As most payments are nearly instantaneous, banks take extra measures to prevent accidental or fraudulent payments. Many banks are also increasing their fraud awareness amongst their customers in light of increased scams and fraudulent payments.
Why is my bank saying my payment to Birchal could be a scam?
If you are seeing a warning from your bank when paying for a Birchal investment, it is likely because the payment is to a new or unfamiliar payee. Banks often issue warnings for payments to new or unfamiliar payees, as this could be a sign of fraud.
When you pay by bank transfer, we issue you a unique BSB and account number which are ‘virtual’ accounts. These virtual bank accounts are unique to your Birchal account and will not have received a transfer if you have never paid for an investment before via bank transfer.
If you are unsure why you are seeing a warning from your bank, you can contact your bank directly to inquire.
However, if you are confident that you are paying the correct account number and BSB, you can safely proceed with the payment.
Example Scenario
Ash is about to invest for the first time in a CSF offer campaign. After submitting her investment application, she decides to pay by bank transfer.
She takes note of the BSB and account number shown to her on the payment screen on the Birchal website. She then heads over to her bank's mobile app to make the payment.
Before she can finalise the payment, the app shows her a warning stating that the BSB and account number are new and unrecognised by her bank.
Ash returned to the Birchal website and double-checked that the BSB and account number she entered in her bank's app matched what she saw on the Birchal website. She also confirmed that the company name listed in the payment details was "Zai Australia Pty Ltd" (Birchal's payment provider).
Ash proceeds with the payment and the payment is automatically applied to her investment a few days later.
What can I do if my bank warns me about a payment to Birchal?
Make sure that you are paying the correct account number and BSB. This information can be found on the Birchal website.
Proceed with the payment if you are certain that the details are correct. Your bank will provide a button or a prompt below the warning message to allow you to proceed.
If you cannot proceed, contact your bank to see if they can whitelist the Birchal account.
Try again using a different bank.
If you have any questions or concerns about paying for your investment, please do not hesitate to contact us by emailing [email protected] or by clicking on the chat widget on the bottom-right.