*****ulent Credit Card Transaction Mishandled – Discovery Bank

I am submitting a formal complaint regarding Discovery Bank’s handling of a clear case of credit card *****, which has resulted in financial prejudice, significant stress over the festive season, and ongoing inconvenience. On 9 December 2025 at approximately 23h00, a *****ulent credit card transaction of R29,997.00 was processed on my Discovery credit card at Game Westville, a store I have never visited. At the time of this transaction, I was at OR Tambo International Airport, preparing to board an international flight to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, making it impossible for me to have authorised or performed this purchase. Earlier that evening, at approximately 22h42, I received a call from the Discovery Customer Care Centre (+***1), placed to my wife’s number listed as a secondary contact on my profile. The caller claimed there was an emergency regarding my account and initially referenced a transaction at GrandWest Casino, which later proved inconsistent with the transaction that appeared on my account. The agent demonstrated access to extensive personal and card-related information, which is deeply concerning, and instructed me to follow prompts on the Discovery app to supposedly cancel the transaction. Shortly after this call, I checked my Discovery app and identified a pending transaction at Game Westville for R29,997.00. I immediately cancelled my card and contacted Discovery’s ***** line, where a case was opened under ***** Case ***. Discovery initially reversed the *****ulent transaction. However, without any notification, explanation, or documented outcome of the investigation, the amount was subsequently re-debited to my credit card account. I only became aware of this upon reviewing my account. When I contacted Discovery again on 26 January 2026, I was verbally informed that “the merchant has the right to deny the reversal of funds” and that my ***** claim had been denied and the case closed. No written communication, investigation report, or justification was provided. As this is a credit card transaction, the amount of R29,997.00 remains outstanding, meaning I am being held financially liable for a transaction I did not authorise or perform. This situation caused significant stress over the festive season and has been exacerbated by poor communication and lack of transparency, particularly given that I reside outside of South Africa. Discovery has also failed to provide any explanation as to how *****sters obtained my card details and PIN, or how a call appearing to originate from a legitimate Discovery number had access to such sensitive personal and account information. I expect: • A full refund of the *****ulent transaction • A clear written explanation of the investigation outcome • The reopening of the ***** investigation, with proper transparency and accountability The handling of this matter has fallen far short of what I would expect from a bank positioning itself as a trusted financial institution.