A Canadian couple says fraudsters drained approximately $90,000 from their personal and business Scotiabank accounts after gaining access through a Scotia Connect personal token. The couple says they are still waiting for clarity on whether the bank will reimburse the stolen funds.A Canadian couple says they are facing financial uncertainty after fraudsters allegedly drained approximately $90,000 from their personal and business Scotiabank accounts.

Dilyn Gilbert-Leduc and his wife had recently purchased Mor In Pools and Spas when the alleged fraud occurred. According to the report, scammers gained access to their Scotiabank personal and business accounts on March 31 through a personal token connected to their Scotia Connect account.

Gilbert-Leduc said he had received multiple missed calls that appeared to come from Scotiabank’s customer service line. Because he and his wife were aware of phone scams, they were initially cautious. However, after eventually speaking with someone who appeared to have authentic information, and after calling the same number back, the couple provided personal information.

Gilbert-Leduc later said funds had already been taken before they shared that information. The couple says they have since been left in limbo, without a firm commitment from Scotiabank about whether the stolen money will be returned.

According to the report, Gilbert-Leduc said the bank had traced the funds and had been in contact with the bank where the money was allegedly sent. However, he said Scotiabank has not confirmed whether the couple will recover the money.

Scotiabank declined to comment on the specific matter, citing privacy reasons. In a general statement, the bank said it will never ask customers to disclose a PIN, password, or one-time code on a call the customer did not initiate. The bank also said its customer service line had not been compromised and warned that fraudsters may spoof phone numbers to make calls appear as though they are coming from a bank.

The case highlights the difficulty customers can face after sophisticated bank impersonation scams. Under Canadian financial rules, federally regulated financial institutions are required to investigate fraud incidents and consider relevant factors before deciding whether a customer is at fault. In many cases, customers are not held responsible for transactions they did not authorize, provided they took reasonable precautions.

However, disputes can become complicated where scammers use social engineering, spoofed phone numbers, personal information, or account access tools to make fraudulent activity appear legitimate. Banks may review account agreements, reporting timelines, customer conduct, and whether the customer disclosed sensitive information before determining whether reimbursement is appropriate.

Customers who disagree with a bank’s decision can file a formal complaint with the financial institution. If the issue is not resolved, or if the bank provides a final written response, the matter may be escalated to the Ombudsman for Banking Services and Investments.

Fraud prevention authorities continue to warn Canadians to be cautious with unsolicited calls that appear to come from financial institutions. Customers should avoid sharing passwords, PINs, one-time passcodes, or security-token information over the phone, especially when the call was not initiated by them.

Anyone who suspects banking fraud should contact their financial institution immediately, document all communications, report the incident to local police, notify the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre, and consider placing alerts with Equifax and TransUnion.

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Originally published on Canadian Fraud News.