Thread: BCA ATM scam warning

All my money has been stolen from my BCA bank account. I suspect my card has been skimmed when using a BCA ATM or the BCA computer mainfraime has been hacked. BCA is burying their head, and after giving them a few weeks and a hard time, I have nothing left than to share my bad experience to the world. I've sent out below text to several newspapers. Please beware.

Denpasar, 20th December 2008

BCA scams

In a recent article, the Jakarta Post described that many people have moved their money from smaller banks to state owned banks and BCA to feel more secure during the economical crisis. But really how secure is your money at BCA?

Several customers, including myself have been a victim of ATM card skimming when using a BCA ATM. No lost or stolen bank card, nobody knows my PIN code, it’s not a credit card fraude. I am the average, careful bank card user, just like you. Skimming your bank card is done by criminals that modify the bank’s ATM to reproduce your ATM card, including your PIN. The result is a completely empty bank account. In this case all the money was taken from ATM’s in Toronto, Canada. This is a country where I (nor the other victims I know) have ever been to in our lives. We also couldn’t possibly be doing ATM transactions from both Indonesia and Canada at the same time during the days that it took to milk our accounts.

How do I know all this? By sharing my experiences on internet, not from BCA itself where nobody has the courage to say anything but: “please wait” (being broke)” until we have finished investigating this”. More than three weeks have past and the message has changed into: “we need more time, please keep waiting” (indefinitely, without your money and any information or assurance from our side).

We trust our money to a bank because it is considered safe and convenient. So everyone should (re)consider these very important facts before you trust your money to any bank. Make sure their banking services have a sufficient safety level and make really sure that they will take responsibility when something goes wrong. I am preparing for my third visit to the RESKRIM before the coming holidays. Unfortunately I am not able to buy my family any Christmas presents this year, but we will spend our time around the tree just wondering IF and WHEN we will see our money again.

Albert Kok
BALI

Spitfire, you are not alone with this scam, although it only seems to happen now and again in southern areas of Bali.

I would suggest that you go to the main BCA office in Denpasar, and make your complaint known. If you feel unsatisfied after that visit, then you should next head to Polda headquarters in Denpasar, and file a criminal complaint with the “business” police. If I were in your shoes, I’d let the folks at BCA Denpasar know that you intend to go to the police, but I doubt that would have much of any effect with them, as your case is not unique.

Not to diminish your situation, but even with a gold card (BCA), the limit for a cash withdrawal in a 24 hour period is 10 million…less with silver, but I forget if that is 2.5, or 5 million. If your account balance was greater than 10 million, and it was indeed cleaned out in less than a 24 hour period, then you have a good case, as that is not allowable at BCA atms.

In their investigation, if there is one, the police will focus on the video camera at the ATM. That may or may not produce the information needed to determine if a crime was committed.

You may well find yourself “up the creek and without a paddle” because if there is no way to prove fraudulent and criminal misuse of your bank card, then it’s only your word against the computer, sorry to say.

You can clean out quite a lot of money in a week or two before you realise what has happened!

:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: Not with me you couldn't! Hell, I check my account...wires in, wires out, at least twice a day! Aren't you in business here too??? :roll:

My account was emptied over a period of almost one week. I found out when checking my balance, something I do once in a while. I blocked my ATM card and account immediately, but it was too late anyway. As Roy mentioned, there is a maximum withdrawal per day, but are we to be blamed if we not check every day?? Let alone victim tourists that return home after 2 weeks, find out and have to try to deal with this?? :roll:

Roy, as you could read in my message, I have reported to the police and I have been trying to get "as high as possible" at BCA. But even the branch manager Mr. Paulus at BCA Jalan Hasanudin, is hiding behind his secretary. The police have mainly typed long reports (in front of me), but so far not even contacted BCA! Now, they've asked me to come again with a witness of the crime to be interrogated (because a crime needs at least 2 witnesses).

It's a procedure (full stop). It has nothing to do with common sense and taking action to resolve the crime. I'm sure nobody has checked any security cam yet of any BCA ATM that I have used prior to these transactions (if any cams are active or even exist). From the police I know for sure, from BCA side, I couldn't tell because not even Ibu Reni, who is in charge of this investigation at BCA Head Office in Jakarta, will not say anything but: "please wait, we are still investigating".

<MOD EDIT>

Spitfire, I am really sorry about your situation. To be clear, most of us who have lived here for a while keep our funds (bank funds, that it) in certificate or pass book accounts that are not accessible by bank cards. I guess that advice is like shutting the barn door after the horses have already run out, but that’s the truth.

We are also careful to limit our internet banking capabilities to account activity view access only…as it is always safer to execute transactions “in the flesh.”

I wish you the best of luck in restoring your funds.

Originally Posted by Roy

<MOD EDIT>

Spitfire, I am really sorry about your situation. To be clear, most of us who have lived here for a while keep our funds (bank funds, that it) in certificate or pass book accounts that are not accessible by bank cards. I guess that advice is like shutting the barn door after the horses have already run out, but that’s the truth.

We are also careful to limit our internet banking capabilities to account activity view access only…as it is always safer to execute transactions “in the flesh.”

I wish you the best of luck in restoring your funds.

Thank you Roy for the advise of people "that have lived here for a while". It actually applies to me, as well as the limited internet banking capabilities you suggest...

It seems to me that when this would happen to you, you would just accept the fact. But it doesn't to me, even if it were 500.000 rupiah! What's a bank for anyway??

Yes but we dont have any business transactions going through my bank accounts. So I have no reason to check on a regluar basis.

Nothing like a cash only business, eh? Maybe your idea of a mattress is a good one! :wink:

It seems to me that when this would happen to you, you would just accept the fact.

Not at all...I would do the same as you...fight like hell. And my position would be that while it is up to the customer to be responsible for the security of their bank cards and PIN numbers, it is up to the bank to be responsible for the security of their ATM machines. Keeping in mind the amount of money that was stolen, you might want to consider hiring a lawyer to sue BCA if this breach of security falls under their responsibility.

As for your dissatisfaction with how the police and BCA are handling this…you have every right to be angry. Since you are getting nowhere with the branch BCA office, have you tried contacting the BCA head office in Jakarta? Also, some home owner’s insurance policies include coverage for this sort of theft that might kick in if the bank doesn’t have such insurance. That may, or may not be another option for you.