Victim of fraud and the bank takes no responsibility

My friend Tipa was never one to trust easily, but she always sees the best in others. At 60, she has lived a quiet, humble life, shaped by her kindness and the simple joy she finds in helping others.

Arriving in Canada from Thailand in 2001, she worked, and continues to work as a healthcare professional for stroke victims, she spends her days providing comfort and support, knowing how precious the little things in life are. She has no family to lean on—no children, no spouse. Just herself and the love she gives freely to everyone around her.

One morning, Tipa sat at her small kitchen table, sipping her tea when she saw an email in her inbox. The message seemed urgent, even reassuring—something about a refund she was entitled to. When she contacted them, they asked for her credit card information so they could process the refund. She provided that to them, they attempted to TAKE money, not refund it. These two transactions were halted by CIBC. The system worked as it should have. Thanks to the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce who noticed this odd behaviour and stopped it before it could happen.

But they reached out to her again, this time posing as the Royal Bank of Canada, which happens to be her financial institution. They claimed it was a fraud investigation, and they claimed they needed her help to catch some criminals within their bank. As English is her second language, she wasn’t entirely sure what was happening, but Tipa was no stranger to helping others, and the thought of doing good warmed her heart. Maybe, just maybe, she was being given the opportunity to make a difference.

The scam unfolded quickly. A man, posing as a Royal Bank fraud investigator, was on the phone with Tipa for quite some time, trying to guide her through every step. When she did not understand, he said he would help her. She could download an application and share her screen and he would help her through it. He was patient, kind, speaking slowly in a tone that made her feel safe. Her heart swelled with a sense of purpose as she followed his instructions, trusting that she was doing the right thing. He told her they would process transactions, and she would have to help track it. The transactions, he said, would be quick, a mere formality. Anything that was coming out to catch these criminals would be replaced soon.

But as Tipa clicked “share” that fateful day, the scam took root, silently draining her of everything. Her line of credit, which had sat unused for 15 years, suddenly saw large sums transferred to her chequing account—$30,000, $25,800, $18,900, $28,400, $18,600, $28,150, $25,000—over a two week period. By the time Tipa realized something was wrong, the money was gone, wired out to an unknown destination, just like that. $160,000, gone. And another $3000 and growing, based on the interest the Royal Bank of Canada is charging her.

The shock hit her harder than she could have imagined. She gets emotional when she thinks about it, and has sought counselling for her mental health as a result. She didn’t know much about technology, and English wasn’t her first language, but she tried her best to understand what had happened. RBC told her that even though she hadn’t given them her password, the fact that she shared her screen was enough for them to consider it her responsibility. Tipa felt a lump in her throat. She had been a loyal customer of the Royal Bank of Canada for almost 25 years, having this account for 15 of them, never using the credit line, never thinking it could be a target. In fact, she thought she had to go to the bank to sign for that money if she ever had to use it. The account had been a backup, a safeguard—but no one had safeguarded her.

The bank’s response was cold. They told her that they could maybe recover $28,150, the amount of the last transaction, but they needed her to sign an indemnity form first. Tipa had no idea what this form meant, it was all legal jargon, and no one at RBC offered to explain it to her. They had already had it filled out with her personal details, even before she arrived for the meeting. The fraud department never contacted her, even after she reported it to the branch. When she asked for help, the bank brushed her off, saying it wasn’t their responsibility. Instead, they offered to restructure her line of credit to a lower interest rate.

It was as if they were offering her a lifeline but tying it to a rock. The police officer who took her report was more helpful than RBC. Even though they cannot recover the money (that's the bank's role), they will do what they can to catch these criminals, but it could take years.

Tipa, a woman who had fought through breast cancer in 2012, and two hips replaced in 2018 due to the excruciating pain she was in, is now facing a battle she never imagined—against a system that doesn’t seem to care. RBC, which has earned billions in the past few years, has insurance for commercial crime and social engineering fraud, but it is not her pain they are concerned with—it is their bottom line.

And still, the most gut-wrenching part? The silence. No one ever called to check on her. No one from the fraud department reached out. She only spoke with them when she was in the bank recently, only to hear they would do nothing to help her. No one from the bank seemed to acknowledge her distress, her pain, the stolen trust that will haunt her for the rest of her life. Even when it was escalated as an official complaint, they acknowledged the complaint via an auto-email, only to follow that with a complaint resolution auto-email a week later without ever contacting her!

Tipa has always trusted others, always sees the good in people. But in the end, it is her trust that is taken—and no one seems to care.

The reason I share Tipa's story is three-fold. Firstly, I am appalled at RBC's response, or lack thereof in support of this sweet older lady that has been victimized. Why did they not notice this odd behaviour and put a stop to it? Never having used an account that had been opened for 15 years and suddenly tens of thousands of dollars move to her chequing account and wired out in the first two days of this tragic event. Why was this not flagged and stopped? There is such a thing as Anti-Money Laundering (AML) and Know Your Customer (KYC) that the regulators have imposed on banks. Would this not fall into either of these categories? Not even forgiving the interest and structuring a repayment plan with this loyal customer. It's only their bottom line that matters to them. This part is not over as far as I am concerned.

Secondly, please, please PLEASE watch your family, friends, close colleagues and their online behaviours, particularly those that are older, not tech savvy, have English as their second language and/or are susceptible to influence. Do not let this happen to someone you care about. These bad actors are everywhere and use techniques that are believable, bilking people out of millions of dollars. Encourage open dialogue with regard to their online activities. It's horrifying, and I am doing everything I can to educate my friend so this does not happen again, as well as trying to help her recover as much of this money as possible.

And that brings me to the final point. I created this GoFundMe request to help this sweet lady recover this money so she can keep her home. Retirement is out of the question at this point, but her inability to cover more than her current mortgage and other bills means she will lose her home. I just cannot sit back and watch that happen without reaching out to the kind people in this world who are willing to help.

Just $10 from 16,000 people will save this woman's home, and her life. I ask you with all sincerity, can you find a place in your heart to give Tipa a small sum of money, and share this GoFundMe page within your network to support her. Thank you for your time and consideration. I am grateful for your support of my friend.

Kind regards,

Kelley Gray