Commonwealth Bank couple’s ‘missing $90K’: Family of Melbourne pair hit out over bank record debacle

The family of a young couple who lost $90,000 in a bank transfer they say failed 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 held in an account at the Commonwealth Bank.

The pair had saved the money to buy a plot of land in Yarrawonga, a small town near the NSW-Victoria border.

The Melbourne couple came forward this week and said that after they tried to transfer $90,000 from their CBA account to a Bank of Melbourne account, the money bounced back before disappearing altogether.

But the bank’s version is completely different, with the institution claiming that the couple never had the money and that the receipts and account numbers don’t match.

Daily Mail Australia can reveal that Ms Houston’s sister, Tori Lancaster, has now defended the couple, claiming the misunderstanding is due to their account somehow being deleted.

“It’s that simple: the money was in their account according to the transaction details. The money has been taken and the bill has been deleted, I can’t see it anymore,” she said.

‘That’s why their receipts and statements don’t match those of the Commonwealth Bank.

“There is no malice involved and they have worked 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 shared her story to the group weeks before and then deleted the post.

Ms Lancaster said her sister was never in the group and never posted about the debacle.

“Next time it could be your mother, sister or daughter, so pull your head in,” said Ms Lancaster.

However, bank sources suggested Ms Lancaster may be mistaken.

Daily Mail Australia has been told that the bank can still see historical bank account records even after an account has been closed.

It is not implied that the couple did anything wrong, only that something went wrong somewhere along the way.

Ms Lancaster said her sister and her fiancé had worked hard for years to save money for their property

The debacle began on June 30 when the couple claimed they transferred $90,000 from their account, which totaled $96,000, to a Bank of Melbourne account.

Ms Houston said the money was returned days later on July 4.

That same day, the couple tried to transfer the money again. They flew to Bali on July 5 for a vacation.

Ms Houston said the money was returned for a second time on July 7 and because they were in Bali they couldn’t transfer the money internationally.

They returned from Bali on July 20 and went directly to a Commonwealth Bank branch to resolve the matter.

But they claimed that after entering the branch, they were told that they only had 75 cents in their account.

A spokesperson for the Commonwealth Bank (CBA) said it had investigated the claims and had since told Mr Murphy that the receipt numbers he provided ‘do not appear in the CBA records’. The bank also said the couple has 75 cents in their account, not $90,000

The Commonwealth Bank has claimed that the couple never had $90,000 in their bank account.

In a letter to the couple, the bank said that on the dates they allegedly tried to transfer the money, there was only 75 cents in their bank account.

The highest balance in their account was $10,400 in July last year, the bank added.

CBA said they thoroughly checked their details and the screenshots of their accounts and money being transferred, but said they did not match.

“CBA confirms that the screenshots do not match CBA’s records of your accounts or the balance on your accounts,” the bank’s letter read.

“No transactions of $90,000 were attempted on June 30 and July 4.”

A CBA spokesperson added: “Upon examination of the images of the receipts provided, the documents differ from genuine CBA receipts and the receipt numbers do not appear in CBA’s records.”

Another complication is that the money 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 money to other CBA accounts.

“The account from which the transfers allegedly occurred is a NetBank Saver that only allows transfers to another CBA account and is unable to process transfers to another financial institution,” said a spokesman for the CBA.

The debacle began on June 30 when the couple claimed they transferred $90,000 from their account totaling $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 had taken the day off to sit in a bank employee’s office in hopes of finding the deposit.

“We were visibly upset because we had lost so much money,” she told the radio show.

“They asked us if we got a ransom because we were so upset. This was a whole day, then it took them five weeks to come up with an answer.’

The couple said they waited five weeks for a response from CBA, with the bank including a link to Beyond Blue, a suicide prevention hotline.

“They said, ‘We’re really sorry, we’re still looking into this, here are some links if you need help,'” she recalled.

The couple has had to increase the amount of their existing loan to keep the land.

“My partner and I have been together since we were 15 years old, we saved for this land for so long and our goal was always to pay it off before we put a house on it so we could then travel,” she said . .

“It feels like everything has been taken from under us.”

The Bank of Melbourne declined to comment. Ms. Houston and Mr. Murphy were contacted for comment.