BRAC Bank client alleges his card was forged to pay for shopping

Days after money was withdrawn from accounts of several clients through ATM card fraud, a BRAC Bank client has alleged his bankcard has been forged for shopping.

Farhan Fardausbdnews24.com
Published : 22 Feb 2016, 04:13 PM
Updated : 22 Feb 2016, 06:12 PM

Prito Reza, a professional photographer, said someone had paid Tk 24,900 from his BRAC Bank debit card to a shop on Saturday night though the card was with him at the time.

“I received an SMS on my mobile phone at 8:05pm saying I had just purchased goods worth Tk 24,900 from a shop named Fair Connection (with my card),” he told bdnews24.com on Monday.

He said his first thought was that his card had been lost but, on finding the card in his wallet, he figured out that it was a case of forgery.

BRAC Bank Head of Communication Zara Jabeen Mahbub told bdnews24.com they were looking into the allegation.

Reza has brought forth the allegation while police are still investigating a fraud ring that has drawn hundreds of thousands of takas from banks using clone cards.

Police have arrested four suspected members of one ring -- a foreigner and three bank employees.

Reza claimed he immediately informed the BRAC Bank customer care centre, hoping that the bank could do something immediately as the perpetrator might still be at the shop at the time.

He was told that the bank could do nothing as contacting the vendor without a written complaint was against the rules.

Reza said customer care did not even provide the address of the shop.

Reza filed the written complaint on Monday.

BRAC Bank head of communication Mahbub said the bank had launched an investigation after seeing Reza's Facebook post on the issue.

She said the bank 'feels sorry' for Reza as he wrote he was 'shocked'.

Sumon Ahmed Sabir, Chief strategy officer of Fiber@Home, a firm working on microchip security, said the frauds have to steal information from a card by setting a skimming device near the card reader.

The information is used to clone a card.

They get the PIN code by installing cameras near the card reader, he said.

Bangladesh Bank found skimming devices and cameras installed in six ATM booths during the recent fraud.

BRAC Bank's name did not arise in the investigation.

Reza said he uses his card at the bank's Banani ATM booth, or for shopping at supermarkets Shwapno, Aarong and Agora.