Major UK bank blames Westpac for lost $158K transfer

Pensioner Andrew Che Sit Bong lost $158,000 after a digit error during an international transfer from Barclays to a Westpac account in Auckland.

Che mistakenly entered a 15-digit account number instead of 16, and Westpac assumed the missing digit was part of the suffix—resulting in the funds being deposited into another customer’s valid account.

Barclays has now fully refunded Che, saying Westpac made “critical errors” by failing to verify the account name, a standard check in the UK.

Westpac denies responsibility, citing local practices and the delay in Che reporting the issue.

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