My 88 year old mom got phished today.

[Ken7]

My mom got a phone call today from a man who said he was with a big Canadian bank.
He asked her for some info about her bank account saying some accounts with numbers similar to hers were comprimised.
She gave out info.
She called me right after and I went and took her to her bank at orchard park.
In the 20 minutes it took me to get her to the bank 2 e-transfers had already been done for over $900.00.
They reversed the transactions and cancelled her cards.
Please if you have elderly parents stress to them never to give out info over the phone.

What I find terrible is as soon as the BANK alarm is sounded, why can banks not SUSPEND the account of the owner who is defrauding someone? The Banks all work together, they need to stand up for their customers.

I was personally defrauded on a purchase. By the time the BANK got their act together and all forms were filled it was too late. Why poor training by likely a collections group the bank utilizes. I did get my money back although all users of this bank end up paying.

I do hope you or your Mother write a letter to your bank and asks why is the FRAUD artists account not seized immediately!
This would be step one in combatting these people.

[What_the]

They likely are Ken, but an account opened with a stolen identity... And the money is removed or exchanged to other currencies for example bitcoins rather quickly.

There are web sites that sell our personal information that deal only with bit coins.
I honestly don't think people know how deep this sort of thing goes. We all diligently guard our credit cards and PIN, but what about your reward cards like say Petro points. Not that would get much in dollar value there but still, it's fraud and possibly in your name.

[Bsuds]

why is the FRAUD artists account not seized immediately!

Chances are it's an account in an offshore bank and her bank would have no control over it.

[my5cents]

Equifax wanted to charge $6 and change. This is what the agent I was speaking with told me. I'll have to go with his word, not that you're uninformed, it could be one of those employees that don't know what they're talking about.

I remember this spefically because while on the phone took notes and made 3 clients wait while I spoke with him. He really want all that helpful tbh.

It's one of the 4 steps to take while fighting identity theft. Can't remember all four but: notify police, banks, credit guys. Didn't get much help from credit guys and police.

Hi "What_the"
I don't doubt a word you are saying. Every time I have to deal with any of these scum bags, I feel like I have to wash my hands just from talking to them on the phone.

It's sad, very sad. Our government allows private companies to be the sole "keepers" of personal financial reporting. If you talk to either of them (Equifax or TransUnion) on the phone, they won't do a thing for you because "How do we know who you are ?" quite right. But go on line and cross their palms with some green, all of a sudden, there is no need for copies of documents mailed to them we can send you this that and the other, because you've paid for an account.

I had several credit cards taken out in my name by a person who knew some of my personal details, but had NO copies of any personal documents. They were able to apply on line and get credit from 2 of 5 credit card companies that they tried.

In the case of all 5, TransUnion and Equifax accepted the queries from the credit card companies and divulged/confirmed my personal information. In addition on the "strength" of the inquiries from the 5 credit card companies, my home address, phone number were changed to different numbers. To this day 10 years later those numbers/addresses exist as "former addresses" of mine.

Even though any communication from me had to be backed with a mailed photocopy of government ID with my current address, they allowed all this exchange of information, including changing my phone number and address from their corporate client, on the strength of their corporate client receiving an online form from the crook.

Getting screwed around by TransUnion and Equifax was just the beginning, then came the credit card companies and the collection agencies.

I reported to all the proper agencies, including the RCMP. Knew who the crook was. The crook was stupid enough to pay for a vet bill for a cat, but in the end the stupidity of the crook was exceeded by the ineptness of the RCMP, and nothing happened to the bad person.

The credit card companies did accept after the three years that yes, in fact it wasn't me.

The fact that all through this time, and decades and decades before I had only one credit card, that I paid in full, never had a bad debt, never had a late payment on the card or any payment at all, zip. A person with a completely clean, exemplary credit record would all of a sudden attempt to obtain 5 credit cards in the space of a few weeks, get two credit cards run them to the limit in a week ????????

BUT when you hear a news item, or a Marketplace segment, "Make sure you notify Equifax and TransUnion".

The part that demonstrated the futility of the whole thing was the position of the credit card companies (in my case) about the reporting of the crime.

What had happened ? Bad person had obtained $5000 +/- from credit card company using my identity.
Victim: - Credit card company Crime: - Fraud Suspect: - bad person
Additional Victim: - Me Crime: Personation Suspect: - Bad Person
I didn't loose anything except the use of my identify and the horrible way I was treated by all. Identity theft is called "Personation" in the Criminal Code of Canada

Credit card companies position "You MUST report this fraud to the police, or we will continue to believe you took out the cards and have our money". Ah, shouldn't the victim of the fraud, report the fraud ???

But it's your fraud, "If you don't report you're on for the $5K."
OK the police will want to know some details :
- When was the credit application made ?
- How was the credit application made ?
- What did they buy ?
- How much did the get ?

We can't tell you that, because you've told us that you didn't make the application so your not allowed to be told.

How can I report a crime that took place some time around 3 years ago, to the police ? I don't even know which jurisdiction it happened in, which year, how the application was made.

They did give me some basic details after my insistence, and I called the CC company back and confirmed which jurisdiction I reported it to, the members name and the case number. Two days later I got a call from the CC company rep asking me if the police had finished their investigation yet.

[What_the]

And I thought I got screwed, 5cents. That sucks.
I sympathize. While trying to upgrade my phone and plan with the same provider over the phone they denied me because there was a flag on my equifax listing. I was scratching my head at that, now it makes sense. Paying for an account with equifax is not what the guy said, that bugger was phishing me to buy the account you're talking about. Son of a... I verified several times because I was dumb founded that they would charge to flag.

It's sounds just like collection agencies saying they want to help you by working the debt.total bs, they have no interest in helping you, they help them selves by getting a percentage of the debt they've recovered by threatening and harassment.

What a screwed up world.

Thanks for taking the time to clarify what you meant.

[my5cents]

What I do is I order my free Equifax credit report every July 1 and my free TransUnion credit report every Jan 1st.

It's not real clear on their web sights, now, but it used to be 1 free report from credit agency each every year, thus alternating every 6 months.

That way the longest you go without getting an update of any action is 6 months.

It's a pain to have to mail them, but the reply usually arrives within a few weeks. Sometimes it's REAL hard to find the form to send in on their respective sites. (REAL easy to find the button to order the $16.95 credit monitoring though)

I believe the reason they give you a free one is because the government MAKES them.

If you haven't seen one it's interesting.

To "encourage" people to buy the service, they don't give you your "credit score" with the free ones but they do show every creditor you have, who has enquired about you, all your addresses and phone numbers. It is revealing that "that old Bay card you cut up 5 years ago" is still on you credit as an outstanding creditor, with a $500 limit and a zero balance.

The way it works, your credit is based not only on what you owe, but what you have approved to owe. So if you've got a line of credit of $50,000.00 that you don't owe a cent on, $50 Gs of you borrowing ability is used up by the credit line. Same goes if you co-signed a $10,000 loan for a child/friend etc.

[Ken7]

Chances are it's an account in an offshore bank and her bank would have no control over it.

It likely is, although Bank to Bank they do shut things down. As I said I was defrauded, they were going to remove (Mastercard) the cash from his/her account although due to their negligence time had expired.

Banks have a lot more power then you will think.

[Ken7]

What I do is I order my free Equifax credit report every July 1 and my free TransUnion credit report every Jan 1st.

It's not real clear on their web sights, now, but it used to be 1 free report from credit agency each every year, thus alternating every 6 months.

That way the longest you go without getting an update of any action is 6 months.

It's a pain to have to mail them, but the reply usually arrives within a few weeks. Sometimes it's REAL hard to find the form to send in on their respective sites. (REAL easy to find the button to order the $16.95 credit monitoring though)

I believe the reason they give you a free one is because the government MAKES them.

If you haven't seen one it's interesting.

To "encourage" people to buy the service, they don't give you your "credit score" with the free ones but they do show every creditor you have, who has enquired about you, all your addresses and phone numbers. It is revealing that "that old Bay card you cut up 5 years ago" is still on you credit as an outstanding creditor, with a $500 limit and a zero balance.

The way it works, your credit is based not only on what you owe, but what you have approved to owe. So if you've got a line of credit of $50,000.00 that you don't owe a cent on, $50 Gs of you borrowing ability is used up by the credit line. Same goes if you co-signed a $10,000 loan for a child/friend etc.

It used to be every time you did a credit check / score it made you a higher risk. Not sure why, in saying that you are correct on the way they do it. I have a large sum of cash in my possession, my wife had little. Funny her score was higher then mine, which makes it confusing.

[my5cents]

It used to be every time you did a credit check / score it made you a higher risk. Not sure why, in saying that you are correct on the way they do it. I have a large sum of cash in my possession, my wife had little. Funny her score was higher then mine, which makes it confusing.

There are different types of enquiries. Your own doesn't even get reported to others checking you credit.

Enquires are part of my story as well.

At the time of all my problems, I didn't have any loans, and didn't need any. I had a small mortgage, one credit card that paid in full every month and a line of credit with nothing owing. All from the same major bank. I didn't even have any dormant credit cards, no gas card, no department stores zip. I was the poster child for good credit.

I hadn't been checking my credit reports, then retired and had time to do all of those "round tuits". When I got the report back from Equifax, several "new" addresses and phone numbers, two bad debts for two credit cards, enquiries from 5 credit card companies prior to the issuing of the two fraud ones, later inquires from all sorts of debt collectors.

I discovered this had happened about 3 years after it had happened. I wasn't borrowing money, I wasn't changing anything so there were alarm bells going off. The fraud cards were taken out with the use of "new" addresses so my real address was the third down the list, nobody ever called, zip.

You can imagine if I had applied for a loan, they would have looked at all the enquiries from credit card companies, then collection agencies it wouldn't have been pretty.

Were I'm going with this is.... even after all was settled, all the queries still remaining on my record, all the phoney addresses and phone numbers, also in other provinces and all the collection agency inquiries remained.

Nobody gave a fiddler's damn.

I would talk to a representative for one of the credit card companies, explain, ask what I could do to help, they would say report to the police (even though I'm reporting the fact that they were the victim), fully cooperate, then a day or so later, a collector would call me and ask "when can we expect a payment" I would explain I had talked to the credit card company and was awaiting a police investigation and they would ask "Well then why would the bank assign this to us ?" (In other words, I must be lying)

The very very least helpful in the whole thing were Equifax and TransUnion, but it was a close race, nobody helped.