Fraudsters are getting smarter and smarter to scam their prey. A new scam is also raging on WhatsApp. Jo, a 63-year-old Flemish, has had the bitter experience of this. “One day, I received a Whatsapp from my daughter”commence-t-il pour The Importance Of Limburg. “Dad, can you save this number? My old cell phone doesn’t work anymore. Over the next few days, we exchanged several messages, regarding the weather, work, our health, small talk.”
Over time, things get complicated. Until this message: “Because my old cell phone isn’t working, I can’t do online banking. But I have to take care of two bills today. Can you pay them for me? Do it when you’re rested. “
The rest, you will certainly have understood. In addition to the transfer as such, the scammers seize all the bank data. This allows them to extort money. “Fraudsters know how to choose their victims and target their weak point”, adds Jo, distraught. In all, he deposits around €3,000 in one account and €1,500 in another. “I interpreted that as my daughter giving me a rest because I have cancer.”
Eventually, he understands the deception because the second account was suspicious. But the money was well and truly wired. He then cut his card. If he recovered 1/3 of this sum, his bank did not agree to reimburse him for the remaining 2/3. His bank KBC will not intervene while he has internet insurance. “A judge recently ruled that banks are too quick to blame the customer for phishing. I am currently living on sick pay and hoping to get my money back.”
For its part, KBC reacted: “Due to our duty of discretion, we cannot give information on individual cases. (…) We carry out proactive checks to prevent our customers from falling into the trap.”
