NOT a scam! I also received a Westpac Alert message from this no. this morning and was highly suspicious of it as I've been frauded before so I didn't reply. I then checked net banking and the transaction was identical to that noted on the message.

Still being suspicious of the unknown no. I called up Westpac directly and they verified that they had put a stop to the suspicious transaction.

If you receive this message. Do not ignore it. Call Westpac immediately.

If you receive anything from a half-arsed text message like the ones being discussed in these posts....DO NOT reply to them ever! Call your banking institution during regular business hours to dismiss any disconcerting alerts or messages. Going online to seek an answer is lazy and will only take you deeper into the rabbit hole, where the would be scammers are waiting for you. This forum is exactly my point!
Most of the posts in this forum are from the scammers themselves, they know people will reach for Google as their first attempt to understand why they received such an alert. The posts written here are bleedingly obvious they are from the scammers. This is their way of legitimising the alerts and messages sent to your devices, so that people may actually buy into them. If you carry out what the message is saying to do, then you are one step closer to literally putting your financial assets at jeopardy.
Take my advice, I have worked as a security engineer for 12 years, I've heard it all.
BE CAUTIOUS. STAY AWAY. THINK SMART.

THIS IS A SCAM. DO NOT REPLY TO THE TEXT MESSAGE.

DO NOT BELIEVE THE PEOPLE ON THIS BOARD SAYING IT IS NOT A SCAM. BECAUSE THEY ARE THE SCAMMERS THEMSELVES.

if it was from westpac why did you call st george

I received this today and called Westpac and it was in fact a real text. If you ever receive a text that is suspicious, you need to ring the source to confirm.

Scammers pretending to be Westpac. Message received was "Westpac Alert: Transaction blocked on card ending 3460 at 'HEARTH INN #1254511586' for $12.84 at 9:34. If Genuine, reply 'Yes'. If Fraud reply 'No'.

Don't respond to this. Westpac don't call on mobiles.

So I received 2 of these messages last night, one for $1.40 and one for $183... so google the number to see if it was a scam or not. Found this site and was very confused, so when in doubt call the bank. Called the bank, (mine was from St George, but I am sure westpac own St George or the other way around). The agent from St George told me this was NOT a scam and they have cancelled my card. I mentioned to him that the sms should contain the St George phone number as it looks like a total scam and I honestly was going to just delete it. He "said" he was going to give the fraud department this feedback. I also told him about this site where people are saying it is a scam.
Guys call the bank if you think it is a scam and they will verify if it is or not. St George number is 13 33 30 and they are on call 24/7
Good luck and scammers... F OFF!

It's an 04 number and not exactly a nice-looking one at that, so I too thought it must've been a scam, but when I checked my account, the transaction was genuinely there, just as the message made out.

My suggestion is, sign into your St. George or Westpac account and check if there's any fraudulent transaction. If there is, call your bank DIRECTLY through the number on the bank's obviously official website (e.g. 13 33 30 for St. George).

There is a small but existant chance that this is a scammer. If you shop online, you've probably given plenty of people your debit card information and your phone number. Any of these people can fraudulently charge you and then SMS you this message. After you reply to the initial message, they call you within the next hour. I wouldn't pick this call up. If it's a scam, they could call St. George's fraud line and route it through to you, listening in to you as you verify your account information. You could leave that call thinking you've just fixed the whole problem, but a week later you could be a victim of identity theft.

TL;DR: Check your bank account, you've probably got a fraud transaction. If you do, call your bank through their normal customer support number. Don't contact this number.

Caller: Westpac - 0429 933 739

I called Westpac back directly on the 132032 customer service number and after passing my verification process was advised that this text message was correct and that I had a block on my card for a transaction that was for $0.00 (Apparently this is what they call a test transaction to see if the card gets cancelled before using it again). The text from this mobile number purporting to be Westpac is legitimate, but I would still suggest calling Westpac on the normal inquiries number if in any doubt, but it most certainly is legitimate.

This is a notification if your Credit Card has been hacked. Not a scam.

Received a "Westpac Alert" text message this morning that looked a little suspicious. I called St George immediately and it was all legitimate - my card had been skimmed and was being used at ATMs in western Sydney. Immediately cancelled and sorted out with the St George fraud team. Great service.

I'm confused how can the same number be linked with both legitimate text from St George, and scam saying from Westpac? it sounds like a scam but in the cases where it's legitimate, it's actually them that tried to withdraw the money and they probably need mobile number to get the code to get it approved. I got this text saying from St George and I won't be responding back. I smell a giant rat

SCAM. I got this and I don't bank with Westpac.

It's fraudulent. They send through a fake transaction on your internet banking to make the text look genuine.
Westpac (the real one) may call you and tell you there's been suspicious activity and ask if you want to reverse the transaction, they'll then send you a new card.

If in doubt, call westpac through the number found on their website or go into a branch.

THIS NUMBER IS FRAUDULENT.

Caller: Westpac

This is a real Westpac SMS text. Call your bank immediately. Use listed phone numbers if unsure. I replied No and dialed the bank. I got a ring back from the text reply first. They had to change my Mastercard due to 2 unauthorised overseas transactions.

SCAM TEXT ON Boxing Day. They want you to reply - DONT. I will call westpac when they open again.

Caller: St George

Got the text msg about a card that hasn’t been used in about 5 months, replied “no”, instant reply stated that a fraud investigator will contact me in the next 60 minutes, I purposely didn’t answer the call when the did ring and was left a voice mail where they stated they were from st george, my full name and asked me to contact them on the number on the back of my card.
There was fraudulent transactions, card has been cancelled.
Don’t give out personal info on inbound calls, always ring the bank.

Caller: St George

I called St George to check if this alert was legit and they told me their fraud squad issues the alerts. Westpac group controls a few different banks which is why the same number is contacting customers of St George, Westpac etc. It's not a scam.

Not a scam. Called Westpac on 1300 651 089 to verify and a transaction was found. Unauthorised. I didn't SMS back, just called Westpac. Would suggest that you call Westpac up if your card has been targeted. I still wouldn't text back as sorting over the phone gives me more assurance, but not a scam.

why cant you check your credit card online to see if the money was deducted that way you will know if its a scam