EXCLUSIVE: MariBank customer fights ₱34k debit dispute, says “Pinaghirapan ko po ’yun”

An account holder brings case to BSP over alleged unauthorized transaction.

The MariBank customer who was allegedly wrongly charged a total of more than ₱34,000 is refusing to back down after his debit account was hit with what he described as “unauthorized transaction.”

The 23-year-old customer disputing the transaction, who works in outbound and cold-calling sales from home, told radar Business he has already escalated the case to the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) and secured a case reference number while continuing to dispute the missing funds.

Bank’s denial

MariBank initially closed and denied the dispute case, saying the transaction was a valid card-present payment at a hotel in India, implying the physical debit card was used on-site. The customer disputed this, saying it was not possible, as he had his debit card with him in Davao City at the time and had not traveled abroad.

But a day after radar first reported on the issue in late April, the account holder said MariBank reached out to him and said the dispute was still open and that investigations were ongoing.

The account holder, who asked that his identity be withheld from the public but has shown proof of the amount charged on his account, told radar: “I will never accept it talaga po na ‘di maibalik ‘yung pera kasi pinaghirapan ko po ‘yun.”

The total amount allegedly charged reached ₱34,499.34. However, the bank’s dispute details listed only ₱33,822.88, causing confusion over the reported amount involved.

Reached out after post went viral

After his experience went viral on social media, he said other MariBank users reportedly reached out to him with similar stories involving unauthorized transactions. However, the amounts varied from case to case.

The customer also pushed back against claims that he was only ruining MariBank’s reputation after Forbes recently ranked it the best bank nationwide this year, saying he has nothing to gain from speaking out and that all he wants is his money back, nothing more.

The BSP previously advised the complainant to continue providing updates regarding the case as investigations and dispute processes develop.

 

 

‘Pinaghirapan ko po ’yun.’ A MariBank customer fights a ₱34K unauthorized charge that allegedly occurred in India while he was in Davao.