ said that CommBank had since had a change of heart. “It’s mind-blowing,” Tony, 69, said. “I’d like to thank the Commonwealth Bank for their decision, it’s most appreciated, we’ll be able to get back on our feet.” Jill also thanked ACA for its intervention in their case, which helped end the long standoff with the bank over the issue.

In a statement given to ACA, Pete Steel, CommBank’s executive general manager of digital, acknowledged that the Lewsis’ were victims of a crime.

“It is our intent to help Mr and Mrs Lewis by making a goodwill payment in relation to the fraudulent transactions,” Steel said, but added that bank customers should “never store their pins and passwords in the same place as their account details”.

The Lewis’ now hope to use the funds to finish repairs on their home and to care for their granddaughter. Asked, though, whether Jill, 66, thought the money would help the couple get somewhat back to normality, she had a sad answer. “It’s been a very hard struggle,” she said. “It’s still here, what happened, but we’ve got to, we’ve got a little girl to bring up.”

Do you think CommBank was in the right to initially refuse the Lewis’ compensation? Or should they not be held responsible for failing to secure their PINs and bank cards separately?