Suddenly lost 94 million in bank account

The ATM card was still in his wallet and he was living in Hanoi, but Mr. Tam's account had more than 94 million VND withdrawn overnight in Ho Chi Minh City.

Mr. Hoang Minh Tam in Hanoi said that he has been using a debit card account of Saigon Thuong Tin Commercial Bank (Sacombank) for more than 7 years now. He has always used it for transactions, payments andcurrently has a balance of more than 94 million VND in the account.

Around midnight on April 24, messages reporting withdrawal transactions were continuously sent to his phone. However, it was not until the morning of April 25 that Mr. Tam checked his phone and discovered that there were messages reporting that a total of more than 94 million VND had been withdrawn. For every successful transaction, 10 million VND was deducted. 9 transactions deducted a total of 90 million VND, and the last transaction had a balance of 4.9 million, so the bad guys withdrew this amount.

"I checked again and found the card was still in my wallet and I have never revealed my personal password to anyone before," he said.said he immediately called the card operator to ask them to lock the account, then went to the bank branch in Hanoi to file a complaint and ask for an investigation.

The message informed that the transaction was successful and money was deducted from Mr. Tam's account.

Speaking to VnExpress, a Sacombank representative said that after receiving the information, the bank immediately conducted an inspection. Initially, the bank determined that the reason the customer lost money was because the information was stolen by a thief to make a fake card to withdraw money. Sacombank will refund the customer tomorrow (April 26), and is coordinating with the High-Tech Police (C50) to investigate.

Previously, several cases similar to Mr. Tam's had occurred.

The police investigation results show that the cause of money loss is often due to the cardholder's card information being disclosed when letting family members or others use it, or having their account information stolen... Bank representatives recommend that to limit risks when using cards, customers need to keep their cards safe, keep their PIN numbers secret, not lend or let others use the card, and promptly contact the Customer Care Center for timely support.

Regarding the recent loss of money in card accounts by some customers due to cybercrime attacks, experts say that this is a normal incident that can happen in any financial system in the world. The recent loss of money by customers is also an isolated case, criminals steal or defraud customers, obtain login information to electronic banking services or payment card numbers through parties outside the banking system...

On the other hand, as Vietnamese banks grow stronger and the number of customers increases, security will become more and more complicated and stressful. Especially when cyber criminals are always running ahead and taking the lead in information technology.

Late last year, the State Bank issued Circular 30, adding regulations on handling complaints, providing guidance on payment intermediary services and managing ATM operations to ensure safety.

In case the loss is not due to the cardholder's fault or is not subject to force majeure as agreed in the contract, the bank must compensate within a maximum of 5 working days from the date of verification results. The maximum time limit for card issuers to notify verification results is 45 days.

If the deadline for handling the request for verification or complaint as agreed in the contract has expired but the cause or fault of the party has not yet been determined, within the next 15 working days, the card issuing organization must agree with the cardholder on a solution or temporarily compensate for the loss until there is a final conclusion from the competent authority clearly defining the fault and responsibility of the parties.

In cases where there are signs of crime, the State Bank stipulates that the handling of the results of the investigation and complaints is the responsibility of the competent state agency. If it is determined that there are no criminal elements, the card issuing organization will agree with the cardholder on a plan to handle the results of the investigation and complaints within 15 working days.

According to VNE