An Australian has won a consumer protection case against Krung Thai Bank (KTB) for deducting money from his account for a debit-card transaction it knew he did not make.
The civil court ordered KTB to pay Jeffrey G. Allen, an Australian living in Thailand, 120,533.50 baht plus 7.5% interest per year, the amount that the bank charged Mr Allen.
The government-owned bank, the second-largest in Thailand, must also pay the same amount in damages to Mr Allen as well as another 5,000 baht in court fees. Altogether, the bank has to pay 245,956.46 baht.
Mr Allen discovered back in September that money from his deposit account had been mysteriously used to purchase goods in the United States.
Mr Allen's lawyer said the debit card must be signed by the cardholder and during the time in question, Mr Allen did not travel outside Thailand.
A KTB representative said an investigation by the bank showed the purchases in question were not extraordinary and were not illegal transactions.
The court, however, said the defendant lacked sufficient evidence such as a receipt or signature, so deducting the funds from the account was unfair to the customer.
Mr Allen said he was glad he had received justice and that bank should treat customers better.