2023-10-16 22:40:00
Numerous entrepreneurs targeted by bank transfer fraud at the National Bank, including six others who contacted The newspaper to denounce the situation, feel ignored by their financial institution. The bank indicates that they are responsible for their misfortune, but that they will be reimbursed shortly.
• Read also: Dozens of National Bank customers defrauded by hackers
“The Bank made no attempt to recover my money,” denounces Marie-Claude Normand, of the company Les Constructions Richard. She was robbed of $100,000 on September 7.
On the morning of September 8, she immediately realized it. The fraudsters had added a new recipient to his company’s bank account.
She had on hand the name of the institution, the account number and the transit where the stolen money was located.
“I told them to go get the money, call Scotia [où se trouvait l’argent]. Nothing happened. I got news on October 5, when I made a complaint to the bank ombudsman,” she protests.
But the worst part of all this, says the president of Constructions Richard, is that “the bank accuses us of having clicked on a link and acts as if it was our fault”.
“They told me to go clean my computer, that I must have clicked on a link. I didn’t click on anything, hackers emptied my account,” adds the lady.
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Fear in the belly
His story resembles in every way that of the five other entrepreneurs to whom The newspaper spoke on Monday. Their stories are added to those of the three entrepreneurs who testified in our pages on Friday.
Everyone, without exception, felt accused by the bank.
The owner of a body shop on the South Shore of Montreal, also a victim of the scheme – she was stolen $101,000 – even took extreme measures.
She paid $6,000 to a specialized firm to have her company’s computers and network inspected. “They didn’t find anything,” she assures us.
In Mascouche, Eve Blanchette reacted with lightning speed when she realized, at 6:15 a.m. on the morning of October 9, that new recipients had been added to her corporate bank account during the night.
With fear in her stomach, she called the bank without hesitating for a second. “I was told to call back at 7 a.m. that the service was not open,” says the owner of Distribution Fort-Mag.
When she finally got the line, no transfer had yet been made. Despite his warning, the Bank did not act, and the theft took place later on October 9.
“They told me at 7:30 a.m. that they were freezing my account. This is not true, because the transfers took place followingwards. And they tell me it’s my fault? Come on…”, the entrepreneur is indignant.
The fault of the customers
Emerging from its silence on Monday, the National Bank defended itself by indicating that “a few dozen customers fell into the trap” of fraudsters.
“In all the cases we are talking regarding here, people gave the fraudsters access to their commercial accounts,” says André Boucher, head of information security at the National Bank.
With “very sophisticated methods,” adds her colleague and vice-president, Geneviève Turbide-Potvin, who is responsible for all commercial accounts at the National Bank.
This can be by giving them their password or their two-factor authentications when answering a call or clicking on an online link, adds Mr. Boucher, before slipping that “fraudsters are constantly refining their methodology”.
The VP for Business also indicates that the bank has put measures in place available to customers in order to be able to support them during the investigation: “liquidity, margins and other elements”.
“The majority of victims have already been reimbursed 100%. In a few days, we hope, this will be the case for all the victims,” says Ms. Turbide-Potvin.
Finally, she says she is “quite proud that the Bank has already recovered the majority of the amounts defrauded and that the majority of customers have already been reimbursed”.
Six testimonies
Some entrepreneurs want to remain anonymous to preserve their reputation. Others fear that the Bank will make them pay for speaking publicly. Here are six cases of defrauded entrepreneurs.
Nom: Anonymous
Business: numbered company in the field of real estate development in Sherbrooke
Date of fraud: September 13
Amount stolen: $12,900 (two transfers)
Police complaint: yes, to the RCMP
Citation: “This story has made me break out from the start. My money was sent to a TD in Toronto. If I know that, imagine what they, at the Nationale, know.”
Nom: Eve Blanchette
Business: Distribution Fort-Mag
Date of fraud: October 9
Amount stolen: $39,000 (in 4 transfers)
Police complaint: yes, Mascouche City Police Department
Citation: “Even if I try to call them, it’s no use. I realized the fraud at 6:15 a.m. Their service for businesses opens at 7 a.m. This is not serious.”
Nom: Anonymous
Business: Doctor, self-employed
Date of fraud: October 5
Amount stolen: $0 (22 transfers, all canceled)
Police complaint: non
Citation: “I’m lucky. But I thought I was the only one and now I see that there are dozens of us, maybe more. I no longer have confidence in the Nationale.”
Nom: Anonymous
Business: a body shop
Date of fraud: August 31
Amount stolen: $101,000 (two transfers)
Police complaint: yes, Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu police department
Citation: “We have been in nothingness since September 1st. They say we clicked on something. It’s not that.”
Nom: Anonymous
Business: Pharmacist, self-employed
Date of fraud: September 18
Amount stolen: $10,000 (three transfers)
Police complaint: yes, SPVM
Citation: “I feel like I’m in the madhouse. I haven’t had any news for a month.”
Nom: Marie-Claude Normand
Business: Richard Constructions
Date of fraud: September 7
Amount stolen: $98,079 (two transfers)
Police complaint: yes, Repentigny Police Department
Citation: “They had transit, they just had to freeze the money. I notified them within five minutes. They ignored me for a month.”
Do you have any information to share with us regarding this story?
Write to us at or call us directly at 1 800-63SCOOP.
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