The family of a young couple who lost $90,000 in what they say was a failed bank transfer have now claimed their account has been mysteriously deleted.
Questions have been raised about how Elli Houston, 21, and her fiancé Trae Murphy, 23, lost the large sum of money they believe was in an account with Commonwealth Bank.
The pair had been saving money to buy land in Yarrawonga, a small town near the New South Wales-Victoria border.
The Melbourne couple came forward this week to say that after trying to transfer $90,000 from their CBA account to a Bank of Melbourne account, the money bounced back before disappearing completely.
But the bank’s version of events is entirely different, with the institution saying the couple never had the money to begin with and the receipts and account numbers don’t match.
Daily Mail Australia can reveal Ms Houston’s sister Tori Lancaster has now defended the couple, saying the misunderstanding is due to their account being deleted.
Questions have been raised about how Elli Houston, 21, and her fiancé Trae Murphy, 23, lost the large sum of money they believe was in an account with Commonwealth Bank.
“It’s as simple as that, the money was in their account according to the transaction records. The money was taken and the account deleted, gone, I can’t see it,” she said.
“That’s why their receipts and statements don’t match those of the Commonwealth Bank.
“There was no foul play and they have been working hard for years.”
Ms Lancaster’s comment came after another Facebook user questioned the couple’s claims in a community group.
She claimed Ms Houston had shared her story in the group weeks before, only to later delete the post.
Ms Lancaster said her sister was never in the group and never spoke about the debacle.
“Next time it could be your mum, sister or daughter, so tuck your head in,” Ms Lancaster said.
However, banking sources suggest Ms Lancaster could be wrong.
Daily Mail Australia has learned that the bank can still view historical bank account data even after an account is closed.
It’s not suggested the couple did anything wrong – just that something happened somewhere along the way.
Ms Lancaster said her sister and her fiance had worked hard for years to save money for their property.
The debacle began on June 30 when the couple claim to have transferred $90,000 from their account which held a total of $96,000 to a Bank of Melbourne account.
Ms Houston said the silver bounced back a few days later on July 4.
On the same day, the couple tried again to transfer the money. They flew to Bali on July 5 for vacation.
Ms Houston said the money bounced a second time on July 7 and as they were in Bali they were unable to transfer the money internationally.
They returned from Bali on July 20 and went straight to a Commonwealth Bank branch to settle the matter.
But they claimed that after entering the branch they were told they only had 75 cents in their account.
A Commonwealth Bank (CBA) spokesperson said it had investigated the claims and had since told Mr Murphy that the receipt numbers he provided ‘do not exist in the CBA’s records “. The bank also said the couple had 75 cents in their account, not $90,000.
Commonwealth Bank claimed the couple never had $90,000 in their bank account.
In a letter sent to the couple, the bank said that on the dates they allegedly attempted to transfer the money, their bank account only contained 75c.
Their highest account balance was $10,400 in July last year, the bank added.
CBA said they conducted a thorough review of their records and the screenshots provided of the two accounts and the money transferred, but said they did not match.
“CBA confirms that the screenshots do not match your account records or the balance held in your accounts,” the bank’s letter reads.
“No $90,000 trades were attempted on either June 30 or July 4.”
An ABC spokesperson added: “Upon review of the images of the receipts provided, the documents differ from the actual ABC receipts and the receipt numbers do not exist in the ABC’s records.
Another complication is that funds allegedly sent from the couple’s bank account could not have been transferred directly to the Bank of Melbourne.
This is because the money was in a NetBank savings account which can only transfer funds to other CBA accounts.
“The account from which the transfers allegedly took place is a NetBank Saver which only allows transfers to another CBA account and is not able to process transfers to another financial institution,” a holder said. word of the CBA.
The debacle began on June 30 when the couple claim to have transferred $90,000 from their account which held a total of $96,000 to a Bank of Melbourne account.
Ms Houston tearfully explained the debacle to 3AW’s Neil Mitchell, adding that she and her partner took the day off to sit in a bank clerk’s office in the hope of finding the deposit.
“We were visibly distressed because we had lost so much money,” she told the radio show.
“They asked us if we were being held for ransom because we were very upset. It lasted a full day, and then they took five weeks to come back with an answer.
The couple said they waited five weeks for a response from the CBA, with the bank including a link to Beyond Blue, a suicide prevention hotline.
“They said ‘we’re really sorry, we’re still investigating this case, here are some links if you need any help,'” she recalled.
The couple had to increase the amount of their existing loan to keep the land.
“My partner and I have been together since we were 15, we saved for so long for this land and our goal was always to pay it back before we built a house on it so we could travel afterwards,” he said. she declared. .
“It’s like everything has been taken away from us.”
The Bank of Melbourne declined to comment. Ms. Houston and Mr. Murphy have been contacted for comment.
