Newsletter
We publish a newsletter for our stakeholders three times annually—in April, August, and December. This electronic publication features informative interviews, updates on legislation and other relevant developments, case summaries, and the latest news about our office and its staff. If you would like to receive our newsletter and periodic updates about our work, please follow us on Facebook and LinkedIn.
Issue 3 (December 2024):
Key highlights
- The Arbiter notes rising consumer awareness of OAFS services, reflecting increased complaint volumes. He calls for a coordinated national campaign to raise awareness about sophisticated fraudster tactics.
- Growing concerns over sophisticated fraud cases exceeding standard €5,000 daily account limits.
- Removal of complaint registration fees from 1 January 2025 to improve access to justice.
Featured content
- Five detailed case studies examining: unauthorised payments, corporate fund transfers, life insurance maturity payouts, medical expenses claims and payment account blocking.
- Two Court of Appeal decision reviewed.
- Five consumer-focused 'Lessons Learned' covering: fraudulent payment prevention, life policy management, AI investment platform fraud, crypto asset investing guidance and invoice scam protection.
- Two educational videos addressing scam awareness.
Download the newsletter (in pdf)
Previous issues
Issue 2 (August 2024) includes:
- A note from the Arbiter for Financial Services, Mr Alfred Mifsud;
- Four case summaries, covering banking transactions, a corporate services provider, a life insurance policy and a personal retirement scheme; and
- Five Lessons Learned, leveraging the Arbiter’s decisions from a consumer perspective. These covered personal and invoice scams, investment advice, ATM deposits and crypto asset investing.
Download the newsletter (in pdf)
Issue 1 (April 2024) includes:
- an interview with the Arbiter for Financial Services, Mr Alfred Mifsud;
- four case summaries, covering travel insurance, a retirement scheme, a bank transfer and a purchase order for shares;
- nine takeaways from decisions of the Arbiter following the publication of a new framework Model for Allocation of Responsibility between Payment Service Providers (PSPs) and Payment Services Users (PSUs) in case of payment fraud scams; and
- amendments to the Arbiter for Financial Services Act.
The Arbiter's full interview, as featured in the newsletter, is also available on our YouTube channel in two parts:
In PART 1, the Arbiter looks back at his first year in office, outlines the challenges he faced and is seeking to overcome, and explains the 'Model for allocation of responsibility between payment service providers and payment services users in cases of payment fraud scams', which he issued at the end of 2023.
In PART 2 of this interview, Mr Mifsud gives an outline of the decisions he has issued, how he sees his role evolving in the next 12 to 18 months, anticipating certain changes in the Office's remit, and his message to customers and service providers.