Happy Holidays Fraud: Seven lessons to protect your identity and accounts
Boxing Day Surprise: fraud alert!
At 2:42pm on Boxing Day, I receive a call from my bank is calling me as they see a fraudulent charge from Vancouver BC. The agent tells me not to be worried about, he is there to make sure we can block the account and ensure my money is safe. He gives me my postal code and says that since it is not a Vancouver postal code, the charge did not make sense to them. To block my account he needs some verification information from me.
I am stressed. I hate these things where I feel I could be robbed. I manage my money carefully and I don’t have a lot, so every amount is an important amount. The agent’s voice is suave. He sounds exactly like every other agent I have ever spoken to when I called my bank. His voice is calming and reassuring. ‘Do not worry Mrs Aunos, I have been assigned to your dossier and will walk you through it.’ And he does. He tells me everything he needs to know… NOT to protect me, but to rob me.
And despite my gut-feeling that says: ‘Hang up and call the number behind the card’, I don’t. Even if I am constantly thinking about my good friend who had told me of a ‘fraud prevention call’ he had received six months ago that led him to lose 7 000$. The scam was different but it was based on the same primal fear of wanting to preserve what we have earned.
Every time I bring up my fear of giving him the number on my debit card, he reassures me. He says things like “I am not asking you for those three numbers behind your card. I just need to be sure we are blocking the right account”. He gives me his name and employee number. And he has an answer for every concern. He delivers each answer with such assurance that I feel I can trust him enough.
Despite everything I know to be true, I decide to trust him. And I give him the numbers on my debit card. And the expiration date. And when I get an access code on my phone, I don’t read the text that says “do not give this code to anyone” and I give it to him.
He ends the call by asking me NOT to access my account for the next 30 to 60 minutes. It is REALLY important he says that I do not try to access my accounts. He will work on protecting me and will then call me back to confirm the next steps.
Trusting my gut led me to calling my bank
I think this is what did it for me. Why should I wait 30-60 minutes before accessing my account?
I also knew how long it took to save the money I had in my account and I knew how it is meant to be spent. I really did not want to lose it. So, just in case, I listened to my gut feeling: at the very least, it would not hurt to call that number behind my debit card and verify if Martin was a legit employee of my bank.
I called and was put on-hold for minutes that seemed like hours. An agent finally answers and I tell him a colleague of his just called about some fraud on my card. Right away he says… did you give any information about the account? Sadly, I had to say yes. And in that small three-letter-word, I felt shame. My doubts are turning out to be true. How could I have fallen for this scam?
But he gave me his name and employee number, I say.
He checks. No Martin Lachance works for my bank. My stomach drops to my heels.
He then asks: Have you done a transfer of 6000$ today?
No. No I have not.
And now I feel like a fool.
I should know better.
I actually KNEW better.
My gut feeling and my little voice kept screaming NOT to trust. To be sure and stop the call. To go check. But I didn’t listen.
I didn’t listen.
Our little voice knows a lot of shit we think we are too smart to be bothered by.
Fraud prevention and safety measures from banks
The new agent stops talking. He is working his magic on his keyboard.
Will you be able to reverse the charge? Or block it? I say.
‘I don’t know’ he says. Give me a few minutes. I am trying.
In the midst of a lot of clicks on the keyboard. He reminds me:
Never will my bank call me and ask for personal information. NEVER. Personal information includes card numbers.
But it was not personal information per se he was asking me. It was actual information he already had. He just asked me to confirm. He gave me just enough personal information about me that I really thought he had my file in front of him.
2. Never will my bank ask to share a code received by text. Especially when that code says: do not share with anyone.
But that is confusing I say. There are times when on the phone with agents from my bank, they have asked me to give them a code I had received by phone. And so how do I know which codes I can give and which ones I should not? Robbers pray on anything that could be confusing in moments of stress. They hope that we won’t read the whole text. Which I clearly did not.
3. Maybe. But those codes you can share – say you can share them AND you are the one who has called, versus the bank calling. When you initiate, you know which number you have called. (My son later told me that a blocked ID is another way to know that it is NOT your bank calling)
I felt stupid but mostly I felt ANGRY. Angry to have fallen for it. Angry that despite my better judgment, I still did not listen to what I knew in my gut. So I told the guys to CANCEL EVERY DARN CARD I OWN. Freeze everything.
And we did.
But first, he tells me he was able to block the transaction.
People who fraud are relentless and will try again
As we were still talking, I get another call. From a blocked ID.
I put my bank on-hold and pick up.
It is my good friend Martin Lachance calling me back.
‘How are you Mrs Aunos?’
‘Oh, surely you must know Martin how I am feeling right now? How great do you think I feel now that I have realised you are in the process to steal from me! Merry Christmas to you I guess’
‘Mrs Aunos, yes, we are working really hard at blocking the 6000$ charge on your account. And I need more information to do so.’
‘Sure you are! Your colleague just confirmed how you don’t even work for the bank.’
‘Mrs Aunos, please be assured we are working as a team to protect you.’
I could see how, even then, he is able to sow doubt in me. Enough that he could probably convince me again. It is better NOT to listen. So I hang up.
I am NOT going to fooled by you twice Martin Lachance!
Surprisingly, he did NOT call me a third time. I wonder why?!
Now the fun part begins.
I no longer have access to my accounts and I have no cards until I show up to the bank.
Obviously, I am the only one who can show up to request new cards.
This would be a nuisance at best if I were walking or even could roll and transfer easily. But no… I am paraplegic AND with a shoulder injury. To say that my mobility is restricted, is somewhat of an understatement. This will be a challenge, but I can do it.
Lessons Learned
So what did I learn from all of this? A few things:
1. Being fooled is often a result of an emotional response. It is not a reflection of how intelligent we are or are not. People who fraud, prey on our fears, insecurities, and anxieties. Our only defense is to actually listen to what our emotions are saying. If we fear, it is because there is a risk. Listen to your gut. It sometimes knows more than our brain does.
2. READ every text. The WHOLE text. EVERYTIME. It will tell you if you can share the code you have received or not. I have made a comment to my bank, asking that the writing be visually different when we should NOT share the code. We will see if they make that adjustment.
3. Take back control. If you get a call like this – ask for a name and employee number. Then hang up and call your bank. If it is a legit call, you will be able to retrace that employee. If it is not, you will know right away.
Then, consider these following security measures:
4. Place a VPN on your phone and other electronic devices. Someone call tell where you are calling from (thus know your postal code) from your IP address. Having that information, can give us a false sense of trust.
5. Change your passwords on a regular basis and make them ‘strong’.
6. Verify your accounts daily to prevent or stop any fraudulent transactions.
7. If you fear your identity or financial information may have been compromised, declare it and ask for a Fraud Alert with Equifax (1-877-323-2598) AND with TransUnion (1-877-713-3393). And consider getting a fraud and identity protection with one of them.
How did it all end for me?
I found my way to my bank and cancelled my account. It took about 3 hours but I got a brand new account and my money was transferred there.
My credit cards were all cancelled. It will take several days / weeks (we are in the Holiday period) to get new ones.
I called Revenu Canada, Revenu Québec, Equifax and TransUnion to inform them I had an Account Take Over.
The most lucrative time for fraud and bank robbery is around the holidays. These people have perfected their skill and they are good at what they do. DO NOT underestimate them.
Because I reacted swiftly (under 10 minutes), my bank was able to block the money transfer! This is why Martin Lachance called me a second time: he was trying to get me to unblock it. I got lucky. Real lucky. It could have cost me EVERYTHING – as they had access to my accounts and financial identity. My friend wasn’t so lucky and he paid what he now calls his ‘stupid-tax’.
Don’t be fooled: Learn from my experience.
And if you get a call from my ‘friend’ Martin Lachance, employee number 264 9971… tell him off – he deserves it!
written by
Marjorie Aunos, PhD., is an internationally renowned researcher, adjunct professor, clinical psychologist, and award-winning inspirational speaker from Montreal, Canada.
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