A bank customer who was careless with her account pin received an early Christmas present today when her stolen $5000 was returned.
Banking Ombudsman Nicola Sladden said the customer was "lucky", as banks were not usually obliged to refund stolen money to customers who had been irresponsible and disclosed their pins and passwords.
An acquaintance had obtained the woman's phone banking pin, and was able to get account information from a bank officer.
The officer noted the caller sounded unaccountably young, but took no further action.
The acquaintance called back, speaking to a different staff member, and explained that she had forgotten her internet banking password and needed to reset it.