Upheld: Card / payment disputes complaint against WorldRemit Ltd

Decision detail

Summary

Mr D complained that his dormant WorldRemit account was used by an unknown third party to send money abroad on two occasions in March 2023, raising concerns about identity and personal data compromise. Although Mr D suffered no financial loss and WorldRemit took reasonable steps to secure the account, the ombudsman found that WorldRemit had breached its own terms and conditions by allowing payments from a card not linked to Mr D's account. The ombudsman upheld the complaint but agreed that the £50 goodwill compensation already offered was appropriate, as the inconvenience was limited and no further unauthorized activity occurred. The ombudsman suggested Mr D contact the Information Commissioner's Office regarding data protection concerns.

The Ombudsman's reasoning

The ombudsman found that Mr D did not make the transactions and that WorldRemit allowed payments contrary to its own terms and conditions, thus upholding the complaint. However, the ombudsman considered that the inconvenience and distress were limited because: (1) Mr D had not used the account for five years; (2) no financial loss occurred; (3) the issue was resolved relatively quickly; (4) no further unauthorized transactions occurred; and (5) no further detriment to Mr D was reported in the year following the incident. The ombudsman noted that while data protection concerns were raised, these are better addressed by the Information Commissioner's Office.

How this compares

Source

Read the original decision on the Financial Ombudsman Service website