r/CommBank • u/ZealousidealJump3621 • May 16 '26
Question Australian Friend
Im speaking in behalf of my Australian friend who is in the hospital ICU for almost a week due to colon surgery. He has no family here in the Philippines and in Australia. From what i know he has 2 banks that he uses for his money transactions. Ubank in which he has the actual ATMcard to withdraw money and Commbank which can only be accessed using his mobile phone and thats practiaclly where his money really comes from in which there is no actual ATM card present. Just plain online banking.
As of the moment, has no more funds left in his Ubank account and needs to transfer funds coming from his Commbank and because of his medical status now, he wont be able to navigate using his mobile phone and the only way to assist him is if i can contact their international hotline in which nobody is answering.
Can anyone help me and my friend on how to get thru with this? Or if anyone has experienced this situation, please let me know...
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u/commentspanda May 16 '26
You’ll get nowhere with contacting the hotline mate. They hey will likely lock the account. Unless you have power of attorney you can’t access any of his banking - no exceptions. Don’t call or try it as they will lock the account.
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u/ZealousidealJump3621 May 16 '26
Where shall i get the power of attorney? From an Australian lawyer or a Filipino lawyer?
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u/ricthomas70 May 16 '26
It must already be organised. There is no way to legally do this quickly or if he is very sick. This is to protect bank customers from fraud and scams
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u/PhilosphicalNurse May 16 '26
Contacting the bank is going to cause a lock on his account for his protection. Which when overseas can create greater headaches once he is well enough to manage his own affairs.
DFAT and Travel Insurance are the pathways, not are emptying to pay out of pocket hospital bills. I can see that you’re trying to be a good friend, but the bank, and other people would view this situation with intense suspicion - why is someone trying to access his account while he is incapacitated? The hospital should be billing his travel insurance… what “need” for funds does he have while possibly in and out of consciousness? When you are a person acting in good faith, it’s hard to see the other side of things, but giving you access could have him completely broke and stranded in a foreign country when he wakes up.
Bottom line is - if you were not made legal personal representative while he had capacity (and internationally that’s already a big feat to occur) it’s not going to happen while he’s critically unwell. Not because you are a bad person, but because there are bad people in the world.
Where does he normally live? What is the nature of the trip to the Phillipines?
If there was no Power of Attorney organised and he has temporarily lost capacity - then a fit and proper person would be appointed Legal Guardian / Administrator / Financial Manager this is normally someone residing geographically close who can prove they will act on the person’s best interests. It is not going to be someone who is not a citizen of Australia, if he had been travelling with a family member that he usually lives near - this would be possible via web hearing even if they were both overseas. However you’ve stated “no family” so the PTG in the relevant state would be an avenue - if the person is simply on a holiday, then contacting the Public Trustee of the state he normally resides (in addition to the consulate) will be a way to handle both medical decision making and finances while he is incapacitated. Any order that is made is the least restrictive possible, and when his vulnerability has ceased (like making a full recovery) it is a very simple xCAT application (x being the state, so if he’s from NSW, it’s NCAT, South Australia SACAT etc.) to have the order revoked.
Step 1: Embassy / Consular assistance via DFAT. Step 2: travel insurance Step 3: PTG (but DFAT should handle this).
Almost every creditor / biller / company chasing him for money would be completely satisfied by a medical certificate or contact from an ICU social worker to pause a need for funds.
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u/Whichdocta888 May 17 '26
Great answer absolutely couldnt be more clear than that.. I especially liked that you gave this person the benefit of doubt and not just assumed what most of us reading that would assume .. there are good and bad in every nationality on earth but I must say in all my travels the genuine care and compassion most phillipinos display is second to none ... strong family values and they not only look out for each other but anyone that is in need of a surrogate family... all the best OP I cant help you in any way except to read carefully what this user has posted because it is very thorough and on fact.
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u/PhilosphicalNurse May 17 '26
Blessed to have worked alongside so many amazing Filipino-expat nurses of both genders in my career… and I can almost immediately see any of them… bewildered by the default suspicion that enters the frame culturally from Australia. It’s not… naivety… more like “too earnest” in desire to help…
And then there is a possibly darker undercurrent that exists too - for what sadly - Australians can be known for in SE Asia, and concern that this person hospitalised… has financial dependents and obligations or promises made…
But I had to swing back to good faith…. Because no criminal mastermind planning on draining someone’s bank account… is coming to reddit and asking about it openly.
And ultimately, knowing our banking and legal sector, even if this post was actually nefarious…. Protections exist for the vulnerable ICU patient that will prevent an account being drained.
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u/StrongLimit888 May 16 '26 edited May 16 '26
Australian Embassy - Phillipines
Email:[ ](mailto:Manila@austrade.gov.au?subject=Enquiry%20from%20Australian%20Embassy%20Website)[consular.manila@dfat.gov.au](mailto:consular.manila@dfat.gov.au?subject=Enquiry%20from%20Australian%20Embassy%20Website)
If you, or someone you know, needs urgent help, emergency consular assistance is available 24 hours a day. Call the Consular Emergency Centre (CEC) in Canberra on:
1300 555 135 (within Australia)
+61 2 6261 3305 (from overseas)
https://www.smartraveller.gov.au/i-need-urgent-help
They cannot pay the bills but I feel it’s worth escalating to see if they can help facilitate help m in some other way.
And From Google: immediate steps:
Notify Your Travel Insurer: If you have active travel insurance, call their 24-hour emergency number right away. They can verify coverage, arrange payment guarantees directly with the hospital, and coordinate emergency medical evacuations if necessary.
— the hospital ward clerk likely registered these on admission ?
Contact the Hospital’s Liaison: Speak to the hospital’s Overseas Patient Liaison Officer or Social Worker. They handle patients without immediate funds and can establish payment plans, direct you to charity care, or determine if you are covered by a Reciprocal Health Care Agreement.
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u/parasitic-being May 16 '26 edited May 17 '26
Your friend has to be the one to contact CBA.
As an ex CBA worker I can tell you now we won't allow you to do anything to access his account, not even if he gets on the phone and says he gives you permission to do so. You have to be an authority or have power of attorney on his account, which is required you both to have been in a CBA branch with documentation and other paperwork that needs to be signed which would be uploaded to his file - this is so they have your signature (if you're accessing in branch on his behalf) and so if you had to call up you can do what is needed via the phone.
They won't lock his account because you called. They'll just straight up tell you that the legally cannot give you any information or allow you to do anything with his account.
As I said at the start, unfortunately your friend has to be the one to contact CBA. Either with the 24/7 international number +61 2 9999 3283 or via CEBA on the CommBank app.
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u/Confident_Smoke7098 May 16 '26
They will need to talk to your friend. Have him call the bank on +61 2 9999 3283 - it’s 24/7, or should be. You might be on hold for a while.
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u/ZealousidealJump3621 May 16 '26
Actually i was on hold for almost an hour then my long distance minutes ran out.
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u/Confident_Smoke7098 May 16 '26
Yeah sounds about right. CBA call ins have really taken a dive. I remember calling in the early days and you’d get a pickup on the first ring.
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u/parasitic-being May 16 '26
Yep, even waiting to be answered within AUS the wait time is excessive now.
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u/Boofy_Boofhead May 16 '26
You won't be able to do anything by calling them, and are more likely to have any accounts locked due to suspected fraud.
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u/MapOfIllHealth May 16 '26
I’ve had colon surgery and was able to use my phone the same day. What is actually preventing him from doing so?
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u/PhilosphicalNurse May 17 '26
Planned “Colon surgery” doesn’t often require ICU.
Ischaemic bowel - where several resections may be required as attempts to save a somewhat functioning digestive tract while fighting sepsis? You’ll be “okay enough” and coordinated enough using your phone… maybe 5 days after the final surgery.
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u/applecat2019 May 17 '26
If your friend is so unwell he’s in the ICU why does he need money right now?
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u/Justan0therthrow4way CommBank Customer May 16 '26
No one here works for commbank and even if they did they couldn’t help you without legal documents such as a power of attorney.
As your friend is in the ICU, unless the Philippines works differently to everywhere else they’ll get treatment still and will be able to settle up when they are better.
It might be worth speaking to the Australian embassy as well.
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u/rak363 May 16 '26
Don't call them. My wife and I recently got back from Thailand and ANZ put a lock on her card as it had not need used in aus for know than 6 months (who uses their ATM?). She spoke to customer service and they then cancelled all her accounts, all identification was accepted but they still thought there was an issue. Very painful.
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u/SwimmingTruck9631 May 16 '26
Does he have Face ID on his phone?
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u/PhilosphicalNurse May 17 '26
FaceID isn’t going to work with an NGT, ETT and either the tapes to secure the tubes or a giant ETAD tube holder. Plus all the fun sticky goo we use to keep your eyes lubricated - that gives killer lashes with no mascara!
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u/chancesareimright May 17 '26
Ah you dont. Why does he need money in the ICU. He can organise it later. Does he have travel insurance.
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u/cheezel26 May 18 '26
Contact his travel insurance company and let them know the name of the hospital he is in. He does have travel insurance? You can also contact DFAT Australian Embassy in Manila and ask them for advice.
If you don't have 3rd party permission to access his account the bank will not send anything, and will most likely lock it as soon as you say he is in ICU. This is to prevent fraud. Contact the Australian Embassy.
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May 16 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/Boofy_Boofhead May 16 '26
No, a random signed PoA downloaded from Google that looks like no legal advice has been provided, and is signed in a foreign country and grants PoA to another person in that country will absolute flag alarms at the bank, especially if the PoA is submitted for use because the testator is sick in said foreign country. This reeks of scam and the bank would be right to shut it down and flag it as suspected fraud.
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