Marianne stopped scammer: “It didn’t sound like Martin”
Even though the call came from the customer’s mobile phone, the experienced adviser from Middelfart Sparekasse was nobody's fool. The voice didn't sound right, and her long-standing customer had never talked about buying a speed boat.
Buying time
"In such situations with a potential scammer, buying time is essential. I therefore told him that we were having problems with our systems, and I needed to look into it. I promised to call him back within half an hour.”
It was not just the nasal voice that aroused her suspicion. Throughout the years, she has had many meetings with Martin and knows that he is very fond of bowling. But she had never heard him dream of a speed boat.
“I thought that his phone might have been stolen. It was the only number I had on him, so I called his wife. She would know if they were buying a speed boat. As she didn't pick up the phone, I decided to try his work.”
After another few calls, she managed to reach a colleague who immediately told them that Martin's mobile phone had actually been stolen on his way home from a company event the day before.
"When I got Martin on the phone, it turned out that he had blocked his card the night before," says the adviser. She immediately froze the customer's online banking access and handed the matter over to the bank's fraud department.
Transferred DKK 49,000
As it later turned out, the scammer had accessed the customer’s MitID and been to borger.dk, possibly to prepare for any control questions asked by the savings bank, such as the names of relatives.
“The scammer had been successful in transferring nearly DKK 49,000 from an account with an overdraft facility through MobilePay. Afterwards, Martin was fortunate enough to be reimbursed for the amount by MobilePay,” says Marianne Holst Mejdahl.
Is the money coming soon?
After having talked to the fraudster over the phone, she received several messages from him through the bank's online banking system, trying to force her to transfer the money quickly: 'I'm going to lunch now, the money should be transferred within half an hour.'
“I found it intimidating, so I can’t imagine how intimidated Martin felt. It was a truly unpleasant experience for him. But Martin wasn't able to tell exactly how the scammer managed to do it.”
Large bunch of flowers from the customer
The customer and his wife were very grateful for the vigilant adviser who stopped the scammer. They came to the savings bank to thank her.
“They gave me the largest bunch of flowers ever.”
The episode was shared throughout the savings bank and was especially relevant because it happened right before the music festival Tinderbox, where customers often lose their mobiles.
“It’s a reminder of how important it is to have different passwords. It may be tempting to use the password you already know, but using the same password for your phone and online bank is definitely a bad idea,” establishes Marianne Holst Mejdahl.
“The problem is also that scammers have become so good. The general trust we have in each other has come under pressure.”
The adviser describes herself as a person who believes in the good in people. However, her vigilance has once before prevented a scammer from carrying out their tricks.
“Most colleagues think I have a nose for it. As regards Martin, the main point is that we have to know our customers well. Our bank believes in attentiveness and contact, and in this case, we saw the true value of it.”