Minas Gerais court orders bank to reimburse customer after phone theft

The Court of Justice of Minas Gerais (TJMG) has ordered a bank to reimburse a customer from Andradas approximately R$ 98,000 following a mobile phone theft in August 2024. On the day of the theft, unauthorized third parties conducted several transactions on the customer's account totaling nearly R$ 100,000.

The bank initially denied the restitution request, arguing that the operations were validated by the device using passwords or contactless technology. However, the rapporteur, Judge Leonardo de Faria Beraldo, noted that the high-value transactions performed in a single day were incompatible with the customer's usual consumption profile and should have been flagged as suspicious.

In addition to the refund, the court ordered the bank to pay R$ 5,000 in moral damages. The decision was based on the failure to provide adequate security mechanisms and the undue stress caused to the consumer.