Bank to reimburse woman $30,000 after phone scam incident

A woman will be reimbursed $30,000 after falling victim to a scammer who impersonated her bank. The scammer spoofed the bank's phone number and convinced her to share security codes, leading to unauthorized transactions. The Banking Ombudsman found that the woman acted reasonably by verifying the caller's number. The bank initially refused to reimburse her, citing a breach of terms, but later agreed to cover the full amount plus an additional $1,000 for delays. This case highlights the rise of bank impersonation scams, which now account for nearly a quarter of all fraud cases reported this financial year. The Ombudsman noted that better handling of fraud reports could have prevented the loss.