History repeats itself at BMO: another victim of fraud, this time in the amount of $20,000, is denied a refund, while the hackers continued their maneuvers following the denunciation.
“I worked hard to earn this money and I have practically nothing left,” laments Aline Bonin, 57.
Mme Bonin has been off work since December, following his son died in the spring of 2022, then his restaurant closed due to labor shortages. She also had to sell her house to pay debts.
“This story gnaws at me. I had had enough of the hardships. I thought I might relax a bit and finally mourn, ”said the one who is soon at the end of her savings because of the theft.
On November 13, a $5,000 cash advance was made on his credit card, without his knowledge. The next day, two transfers of $5,000 each were made from his bank account to Giovanni D. Allissandro, a complete stranger. The Global Transfer functionality was used. It has been offered since 2021 at BMO to facilitate international money transfers by mobile device. As a BMO client for nearly 15 years, Ms.me Bonin had never made an international wire transfer before.
“How is it that the bank allowed these transfers of $5,000 without notifying me when we have a withdrawal limit of $3,000 per day?” asks the lady from Mirabel.
Worried and distraught when she learned of the fraud on November 14, Ms.me Bonin immediately contacted his bank branch. She would then have been reassured by telling her that her card and her account would be blocked.
Fraud continues following whistleblowing
However, on November 17, amazed, she discovered that another $5,000 had been stolen from her, still from the same recipient. She went to the bank, where she was told that her account had not been blocked.
“I wasn’t even able to speak at first. And they made me feel so bad, like I was dishonest. I was ready to take a lie detector!” said the lady, who no longer dared to pay her bills by mobile phone followingwards, for fear of making a mistake. His trust in his banking institution is shattered.
A few weeks before the fraud, Mr.me Bonin had received phishing emails on her cell phone, without her realizing it. A fraudster pretended to be his daughter-in-law and asked for a wire transfer of $500. The lady, not understanding English well, had clicked on the link directing her to a site which appeared to be that of BMO and where she was invited to connect to her bank account. Nothing happened then and the transfer request disappeared. Verification made with the daughter-in-law, she had never sent a request.
More than three months following the events, Mme Bonin is still trying to get a refund from BMO.
Never two without three
Remember that this is not the first time that BMO has found itself in conflict with customers who have been victims of fraud.
Here are other similar stories:
Fraud on the rise
A recent Ipsos survey conducted for Chartered Professional Accountants of Canada (CPA Canada) reveals that 31% of people aged 55 and over have been victims of financial fraud in their lifetime. The proportion rises to 63% among 18-34 year olds. Online banking services are a prime target. The most common frauds are by credit card (21%) and then by phishing (8%).
Hackers often clone legitimate web pages in an attempt to steal banking information. To protect yourself, make sure the address starts with https and not http. Also, it is important never to access sensitive data from public or unsecured Wi-Fi.
• Read also: Financial fraud: young people most vulnerable
