A BANK customer was left in despair after $3,000 suddenly vanished from her account.
Debbie Sammit, of Ontario, Canada, scrambled to try and recover the money but was reportedly told by cops that her case had reached a dead end.
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She was stunned when the money seemed to vanish from her Bank of Montreal account in 2022, per Orillia Matters.
Sammit claimed that she didn’t authorize the transfer to go through.
She reported the case to her bank and the police force in Orillia and a probe was launched.
It turned out the money ended up being sent to a TD Bank account.
And the investigation revealed the transaction was made using her IP address.
Sammit said she’s fighting to get the money back.
“They said I can get a line of credit with seven percent interest, but why am I paying interest on money that I already worked for and paid for BMO to keep it safe,” she raged.
She described the cash loss as a significant blow and fears it could happen again.
“I lay in bed awake at night fearing that it could happen again,” she said.
Sammit blasted cops for how they appeared to respond to the missing money.
“The police said they are busy and have so many other things going on,” she claimed.
“The officer said ‘Sorry I guess we are at a dead end.’”
Bank of Montreal has offered tips to customers on what to do if they feel they are a victim of fraud.
Users can report emails and text messages that do not look right.
Top tips on avoiding scams from a bank
As scams become more sophisticated with the use of artificial intelligence, it is important you know how to spot a scam:
- Be skeptical of online deals that seem too good to be true, especially on social media.
- Scammers will often use tactics to make you panicked so you make quick decisions – be cautious if you are told to take immediate action and verify who has contacted you.
- Chase Bank warns customers to “never return any unexpected funds without calling Chase first.”
- Never send money to someone you have only spoken to online or by phone as this is likely a romance scam.
- Unless you 100% know who you are talking to, never give someone remote access to your device.
- Never accept help from strangers at an ATM and always be vigilant when making withdrawals.
- Do not send money or click any links indicating that you have won a prize.
Source: Chase.com
The bank has a dedicated email address to forward phishing emails.
Bank of Montreal, like other financial institutions, never asks customers for PINs or one-time user access codes.
Banks urge customers to end the call if they receive requests to send over sensitive information.
Scammers use a raft of different tactics to lure their victims.
Unscrupulous fraudsters can spoof cell phone numbers to make it seem like requests are coming from legitimate companies.
But this is a trap designed to lure bank users into a false sense of security.
Scammers often sound urgent on a call but some are calm and well-spoken.
This is an attempt to convince customers they are speaking to someone legitimate.
Bank customers can take a series of steps to protect their accounts.
They should check bank statements regularly and two-factor authentication is a tool that can provide extra security.
Customers should also be wary about the personal information they share.
The Ontario Provincial Police Department confirmed to The U.S. Sun that no charges had been filed in the case:
The department “completed an investigation utilizing all available investigative techniques and determined there were no reasonable grounds to charge any person or business with a criminal offense.”
“The OPP is working to increase public awareness of fraud-related crimes and potential victims of fraud are encouraged to file a complaint with their local police service for criminal investigation. Once an investigation is completed, and if charges are warranted, appropriate charges may be laid,” the department added.
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