'It's all gone,' TD Bank customer says after $13k life savings drained in 30-minute call – security failed them | 4R5BZT9 | 2024-05-12 05:08:01
A COUPLE have said they were failed by security after $13,000 was drained from their life savings by a scammer.
Janel Nguyen and Evan Dudley thought nothing when they got a call from the TD Bank fraud department – little did they know they fell right into a thief's hands.
The scammer was trying to get access to their identity and credit card information.
"They knew my name, obviously my phone number, my address, a bunch of different information that looked like it was within my banking details," Nguyen told CTV News.
"They basically told me that there was fraudulent charges on my credit card and they wanted to make sure it was me."
Nguyen went back and forth with the person on the phone, who told her that they were going to send a security pin to allow them to put a lock on the card and begin a fraud case.
All of this was done to give scammers access to her credit card and online account, missing cash advances until the card was maxed out.
The couple soon realized what happened and rushed to their bank to confirm and stop the transaction.
Nguyen realized all of her life savings were gone.
She had been diligently saving for three years in preparation for a six-month trip around the world – her lifelong dream.
"In the blink of an eye – it's all gone," said Dudley.
Things got worse when TD Bank told the couple the fraudulent transactions weren't their responsibility, leaving the couple on the hook for the stolen money.
<!-- End of Brightcove Player --> They filed a police report, however, they were told that getting the money back was unlikely.
The couple also claimed they were getting charged interest for the fraudulent transactions made on their credit card.
Because the bank didn't flag the charges as fraudulent, they were treated like a normal transaction, which the couple is unable to pay back.
"It just felt like we didn't find any support when we got to the bank. We didn't get the help we thought we were going to get," said Dudley.
TD Bank told CTV News that they use "numerous security controls" to protect clients but denied fault in this instance.
"Our security protocols and systems include technology that help us identify suspicious transactions quickly to protect our customers falling victim to financial harm," the bank told the outlet.
"We strongly encourage your readers and our customers to stay vigilant when it comes to suspicious or unauthorized activity on their accounts."
Last year, more than 41,000 Canadians were victims of fraud, totaling over $554 million, according to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre.
Nguyen and Dudley hope that banks will implement technology that can flag suspicious transactions in the future so others might be aware if they're in danger.
"Just hang up the phone and call your own bank back, there's no point in trusting anyone over the phone these days honestly," said Nguyen.
The U.S. Sun has reached out to TD Bank for comment.
Before they realized what happened, the couple had $13,000 taken from their accounts[/caption]
TD Bank denied fault and its unlikely that the couple will get the money back[/caption]
'More >> https://ift.tt/rxNRgd7 Source: MAG NEWS
