handing out bank details

Post scam emails to warn other rental owners, or if you are not sure if an enquiry is genuine, put it up here and see what others think.
Fraise
Posts: 2079
Joined: Sat Oct 30, 2004 8:25 am
Location: Charente Maritime and Middle England

Post by Fraise »

Alan Knighting wrote:Fraise,

What was the reaction of the police when you reported this fraud?

Were they in the slightest way interested and are they investigating the matter?

Alan

They took down all the details but didn't seem surprised.They said the money had gone to N. africa and that the bank would credit our account straight away!!!!! We're still waiting!!! An ex CA bank manager is helping us with our case and he can't believe their reluctance to pay us back!The police say we will get a full report when they have investigated! This was 6 months ago!!!!
Fraise
Posts: 2079
Joined: Sat Oct 30, 2004 8:25 am
Location: Charente Maritime and Middle England

Post by Fraise »

Hanorah said
Fraise I can't believe what happened to you. Why not contact a local paper and tell them your story. It is amazing what a little media interest can do and banks after all want to protect their reputation.

you are absolutely right and friends have suggested this but I don't feel my French is good enough to start ringing up newspapers.Also in a "strange" country who do you contact?I don't know any journalists.
User avatar
ourinns
Posts: 188
Joined: Thu Mar 03, 2005 9:22 pm
Location: Pyrenees Orientale
Contact:

Post by ourinns »

Why not just drop a line to the BBC? I guess news@bbc.co.uk would be an appropriate address.


Arnold
A-two
Posts: 2091
Joined: Mon Oct 25, 2004 10:05 am
Location: USA

Post by A-two »

Fraise wrote: [....]someone rang up the bank claiming to be us[...]
Fraise,
What a nightmare for you! This is called Identity Theft, which is a whole different game than a charge back. Be very, very careful. It's the largest growing crime and some staggering statistics floating around - something like 1 in 10 people in the US affected or know someone who has been a victim of identity theft. Count me in.

My friend (a doctor) was a victim a few years ago and it was a nightmare for her. Someone went thru her mailbox and took one of those pre-approved credit card applications. She didn't find out until she made a mortgage application and found her credit ruined by a string of unpaid bills. Luckily, they did catch the guy and he got jail time, but it took years to sort out.

Instead of your bank trying to deny culpability, they ought to be falling over backwards to help you take the necessary steps to limit the potential future damage. Here in the US, you would need to contact the four large credit reporting agencies, Experian etc. and pull your credit report, to check for recent loans, credit card and store card applications made in your name. Then ask them to lock your account, so no future applications can be made, or change of address etc.

Your bank knows all about this. I would be floored if you were the first victim of identity theft they have ever come across. For a start, this bank account should have been closed on the day they found out about it and a new one opened, otherwise the fraudsters can still use the details to obtain credit elsewhere. If it hasn't been done already, I would do it immediately. I would also inform the bank in writing that you are holding them responsible not only for the 10,000, (plus interest), but also for all ramifications resulting from their multiple errors, yes, multiple errors in not dealing with this situation (identity theft) in an appropriate and timely manner.

Whatever their future response, I would definitely consider changing banks. You can only hope the criminals stopped at the 10,000, but it would be a mistake to assume that they did. You really need to pro-actively look at everything else they could get their hands on, and if the bank is sloppy enough to have accepted an unauthorized fax mandate with a fake signature, then who knows what else has also slipped through the net that you do not yet know about.

You haven't explained the court case happening later in the year, but I'm assuming they have not yet caught the perpetrators, so stopping them would be my number one concern. 10,000 is not pocket change, and getting away with it is the best incentive to come back for more. Watch your back.

You have all my sympathy.

My 2 cents.

Regards,
Joanna
User avatar
ourinns
Posts: 188
Joined: Thu Mar 03, 2005 9:22 pm
Location: Pyrenees Orientale
Contact:

Post by ourinns »

I hadn't thought of the identity theft angle but that's worrying too. As an aside on that, I've found that Citibank UK are absolutely dreadful in dealing with something like that.

In a video shop about 2 years back, the assistant got the message to call the bank for confirmation of ID from me. Fair enough, of course. However, rather than just take me through one or two items (date of birth or something perhaps), they had me go through ALL of the security details. Net effect was, of course, that everyone in the shop at the time now had all of my details (and the shop keeper had the card number and security code from that as well).

When I got home, I phone them and said I'd like a new card issued. They said that there was nothing to worry about as someone would need my security details to do anything. I said "oh, you mean the details I've just given you and which everyone in the shop now has?".

They did issue a new card eventually but had the account marked as "stolen" (or something to that effect) which in turn made the card next to impossible to use as from then on we were endlessly hit with security questions and in the end gave up even trying to use it.

Sort-of trivial example, but it goes to show how difficult it is to get the banks to treat such things seriously.



Arnold
A-two
Posts: 2091
Joined: Mon Oct 25, 2004 10:05 am
Location: USA

Post by A-two »

Arnold,
It's reassuring to hear that I'm not the only person who has concerns like that. I often say no when asked security questions in public, but whereas two years ago they looked at me as if I was crazy and said "huh?", now they actually whisper an apology and try to work round it. That's a sad testimonial to extent of the problem generally.

Skating close to paranoid, I even started to pay a Credit Card company $5.95 a month for Identity Theft protection, whatever that is, but I saw a TV talk show the other day that said those kind of policies are useless and not to waste your money.

I'm sorry Paolo, I seem to be sending every thread hurtling in an off-topic direction, but the board is certainly raising interesting issues these days!

Regards,
Joanna
User avatar
ourinns
Posts: 188
Joined: Thu Mar 03, 2005 9:22 pm
Location: Pyrenees Orientale
Contact:

Post by ourinns »

If the ID theft policy was comprehensive I'd be almost inclined to go for such a thing (they've not reached this side of the Atlantic yet). Before you mentioned the price, if I'd thought about it, I'd have been thinking that $1 a month would have been the cost. To have have the insurance companies set the price six times that level is pretty worrying - it indicates to me that a) it's relatively common these days and b) it's very expensive to sort out.

My other thought is that it would be incredibly difficult to sort out. You'd obviously need to change all your bank accounts and credit cards but short of moving house I don't see how you'd prevent it happening in the future as the other key security details are your date of birth and mother's maiden name. Presumably you could quote a different name but some (all?) banks look for proof of your date of birth.




Arnold
Fraise
Posts: 2079
Joined: Sat Oct 30, 2004 8:25 am
Location: Charente Maritime and Middle England

Post by Fraise »

Crikey, nothing is ever simple is it???? I'm still deliberating whether to contact the media, I may not 'cos life is too short for all the aggro but I won't let 'em get away with it either!! I just hope the solicitor can win at the Tribunal- he is confident, actions against banks aren't cheap though :cry:

www.thepetitmanoir.com
A-two
Posts: 2091
Joined: Mon Oct 25, 2004 10:05 am
Location: USA

Post by A-two »

mascamps wrote:it indicates to me that a) it's relatively common these days and b) it's very expensive to sort out.
I agree the problem is massive, and everything seems to be pointing towards educating people to take responsibility for policing their own accounts. I don't think the financial institutions can cope. Try googling "identity theft" with country names, banks and credit card companies. All the advice is there. The statistics I found indicated 50,000 victims a day in the US alone, and that's just from corporate security breaches, not even including email scammers, most of which isn't even reported.
the other key security details are your date of birth and mother's maiden name. Presumably you could quote a different name but some (all?) banks look for proof of your date of birth.
They are getting more inventive here unless you know them personally.

I'm fairly new to this myself, but I understand the most important thing is to check the credit agencies to catch it early - nobody is going to do it for you, only you know the accounts you have opened. Like screening for cancer, it needs to be done as a matter of routine, preferably every six months - but certainly once a year. Essentially, you're looking for new accounts in your name located at a different address.

The credit reporting agencies hold all your records together in one place. In the UK, there are 3 of them, and the reports only cost about 2 pounds each. The websites are linked from the Home Office website on Identity Theft. You can apply online and print them out anonymously, then if you don't recognize something on it, get back to them with queries. In the US, everyone is entitled to one free credit report a year. I'm sure the governments of all other countries now offer similar services.

Victims of ID theft have an additional security lock put on their account, which makes it slow for them to open new accounts in the future, but at least adds an extra layer of security to the ones you have.

It's worth everyone doing this I think, sad, but it's the world we now live in.

Joanna
Post Reply