Suncorp blames human error for deposits totalling more than $600,000 into wrong account

Woman angry bank's errors have put more than $600,000 into bank account. Photo / 123RF

One of Queensland's biggest banks admits human error caused hundreds of thousands of dollars to be wrongly deposited into a Brisbane woman's bank account.

Suncorp is investigating how Rebecca Rosvall, 24, a New Zealander who has lived in Australia for a decade, received more than AU$633,000 ($685,475) in four deposits into her Everyday Basics savings account over a 13-month period.

The latest was last weekend when the Chermside resident discovered two deposits, totalling almost $400,000, in her account.

There was a deposit for $149,218 from Tamworth-based Warmoll Foods and one for $246,915 from John Dee meatworks at Warwick.

It was the second time in three months Rosvall had received deposits from Warmoll Foods after $137,156 was deposited by the meat processing business in May.

In July last year, Rosvall received the first of the four stray deposits when $100,000 was added.

A Suncorp spokeswoman said the four incorrect transactions were being examined but did not reveal whether the bank had made similar errors with other accounts.

"At this stage, it appears the transactions were the result of human error," she said.

"No customers' money has been lost as a result and the issue was corrected within 24 hours of the transactions. Suncorp believes this is an isolated case.

"We take this matter seriously and are reviewing our processes. We apologise for any inconvenience this has caused to our customer."

Rosvall said the onus of reporting each transactions had fallen on her and Suncorp had neither apologised nor acknowledged her for her efforts.

"I feel like someone is trying to taunt me with it," Rosvall told the Courier-Mail.

"They said they investigated it and after a while they said someone had stuffed up and promised it wouldn't happen again.

"At first, all I wanted was a thank you and the second time I got angry. This can't keep happening. They haven't even offered a thank you."

Rosvall said when she first incorrectly received funds she did not know where it had come from because it was marked "credit".

She said a few scenarios crossed her mind, including a possible inheritance, when she saw how much was in her account.

"I thought it might have been an inheritance or something, I just didn't know. I took $100 to make sure it was real and then I contacted the bank," she said.

Rosvall, who is on medication for a back complaint, said she handled the initial incorrect deposit but her sister stepped in to assist in May and with the two on Monday. She said her sister had to approach the Ombudsman on Monday after Suncorp refused to deal with her because she was not the account holder.

"They told me the first and second times it wouldn't happen again. They said legally they could not talk about this," Rosvall said.

A spokesman for John Dee confirmed a payment was made on Thursday to a longstanding creditor, who banks with Suncorp, and their details had not changed.

When the Courier-Mail contacted Warmoll Foods, a spokesman said "no one is aware of any of this, so there's not much comment we can make on it".

Payment timeline

• July 2016: $100,000 (credit)
• May 2017: 137,156.64, (from Warmoll Foods)
• August: 2017: $149, 218.07 (Warmoll Foods)
• August 2017: $246,915.12 (John Dee)
• Total: $633,289.83