A young woman from Jonquière, victim of phishing, had to fight Desjardins for more than two months to recover her $2,000 savings. It was only yesterday afternoon after questions from Le Protocol, that he was promised a refund.
“What a gift! exclaimed Catherine Giguère, still reeling from the emotions of winning her case.
In an emotional interview a few hours earlier, Visa Desjardins made her feel “stupid, betrayed, but above all abandoned”.
The apprentice sommelier had even warned her credit card issuer about the costly mishap that nearly ended her dream of studying in France.
In light of the questions asked by Le Journal yesterday, Desjardins’ investigative team has finally revised its file.
“The refund could be confirmed to the cardholder,” was the statement of a company spokesman.
A dream apartment
Catherine Giguère’s problems began last September when she thought she had found the ideal apartment for her studies in Bordeaux, the wine capital.
Screenshot provided by Catherine Giguère
A photo of the property in the ad.
The small studio is not only located in the heart of the city center, but according to the announcement of a large French real estate rental platform, costs only 500 euros per month.
The Quebecer therefore contacted the owner, who sent her a link to proceed “via Booking”.
As noted by Le Journal, the website looked unmistakably “genuine,” and the property’s listing had more than 100 comments from previous visitors.
Screenshot provided by Catherine Giguère
The website looked the same as Booking.com, except the address was more like Booking.rent-longterm.com.
The young woman gained confidence and agreed to make a transfer to her host through international transfer site Wise to confirm the reservation for April.
She paid 500 euros for a first month plus a deposit of 1000 euros or just over 2000 Canadian dollars to the so-called owner … who then disappeared with her money.
A few days later, the Signal Scams website listed three alleged scams using the same instructions it received.
Panicked, Catherine Giguère tried everything to get back the money she had painstakingly saved by moving into her parents’ basement.
She unsuccessfully contacted her financial advisor, Saguenay Police, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, a lawyer…
lack of empathy
According to her, Visa Desjardins has also repeatedly refused to reimburse her, claiming that she voluntarily made the transaction to an individual.
“I regret the lack of information, understanding and empathy on their part. For them, $2,000 is a drop in the bucket,” claims the customer service representative.
Like many Quebecers in recent days, she regrets that the steps fraud victims take to assert their rights are so often haphazard and frustrating.
TO PROTECT AGAINST ONLINE FRAUD
- Always check that the URL address is that of the official website.
- Never click on links sent to you via SMS or email.
- Also, do not click on attachments or links that may contain viruses and spyware.
- Do not reveal personal information on social media.
- Also, be wary of emails that contain spelling and formatting errors.
Source: Canadian Anti-Fraud Center
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