“I am repaying a debt that does not belong to me. I put my house up for sale,” laments a single mother from the North Shore, who was stolen $53,000 by a fake Royal Bank employee.
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“Why didn’t the Royal Bank’s fraud department do anything? They saw that the transfer was made from an IP address other than mine,” wonders Aurélie Depoilly, 41, supervisor in a call center in the insurance sector.
“Why if there is a fraudulent purchase of $2,000 on the credit card do they call us, when no one from the Royal Bank does it after more than $50,000?” she asks herself.
Well-crafted stratagem
At the end of October, Aurélie Depoilly received a call while she was in her car.
On the other end of the line, a man claims to be an employee of the Royal Bank. He claims that fraudsters are trying to hack her bank account and that she must deposit $10,000 into her own account as quickly as possible to block so-called fraudulent transactions (to reach the daily withdrawal limit).
“I had doubts. I asked for his name and employee number. A friend called to check and told me the message said it was the Royal Bank fraud department. From there, I had confidence,” she remembers.
In mid-November, The Journal told a similar story of a former Goodyear executive, who was robbed of $7,400 last March by a fake Royal Bank employee.
Richard Dupuis, who was caught by a fake Royal Bank employee, also didn’t like the way the financial institution handled the matter.
Photo MARTIN CHEVALIER
In the case of Aurélie Depoilly, the fraud stretched over several days.
Five days of fraud
For five days, the ploy is repeated.
“It was twice $5,000 per day. On the fifth day, it was twice $5,000, plus $2,000, plus $1,000,” says the Laval resident.
On Monday, Aurélie Depoilly decides to call her bank to ensure that she is indeed speaking with the institution’s real fraud department. We told him no.
“I deplore the lack of support and empathy from the Royal Bank,” she denounces.
After a complaint to the Laval police, the Royal Bank refused to reimburse it. However, Aurélie Depoilly does not intend to stop there. She is looking for a banking lawyer to escalate her case and publicize it.
Provided by the Canadian Anti-Fraud Center
“I am not responsible. It’s a hoax. The Royal Bank is making money from a theft of which I was the victim. This is forbidden,” she sighs.
Joined by The Journalthe Royal Bank did not want to comment on the case of Aurélie Depoilly “for reasons of confidentiality”.
“We understand that being a victim of fraud or scam can cause a lot of stress,” said spokesperson Jessica Assaf, saying she examines each situation on a case-by-case basis.
Signs of a scam
Under no circumstances will an RBC representative or employee ask you:
- provide a one-time access code (sent by text message, email or voicemail)
- send money to secure your profile or send a link to an EFT deposit
- download a remote access application
- access your online banking services to add beneficiaries on your behalf
- to participate in a secret operation to prevent fraud
(Source: Royal Bank)
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