Melissa Plett, an RBC customer, lost $14,510 to a sophisticated bank investigator scam where fraudsters spoofed RBC's number and guided her to unknowingly transfer money. RBC denied her refund, stating she was responsible for being active in her account. This incident highlights a growing scam, with the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre reporting $11.7 million in losses this year, and calls for stronger federal regulations to protect victims.
RBC tells customer she's responsible for $14K stolen from account in bank investigator scam
Royal Bank Of CanadaBank fraudBank investigator scamCanadaMontrealCanadian Anti-Fraud CentreOption consommateursCheryl BreanJeff HorncastleMelissa PlettSylvie De BellefeuilleBusinessBanking and creditConsumer bankingGeneral newsCrimeFraud and scamsTheftUnited StatesTechnology
AI Summary
TL;DR: Key points with love ❤️Melissa Plett, an RBC customer, lost $14,510 to a sophisticated bank investigator scam where fraudsters spoofed RBC's number and guided her to unknowingly transfer money. RBC denied her refund, stating she was responsible for being active in her account. This incident highlights a growing scam, with the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre reporting $11.7 million in losses this year, and calls for stronger federal regulations to protect victims.
Trending- 1 Melissa Plett received a fraudulent call purportedly from RBC last month
- 2 Plett lost $14,510 from her RBC accounts
- 3 RBC denied Plett's refund request twice
- 4 Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre tallied $11.7 million in victim losses for the first six months of this year
- 5 Montreal police identified at least 220 RBC customers as victims of this fraud, with $1.5 million in total losses
- 6 Plett escalated her case to the final level at RBC
- 7 CBC News sent media inquiry to RBC about Plett's case
- 8 RBC called Plett to say they are investigating the matter (hours after CBC inquiry)
- 9 Federal government held consultations on proposed changes to strengthen federal protections for bank customers last year
- Victims like Melissa Plett suffer significant financial losses and feel victimized twice (by the fraud and by their bank's refusal to reimburse).
- This highlights a need for stronger federal regulations to protect consumers from increasingly sophisticated scams.
What: Melissa Plett lost $14,510 from her RBC accounts due to a sophisticated bank investigator scam, and RBC denied her request for a refund, holding her responsible.
When: Published 2025-07-08. The scam call occurred last month. The Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre has tallied $11.7 million in victim losses for the first six months of this year, nearly double last year's amount for the same period.
Where: Canada, specifically Montreal and Vancouver (where the fraudulent activity was purported to originate).
Why: Fraudsters used sophisticated techniques like call spoofing and detailed scripts to trick victims into unknowingly facilitating transfers, leading to significant financial losses. RBC's policy places responsibility on the customer if they were active in their account.
How: Fraudsters posed as RBC fraud investigators, spoofed the bank's number, and instructed Melissa Plett to log into her banking app and follow steps that resulted in money being transferred out of her accounts.