A Perth engineer, Mark Bossong, is frustrated by his bank's inability to stop unauthorized direct debits, resulting in the loss of $60,000 from his business accounts. Since December 2025, Bossong's engineering business has been hit with 60 unauthorized direct debits, totaling around $60,000. When he contacted his bank, ANZ, the transactions were reversed and refunded, but the bank claimed it couldn't prevent further unauthorized debits. Despite the fact that none of the debits were authorized by Bossong or his staff, the bank suggested closing the accounts as the only solution. Bossong believes this is a structural issue with the direct debit system, as some of the debits were traced to a company handling gym membership payments. He argues that people should be able to share their bank account details with confidence that banks can prevent unauthorized withdrawals. Bossong plans to switch to another bank for better communication and local support, but he believes a systemic change is needed to address this issue. The Australian Financial Complaints Authority (AFCA) has seen an increase in direct debit-related complaints, highlighting the growing concern among consumers.
