This is creepy Re: Online Banking/Bill payments

**bee9984** · 01-25-2007, 11:55 PM

I don't understand how this could happen. I went to my bank online (Bank of Montreal) to pay our hydro and phone and there was a bill added to my list which I did not put there. It was for a Rogers Telephone Residence account.

We deal with Bell and have never had an account ever with Rogers. I called our banks 1-800 number and the guy I spoke with said that it was impossible for anyone to just add that to my account, he could see it listed but I think that he thinks I put it there or something. It wasn't there last month when I paid the bills so it has been added since then.

I am going to call Rogers tomorrow when their office is opened but I doubt that they will give me any information on the account number as it is not ours.

There has been no activity for a bill payment on my account either. I am starting to wonder if someone went to our bank and went to pay their bill and their account was so close to our account that a teller made a mistake and punched in 1 wrong number or something.

All I can say is I am sort or creeped right out.

I wanted to let everyone here know who does online banking so that you all can go and check your accounts and make sure noone has added anything to your accounts.

**monkeywrangler71** · 01-26-2007, 12:45 AM

I don't know anything about BOMs systems, but they must have some way of knowing when and through what channel the bill was added to your profile. I would contact someone else in the bank, the telebanking people don't always know what they're talking about. I don't deal with BOM, but at RBC you can send them messages directly through online banking and I have had some pretty complex questions and problems solved through that method. Perhaps they have something similar.

If it was a case of a teller entering someone else's bill number on your profile (don't know how they do it, so not sure how likely it is - but mistakes are easy to make), I don't think that would compromise your account, since the people with that rogers account still wouldn't be able to sign into your online banking to pay the bill.

The only time I've had bills appear on my list was when I signed up for ebills (the ones that are some sort of collaboration between the bank & canada post), they automatically added the payees to the list, even though they were already there, but they were my own accounts.

I would definitely try to get through to someone else at the bank. Regardless of whether it was fraud or an error, someone at the bank wants to know about it - just not the guy at the 800 number that you happened to be speaking to.

**bee9984** · 01-26-2007, 07:36 AM

I am going to call our branch in Ontario to find out if they can tell me anything. I think it was an error no doubt but I just thought if it is that easy to make an error to add a bill , it could be just as easy to withdraw money.

The guy at the 1-800 number said that he saw it on our account but it doesn't give a date when it was added etc... he did say that there has been no activity for paying that bill though.

**justpeachy92** · 01-26-2007, 09:14 AM

I don't know how different it is from one bank to another with the online banking. But I do know with mine I can go into the bill pay area and click to edit information and that the accounts that I have set up there to pay online, it does show when I added the accounts to my bill pay.

**monkeywrangler71** · 01-26-2007, 09:59 AM

Originally Posted by bee9984

I am going to call our branch in Ontario to find out if they can tell me anything. I think it was an error no doubt but I just thought if it is that easy to make an error to add a bill , it could be just as easy to withdraw money.

The guy at the 1-800 number said that he saw it on our account but it doesn't give a date when it was added etc... he did say that there has been no activity for paying that bill though.

I'm willing to bet that when you call your branch, you will end up at the same call centre that you called yesterday, but hopefully you will get someone more helpful.

Just because the guy you spoke to said it didn't give a date, doesn't mean that information doesn't exist, just that he doesn't have access to it. There will be an investigation/security department somewhere that can see everything.

When I worked in the bank it was extremely easy to withdraw from the wrong account and it happened all the time. I've even done it myself. I don't know if it is as easy anymore, they don't look like they are manually keying in account numbers now.

**Libby** · 01-28-2007, 02:06 PM

bee9984 - when you call BMO again - ask for their ID # name and dept and which call centre they are in and ask them to make a DO NO PAY on your account. Do not let any monies be transferred to that account to pay as you do not have an account with Rogers Telephone Systems. If they transfer you to someone else, keep getting all the info and once you're done and they've said they can or cant put a stop payment on that account/bill being paid - write up a letter and FAX IT TO HEAD OFFICE and mark it URGENT! Be sure to re-iterate that you did not authorize this account/bill to be added for online payments. This will prompt them to look into this further.

Be sure to follow up on Monday and see that its been taken care of, this isnt something to take lightly.

Hope things work out for you - let us know!!

**Lorelei** · 01-28-2007, 09:54 PM

Definitely call the bank back and talk to someone else. If possible, talk to someone in the online banking department, or as someone else suggested, email the bank through your online service. Unfortunately, not everyone in customer service tries to solve problems for customers, that guy sounded like he gave you a quick "surface" answer and you need someone to do some research or connect you to someone who can.

**mom2three** · 01-30-2007, 02:57 PM

bee9984 - Delete the payee. I too believe it was somebody that keyed in the account wrong. It is disturbing though and I would make a complaint about it. I checked my account and they had added the Canadian Revenue Agency as a payee (first time I have seen it). I paid something to them at the bank last year! Given the account number was my social insurance number, I am quite annoyed as well!