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October 29, Bucharest. In recent months, the Alternative Banking Dispute Resolution Center (CSALB) has received dozens of complaints related to banking channel fraud. In each of these cases, consumers turn to banks for help recovering their lost money. Unfortunately, in most fraud cases, the funds stolen by cybercriminals quickly disappear, being repeatedly transferred through multiple bank accounts and/or payment institutions.
Next week is Black Friday — the day with the biggest discounts of the year, but also with the most transactions and payments. In 2024 alone, over 1.15 million transactions worth 660 million lei were recorded that day. The sheer volume of online payments attracts cybercriminals like a magnet. One of Romania’s largest payment and card processors reported that last year, the number of suspicious and blocked transactions increased by 159% compared to the previous year.
Fraudulent Account Activity Reported to CSALB
So far this year, in only eight cases of fraud have banks accepted consumers’ requests and entered the CSALB conciliation process. In these exceptional situations, banks refunded part of the stolen amounts, on the condition that the money be returned to the bank if the police manage to recover the damages. The reason banks give for accepting certain fraud-related cases is to preserve their commercial relationship with those customers.
Types of Fraud and Channels Used: What Consumers Report to CSALB
|ONLINE COMMERCE| “I was the victim of an online fraud through a marketplace platform. After posting a sales ad, I was contacted by a supposed buyer who, under the pretext of making the payment, directed me to a seemingly legitimate link. After entering my card details, I was called by someone claiming to be an operator from the online store. Through verbal and psychological pressure, this person deceived me into providing personal information, including codes received by SMS, under the pretense of a bank verification. Without realizing that I was authorizing transactions, I made payments totaling 14,972 lei from my account. I notified the bank after discovering the loss and filed a police report. Fortunately, the bank agreed to refund the lost amount, provided that I return it if the police recover the money.”
|FAKE BROKER| “I was scammed by unknown individuals posing as stock market investment brokers. After entering my personal data on a company’s website, I was contacted by a man who presented several investment plans and asked me to transfer 1,250 lei to a bank account. After doing so, he told me to install the Anydesk app for further instructions. Once installed, my banking app was illegally accessed, and two transfers totaling 19,900 euros were made. After realizing this, I called the bank’s call center within minutes and asked them to block my account and the transactions. Following the bank’s advice, I immediately filed an online complaint.”
|E-MAIL| “I first received an email that I opened, then a message saying my phone number had been changed in relation to the bank. I noticed I could no longer access home banking. When I finally regained access, my account was empty. Although I asked to block the accounts, transactions continued to go through.”
|CHAT GROUPS| “I was contacted via WhatsApp by someone pretending to be a friend from my contact list. In fact, they were scammers — I transferred and lost 3,500 lei.”
|DATA THEFT| “I was defrauded of 5,000 lei by someone pretending to be my son. He asked me to send a photo of my card and approve a 3D-Secure payment. I immediately reported it to the bank and police with evidence. However, the bank refused to refund me, claiming I had authorized the payment. I wish to contest this decision, as the transaction was fraudulent and confirmed by the police.”
|MOBILE APPS| “For three days, I was the victim of a complex fraud scheme in which unauthorized individuals accessed my bank account through phone calls and a fake banking app. I clicked on an online ad supposedly promoting a Bucharest Stock Exchange investment opportunity. I later downloaded a recommended app and was contacted by people claiming to be bank employees — the call even appeared to come from the bank’s official number. Under the pretense of helping me make a 950-lei transaction, they took control of my account and, without my consent, obtained a 54,000-lei instant loan from a non-banking institution in my name.”
|UNAUTHORIZED PAYMENTS| “After my mobile phone was stolen, I discovered the card enrolled on the device was being used without my consent. Ten unauthorized transactions were made from my bank account totaling 50,071 lei. I am asking the bank to reimburse this amount, as the fraud is evident.”
|SOCIAL MEDIA| “I was contacted on TikTok by someone claiming to run an online trading program. They told me if I invested £100, I’d earn £1,500, and if I invested £600, I’d make £176,000 in cryptocurrency. In reality, I never received any money and lost £14,600.”
|CARD DATA| “Money disappeared from my account through unauthorized transactions made via Google Pay. I was manipulated into providing my card details and authorizing its enrollment on a foreign device.”
| FAKE LINK | “After listing concert tickets for sale, a supposed buyer sent me a fake bank interface link, claiming the money would be transferred once I accessed it. Believing it was a safe payment, I entered the 3D-Secure code. Later, I discovered two transactions of 4,902 lei each. I contacted the bank and the police in Voluntari. Account records show the funds remained unsettled for three days, during which the bank could have blocked or canceled the payments. However, the bank refused to reimburse me, claiming I had authorized the transactions via 3D-Secure.”
