The content of the article:
Banks are building increasingly complex data protection systems, and criminals are inventing ever more ingenious ways to circumvent them. Let's look at the most likely causes of money leakage from an account (not always malicious) and tell you what to do if this happens.
Is it really true that the money was written off unauthorized?
Before sounding the alarm, the bank client needs to make sure that the debit transaction, which he did not personally carry out, is indeed fraudulent.
In your personal mobile or online banking account, you need to check information about the latest debits from your account.
Clients often forget about service subscriptions that were once connected in test mode and then became paid, or about automatic payments that were set up. If this is the case, then you should simply disable unnecessary services yourself or through the support service.
If a preliminary check has confirmed that the matter is not a matter of forgetfulness, you should act based on the reason for the unauthorized write-off.
Possible reasons for writing off without notice
The first reason is accidental: a technical error.
There is no malice on anyone's part here.
It is possible that a technical glitch occurred when paying for a purchase, the client entered the PIN or confirmation code twice, and the funds were debited from the card again. Banking experts assure that this happens quite often. You need to contact your bank, after verification they will return the excessively withheld amount.
Sometimes banks themselves experience technical failures in the system or when dispensing money from an ATM. There is no need to panic - even if the money has been debited from the card, the bank will recognize the mistake and return the funds to the account.
You can read about the opposite situation, when the error seems to work in favor of the client and the bank accidentally overcharges him.
The second reason is legal: direct debit
Sometimes a person himself creates a situation where this forced measure is applied to him.
Money can be written off by court order from the account without notifying the client if he has outstanding obligations to pay alimony, taxes, fines, or debts.
If the client has an overdue loan debt, there are enough funds in his account, and the agreement provides for direct write-off, the bank can withhold the amount of the debt without warning.
The third reason is illegal: the actions of scammers
Criminals have managed to invent many ways to empty other people’s accounts, sometimes very sophisticated ones, but essentially all the ways scammers withdraw money from a bank card come down to 2 options:
A. Theft of physical media:
B. Information theft:
What to do if money is stolen
If you notice suspicious transactions on your bank account or your card is lost, you should proceed as follows:
What else can you do?
You can protect your bank account by taking preventive measures. You can prohibit payment for purchases without SMS notifications. For example, in Sberbank Online you can do this yourself. Select “Payments” in the menu and go to the “Tariffs and Limits” section. Click on “Limits and restrictions on cards” and disable the “Online purchases without SMS confirmation” setting. If the card is not used for online shopping at all, the “Online Shopping” function can be disabled completely.
Many banks offer a paid service of insurance against fraudulent transactions. If funds are debited from the client’s account without his permission, the bank undertakes to immediately return everything at its own expense.
Is it possible to return written-off funds?
If funds were debited from the account by a court decision or due to a debt to the bank, then, of course, it cannot be returned.
Usually they refuse to refund money if the transaction was made using a confirmation code sent to the cardholder’s phone. Banks refer to a clause in the contract that states that secret codes cannot be shared with anyone, otherwise the organization declines responsibility for violating security rules. The client is required to return the money if he can prove that he did not disclose confidential information, and the withdrawal of funds occurred due to holes in the bank’s security system.
If the money was written off by the bank itself, and the client is sure that he has no overdue debt to him, then most likely the reason is a technical failure and the funds will be returned soon after the application.
If, during cash withdrawal, a failure occurred in the ATM itself and the money was not dispensed, after calling the support service, the money will be returned to the account.
Safety Reminder
We recommend observing the following precautions:
What you need to know about unauthorized debiting of money from your card: briefly
(c) Svetlana Gorbacheva
www.banki.ru
- Is it really true that the money was written off unauthorized?
- Possible reasons for writing off without notice
- What to do if money is stolen
- What else can you do?
- Is it possible to return written-off funds?
- Safety Reminder
Banks are building increasingly complex data protection systems, and criminals are inventing ever more ingenious ways to circumvent them. Let's look at the most likely causes of money leakage from an account (not always malicious) and tell you what to do if this happens.
Is it really true that the money was written off unauthorized?
Before sounding the alarm, the bank client needs to make sure that the debit transaction, which he did not personally carry out, is indeed fraudulent.
In your personal mobile or online banking account, you need to check information about the latest debits from your account.
Clients often forget about service subscriptions that were once connected in test mode and then became paid, or about automatic payments that were set up. If this is the case, then you should simply disable unnecessary services yourself or through the support service.
If a preliminary check has confirmed that the matter is not a matter of forgetfulness, you should act based on the reason for the unauthorized write-off.
Possible reasons for writing off without notice
The first reason is accidental: a technical error.
There is no malice on anyone's part here.
It is possible that a technical glitch occurred when paying for a purchase, the client entered the PIN or confirmation code twice, and the funds were debited from the card again. Banking experts assure that this happens quite often. You need to contact your bank, after verification they will return the excessively withheld amount.
Sometimes banks themselves experience technical failures in the system or when dispensing money from an ATM. There is no need to panic - even if the money has been debited from the card, the bank will recognize the mistake and return the funds to the account.
You can read about the opposite situation, when the error seems to work in favor of the client and the bank accidentally overcharges him.
The second reason is legal: direct debit
Sometimes a person himself creates a situation where this forced measure is applied to him.
Money can be written off by court order from the account without notifying the client if he has outstanding obligations to pay alimony, taxes, fines, or debts.
If the client has an overdue loan debt, there are enough funds in his account, and the agreement provides for direct write-off, the bank can withhold the amount of the debt without warning.
The third reason is illegal: the actions of scammers
Criminals have managed to invent many ways to empty other people’s accounts, sometimes very sophisticated ones, but essentially all the ways scammers withdraw money from a bank card come down to 2 options:
A. Theft of physical media:
- First of all, it could be a simple theft of a card . A thief will not be able to withdraw cash from an ATM without knowing the PIN code, but he can make small non-cash and online purchases without entering a PIN code until the person’s card runs out of money or he blocks it.
- Criminals can use a stolen passport to gain access to the victim's bank accounts or open a loan in her name, withdrawing funds until the accounts are blocked.
- The ATM may not accidentally swallow the card. The attacker places a trap for the victim's card in the card reader, while he himself stands somewhere nearby and remembers the PIN code. After unsuccessful attempts to remove the card, the victim goes to the bank employees for help, while the fraudster quickly empties the account. This type of theft is called trapping.
B. Information theft:
- Calls from spoofed phone numbers. Fraudsters pose as bank employees and, using various psychological manipulations, so-called social engineering, trick the victim into giving them a login password to enter their personal account or card details, including secret CVC/CVV and PIN code, and then steal money from the card. But how can you understand that an attacker is calling if the bank number is identified? If you are asked to provide confirmation codes, passwords, secret codes, this clearly indicates a criminal.
- Phishing attacks that redirect to fake Internet resources that disguise themselves as official websites of banks, government departments, and large online stores. Unsuspecting users enter logins, passwords, and bank card details, and all confidential information falls into the hands of criminals. Fake applications that the victim installed on the phone with their own hands work in the same way.
- Skimming, i.e. copying the data and PIN code of the card at the moment when it is directly in the ATM. To do this, a magnetic stripe reader, a hidden camera, and sometimes a fake keyboard overlay are temporarily installed in the ATM. Based on the data received, criminals create a duplicate card and withdraw money from it. It is difficult to protect against this, since not everyone will be able to detect spy equipment with the naked eye.
What to do if money is stolen
If you notice suspicious transactions on your bank account or your card is lost, you should proceed as follows:
- Urgently call the bank's hotline, explain the situation, and block the card. This can also be done through the bank's online application.
- If the money has already been debited from the account, you should personally come to the bank branch and submit a written application according to the established form. Most banks have a notification period of 24 hours from the date of an unauthorized transaction.
- Wait for an answer: the bank will either return the money or refuse. In standard situations, review takes up to 30 days. If the theft was committed abroad, the period may be extended.
- If you receive a refusal, you can go to court.
What else can you do?
You can protect your bank account by taking preventive measures. You can prohibit payment for purchases without SMS notifications. For example, in Sberbank Online you can do this yourself. Select “Payments” in the menu and go to the “Tariffs and Limits” section. Click on “Limits and restrictions on cards” and disable the “Online purchases without SMS confirmation” setting. If the card is not used for online shopping at all, the “Online Shopping” function can be disabled completely.
Many banks offer a paid service of insurance against fraudulent transactions. If funds are debited from the client’s account without his permission, the bank undertakes to immediately return everything at its own expense.
Is it possible to return written-off funds?
If funds were debited from the account by a court decision or due to a debt to the bank, then, of course, it cannot be returned.
Usually they refuse to refund money if the transaction was made using a confirmation code sent to the cardholder’s phone. Banks refer to a clause in the contract that states that secret codes cannot be shared with anyone, otherwise the organization declines responsibility for violating security rules. The client is required to return the money if he can prove that he did not disclose confidential information, and the withdrawal of funds occurred due to holes in the bank’s security system.
If the money was written off by the bank itself, and the client is sure that he has no overdue debt to him, then most likely the reason is a technical failure and the funds will be returned soon after the application.
If, during cash withdrawal, a failure occurred in the ATM itself and the money was not dispensed, after calling the support service, the money will be returned to the account.
Safety Reminder
We recommend observing the following precautions:
- Store documents and bank cards securely; if you lose your passport, immediately write a statement to the police; if your card is lost, immediately block it.
- Under no circumstances should you disclose passwords for logging into online banking, card PIN codes or other confidential information to strangers.
- Never give your personal card to an employee of a retail outlet; all payments must be made only from the holder’s hands.
- Always cover the keypad when entering your PIN.
- Download programs and applications only from reliable official sources.
- Use modern web browsers with anti-phishing filters, regularly updating anti-virus software databases.
- Do not enter any personal data on pages that are not protected by the https protocol. The closed padlock icon in the address bar symbolizes a secure connection.
- Do not follow links from messengers from unknown sources, do not open spam messages.
- Withdraw cash from ATMs installed in bank branches, and even in this case, pay attention to the presence of foreign objects on the device.
- In all situations that raise questions, contact the bank's support service.
What you need to know about unauthorized debiting of money from your card: briefly
- Fraudsters are not always behind a card transaction that was not carried out by the client. This could be a subscription fee to some service (for example, an online cinema) or a technical error. In addition, money can be written off by court decision for debts on alimony or utilities.
- Make sure that the write-off actually happened. This can be done in your personal mobile or online banking account.
- If the money was written off not by a court decision or for a paid subscription, block the card by calling the bank’s hotline or in your personal online banking account.
- Within 24 hours from the date of the unauthorized transaction, contact the bank with a statement, preferably in writing.
- If it turns out that your card data is compromised (for example, it was used by family members or you disclosed confidential banking information to third parties), the bank will refuse compensation for the stolen funds.
(c) Svetlana Gorbacheva
«Списали деньги с карты без моего ведома»: почему это может произойти и что делать
За несанкционированным списанием не всегда стоят мошенники.
