avant credit card fraud getting nowhere

[mikeyblue]

In Novemeber 2024 i received a call from the Avant Card fraud team informing me that my credit card had been compromised and over €4k had been taken from it, over a wide number of transactions across both the US , the UK and Ireland. I confirmed that i did not use my credit card and that i rarely use it.
I did receive a text from apple pay after midnight one night stating that i had "successfully activated apple pay" , when i woke up the next morning i just presumed it was spam so ignored it (as i do with all suspected spam!).

Avant asked me to send them any texts or messages i received which i duly did. Following a number of calls they agreed to take off the payments from my credit card as they were nothing to do with me and i was happy to leave them at it and move on.
In early January 2025 i received a call from Avant chasing a payment , i was confused as i understood they had removed the theft/fraud from my account given it was their security infrastructrure which was compromised. To my horror they added it back in December without informing me.

I had many calls where i tried to speak to superiors etc but to no avail and i was then directed to talk to the ombudsman, whom i had to write to and then wait 10/12 weeks for a response. Avant had put forward a case that i had activated Apple Pay , however on investigation it became apparent that they were aware that they had sent the One time PassCode (OTP) to a different number (ie the scammer who had breached their security infrastructure).

I am receiving monthly interest bills for the c. €4.5k that has been added to my credit card and they will impact my credit rating if i dont continue to pay, its an absolutely crazy scenario. The ombudsman was very nice however their powers were extremely weak and as they said themselves "all we can really do is pass on the message, we are more of a communication line between the parties".

I have now gone to the Gardai and have given a statement (got myself a Pulse report number), i had a call from them and they confirmed that they have received a number of similar complaints about Avant since. I would suggest if anyone has had a similar experience that they contact Enniskerry garda station who seem to be leading the investigation into Avant.

 

[ClubMan]

The ombudsman was very nice however their powers were extremely weak and as they said themselves "all we can really do is pass on the message, we are more of a communication line between the parties".

That doesn't sound right. For example, search for Banking/Consumer Credit/Disputed Transactions/Upheld here:

Legally Binding Decisions of the Ombudsman | Financial Services and Pensions Ombudsman

FSPO is an independent, fair and impartial service that helps resolve complaints against regulated financial service providers and pension providers.

www.fspo.ie

Compensation and other redress | Complaint outcomes | Financial Services and Pensions Ombudsman

FSPO is an independent, fair and impartial service that helps resolve complaints against regulated financial service providers and pension providers.

www.fspo.ie

The Ombudsman may direct the provider to pay compensation to the complainant or may direct the provider to rectify or fix the issue.

There is no limit to the value the Ombudsman can direct, to fix or correct an issue.

Did you actually make a formal complaint to Avant, get a final response if they rejected the complaint, and then log a formal complaint with the FSPO?

 

[Brendan Burgess]

I confirmed that i did not use my credit card and that i rarely use it.

Why do you have a credit card that you rarely use?

This underlines the risk.

I suspect that the fault is at your end and not at Avant's.

In Novemeber 2024 i received a call from the Avant Card fraud team informing me that my credit card had been compromised and over €4k had been taken from it, over a wide number of transactions across both the US , the UK and Ireland. I confirmed that i did not use my credit card and that i rarely use it.
I did receive a text from apple pay after midnight one night stating that i had "successfully activated apple pay" , when i woke up the next morning i just presumed it was spam so ignored it (as i do with all suspected spam!).

Avant asked me to send them any texts or messages i received which i duly did. Following a number of calls they agreed to take off the payments from my credit card as they were nothing to do with me and i was happy to leave them at it and move on.
In early January 2025 i received a call from Avant chasing a payment , i was confused as i understood they had removed the theft/fraud from my account given it was their security infrastructrure which was compromised. To my horror they added it back in December without informing me.

I very much doubt that the Ombudsman told you that they were only a communication line between the parties. And they have very strong powers.

I experimented with trying to add someone else's card to Apple Pay with their knowledge but without their consent. I couldn't do it.

I suspect you approved the addition of the card unwittingly.

 

[Brendan Burgess]

Key Post - Can a fraudster add my debit card to their Apple Pay?

This comes up a lot in the complaints that someone doesn't use Apple Pay yet their card was used via Apple Pay in another country. This thread is very specific. It is not about people having their phone stolen and the thief accessing their credit cards. In the next post, I will set out the...

www.askaboutmoney.com

 

[Brendan Burgess]

Avant had put forward a case that i had activated Apple Pay , however on investigation it became apparent that they were aware that they had sent the One time PassCode (OTP) to a different number (ie the scammer who had breached their security infrastructure).

I have now gone to the Gardai and have given a statement (got myself a Pulse report number), i had a call from them and they confirmed that they have received a number of similar complaints about Avant since. I would suggest if anyone has had a similar experience that they contact Enniskerry garda station who seem to be leading the investigation into Avant.

so you are alleging that Avant has had their security compromised?

And that the Gardai in Enniskerry are leading the investigation into it?

If Avant's security had been compromised, they would be obliged to inform the Central Bank. They would not be disputing €4k transactions.

And, while I have every respect for the Gardai in Enniskerry, I suspect that probing the security of Avant's IT system would be above their paygrade. They would refer it to the Fraud Squad.

 

[mikeyblue]

Avant

Did you actually make a formal complaint to Avant, get a final response if they rejected the complaint, and then log a formal complaint with the FSPO?

Hi Clubman, yes I made a formal complaint , you are not able to proceed with the the ombudsman without a "final response letter", so of course I received same before opening the case. I appreciate you might be as shocked as I was that the ombudsman was toothless but it's what happened unfortunately.

 

[ClubMan]

I appreciate you might be as shocked as I was that the ombudsman was toothless but it's what happened unfortunately.

Sorry, I find it very difficult to believe that they said this:

The ombudsman was very nice however their powers were extremely weak and as they said themselves "all we can really do is pass on the message, we are more of a communication line between the parties".

And it's patently untrue to say that their powers are extremely weak.

What was the official outcome of your FSPO case?
If they didn't find in your favour there is probably a good reason for that.
What reason did they give?

 

[mikeyblue]

they

I very much doubt that the Ombudsman told you that they were only a communication line between the parties. And they have very strong powers.

I experimented with trying to add someone else's card to A without their consent. I couldn't do it.

I suspect you approved the addition of the card unwittingly.

Thanks for your reply Brendan. Re the ombudsman's role and responsibilities, the process seems to be broken into two parts 1) an informal mediation which is what I went through (it's a 12 week process) then if you are unhappy with the outcome/offer made you have the right to proceed to a full investigation which can take over two years. Apologies if I did not explain that clearly. I am happy to share the standard letter they sent to me.
I acknowledge that you suspect I used the card unwittingly , I categorically did not. If that was the case I would accept it and move on. They have acknowledged that they sent the OTP to another mobile phone , which to me suggests that their IT security has been compromised somehow.
A friend of my in the fraud squad advised me to get a pulse number and I went to my local Garda station in Co Wicklow who took my statements etc and he said there is a particular Garda attached to Enniskerry Garda station who is very strong on such matters and he was going to pass the file across to him. A number of weeks later I received a call from the Garda whom I gave the statement to and he said they have since received other similar cases Avantcard fraud.
I am merely raising awareness around the issue, I am a qualified accountant and pretty switched on and was very unhappy with how avant played the game , they pushed a narrative (similar to yours ) that I had unwittingly clicked on something and that I had received a OTP. It was only after a lot of digging it came to light that the OTP was sent to a different number to mine. If I had clicked on something I would like to see proof or some supporting evidence before handing over the €4.5k to them to cover their losses.
It does appear that avant have updated their security policies to make them a lot stronger in April 2025 which is good to see.
I felt it was a story worth sharing for others who may be on a similar situation. Regards

Why do you have a credit card that you rarely use?

This underlines the risk.

I suspect that the fault is at your end and not at Avant's.

I have a number of credit cards Brendan, I have a Visa and Mastercard. I tend to use my AIB visa more so , for 90% of my transactions I use a debit card.
I don't believe it's fair to say that the fault is at my end but appreciate your opinion.

Sorry, I just don't believe that they said this:

very little I can do about your belief system Clubman. Not sure your comment is helpful but thanks for your opinion on my integrity .

And it's patently untrue to say that their powers are extremely weak.

What was the official outcome of your FSPO case?
If they didn't find in your favour there is probably a good reason for that.
What reason did they give?

Perhaps before commenting negatively on every post you might inform yourself a little better. The FSPO process is a mediation process at stage 1 , then there is a c.2 year investigation process if one wishes to proceed . FSPO do not make findings at stage 1. They spoke with Avant and reverted with an offer that was not acceptable to me. I appreciate you are taking an adverse viewpoint on the matter . I am merely attempting to highlight the issue for others who may be affected.

 

[ClubMan]

Perhaps before commenting negatively on every post you might inform yourself a little better.

This is simply not true.

The ombudsman was very nice however their powers were extremely weak

Re the ombudsman's role and responsibilities, the process seems to be broken into two parts 1) an informal mediation which is what I went through (it's a 12 week process) then if you are unhappy with the outcome/offer made you have the right to proceed to a full investigation which can take over two years.

The FSPO process is a mediation process at stage 1 , then there is a c.2 year investigation process if one wishes to proceed .

Why didn't you proceed to stage 2?

 

[Brendan Burgess]

You are making extraordinary claims, so you will be challenged intensively on them.

You say you are switched on but you say that the Ombudsman is toothless or has told you that they are toothless. They are not toothless. They are slow but not toothless. If you are telling us the full story. You did nothing wrong. Avant has a security issue. They sent a code for your card to a complete stranger. Then it's a slam dunk. It wouldn't even have gotten to the Ombudsman. Avant would have solved this directly with you. Cancelled the charges. Reported the security breach to the Central Bank and fixed the problem for others who were impacted.

If Avant is acting in bad faith on this, the mediator would/should have told his boss who would have notified the Central Bank of this scandal. Avant could lose their license over it. It's not a trivial matter.

The fact that it will take the Ombudsman 2 years to adjudicate your complaint does not mean that they are toothless. You should proceed with the formal complaint now to adjudication, which of course, you will win. You have concrete evidence that this affects others as well as you have a Garda report on the matter.

But at the same time you should send it to the Central Bank. They will be appalled at Avant's total disregard for the law and Codes of Conduct and will investigate them and tell them to sort it out. they will also impose a huge fine on Avant and probably ban some senior staff from working in financial services... if what you say is true.

 

[Brendan Burgess]

The Garda in Enniskerry should now be sending all his files on this to the Fraud Squad. They can't pursue every claim but given that this is a systematic issue with many affected , they should be working with Avant to catch these guys.

 

[Brendan Burgess]

But you have to pardon us for being so sceptical.

Extraordinary claims need extraordinary proof.

I, for one, don't believe that you are telling the full story.

But I am prepared to be corrected and look forward to reading the reports in the papers in a few years when the Central Bank imposes a huge fine on Avant for what you allege.

 

[mikeyblue]

Why didn't you proceed to stage 2?

I am considering my options regarding that at present, two years is a long time to wait. I am a busy self employed accountant with a young family - so I'm weighing up my options .

You are making extraordinary claims, so you will be challenged intensively on them.

You say you are switched on but you say that the Ombudsman is toothless or has told you that they are toothless. They are not toothless. They are slow but not toothless. If you are telling us the full story. You did nothing wrong. Avant has a security issue. They sent a code for your card to a complete stranger. Then it's a slam dunk. It wouldn't even have gotten to the Ombudsman. Avant would have solved this directly with you. Cancelled the charges. Reported the security breach to the Central Bank and fixed the problem for others who were impacted.

If Avant is acting in bad faith on this, the mediator would/should have told his boss who would have notified the Central Bank of this scandal. Avant could lose their license over it. It's not a trivial matter.

The fact that it will take the Ombudsman 2 years to adjudicate your complaint does not mean that they are toothless. You should proceed with the formal complaint now to adjudication, which of course, you will win. You have concrete evidence that this affects others as well as you have a Garda report on the matter.

But at the same time you should send it to the Central Bank. They will be appalled at Avant's total disregard for the law and Codes of Conduct and will investigate them and tell them to sort it out. they will also impose a huge fine on Avant and probably ban some senior staff from working in financial services... if what you say is true.

Like yourself I am astonished that this matter was not put to bed by them immediately.
thanks for the guidance - I will give that serious thought. I am fortunate enough that the sums involved are not going to break me so will decide if it's worth the grief (as you said they won't go down easy). In terms of the burden of proof - it's a very tricky one - I have no way of proving I didn't clock on anything and they have no way of proving I did (at least the have not showed me any proof of same to date).

But you have to pardon us for being so sceptical.

Extraordinary claims need extraordinary proof.

I, for one, don't believe that you are telling the full story.

But I am prepared to be corrected and look forward to reading the reports in the papers in a few years when the Central Bank imposes a huge fine on Avant for what you

 

[Dr Strangelove]

I have a number of credit cards Brendan, I have a Visa and Mastercard. I tend to use my AIB visa more so ,

Nobody needs more than one credit card.

I find it very odd that you have several credit cards that you are paying €30 stamp duty on each year even though you don’t use them very much.

You should move to freeze cards while they are inactive (not sure if this is possible with AIB but it is with Avant) and reduce credit limits. Turn on app updates as well for every transaction. There is no downside to this.

If you can afford it pay off the balance today. It won’t prejudice your claim with the FPSO and if you are unsuccessful you will save a lot in interest over the next year or two.

 

[Persia]

I am considering my options regarding that at present, two years is a long time to wait. I am a busy self employed accountant with a young family - so I'm weighing up my options .

There really isn't a lot to it, I've taken two successful cases to the Ombudsman. It will take an hour to summarise your case succinctly, leave out spurious noise and emotion.

Once you've submitted it, its a waiting game, if he proceeds with your claim then you will have intermittent interaction with the case worker.

Theres not a lot of heavy lifting required, if you don't do it they you're letting yourself down and failing to protect others who may experience similar issues in the future.

 

[S class]

You should move to freeze cards while they are inactive (not sure if this is possible with AIB

Yes it's possible with AIB.

 

[MrEarl]

I'm amazed that you didn't have the Avant app installed on your phone and we're keeping an eye on it, particularly after the initial call from Avant.

I'm also amazed that you weren't watching your statements, even if only from when you received the first call from Avant.

If it were me, I'd be on "high alert" after that first call with Avant, so watching things very carefully, for the next few months.

As an aside, I've had my own experience with Avant and a fraud, and found them good to deal with.

Seperately, I've also made complaints to The ombudsman on matters relating to another institution and while matters took an extremely long time to resolve, my experience was that they were far more professional, helpful and capable than you've described.

If I were you, where you find yourself now, I'd pay off the amount in full, while sending a registered letter to Avant to note that tone only paid it to stop the high interest accruing, but that you continue to dispute the debt. I would then engage a solicitor to take an immediate action against Avant, if I really felt that this wasn't my fault (although I think you may struggle to win it).

 

[Fortune]

I've had my own experience with Avant and a fraud, and found them good to deal with.

A few years back I got a call from their fraud department telling me they'd spotted some fraudulent transactions, cancelled my card and we're sending a new one. No messing, little effect on me (I could last a couple of days without the credit card).

 

[Dr Strangelove]

I’m a customer and I got a call from them last week checking about a transaction.

It was a legitimate transaction but outside my usual spending patterns.

I was reassured.

 

[S class]

I use avantcard everyday to make use of the cashback.
I get alerts for every transaction. I also keep a regular check on the app to check if I have sufficient credit balance.

I have been contacted a few times by avantcard for security checks.

I have the card since the takeover of Tesco Bank.

Their service is excellent and the security has never been a cause for concern.

I have various other debit cards which I occasionally use.
As suggested by @Dr Strangelove , I keep these cards frozen.