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Family devastated after cyberthieves steal $10,000 from bank account
Alana, second from right, and Caleb Regnier, second from left, say fraudsters stole $10,000 from their BMO account.
Photo: (Submitted by Alana Regnier)
BMO says it’s reviewing the case and working to protect customers
Alana Regnier says her family is reeling after thousands of dollars were stolen from their bank account.
Regnier, who is originally from Unity, Sask., has been living in Calgary with her husband Caleb and two young children. Their dream is to one day own a house of their own.
She said she made the difficult decision to go back to work part-time after the birth of her second child. Regnier said she was able to put in about 600 hours of work with a non-profit and managed to save about $10,000 to go toward a down payment.
Then on March 14, a routine check of her Bank of Montreal (BMO) account led her to the shocking discovery that $10,000 had disappeared, she said.
It was really devastating, we were completely shocked,
Regnier said. Our money's gone.
WATCH | Alana says $10,000 loss hits hard:
Young mom sacrifices time with kids to earn money for down payment, then loses $10,000 to cyberthieves
Alana Regnier says her family is reeling after thousands of dollars were stolen from their Bank of Montreal (BMO) account. She went back to work part-time after her children were born to save $10,000 for down payment, only to have it disappear from bank account.
Regnier said the loss of her family's money was heartbreaking, especially when she factored in the lost time with her young children.
It's years of savings and we've been feeling very, fearful these past couple of months, like from gas to groceries,
she said.
The Regniers are among more than 100 Bank of Montreal customers who say they've had money transfered from their accounts without their authorization. BMO clients from all over Canada have reported a collective $1.5 million in losses (new window), and some say they are working on a class-action lawsuit.
CBC has previously spoken to others planning to be involved in the proposed lawsuit. Many, like the Regniers, say they are depressed and having sleepless nights wondering if they'll ever get their hard-earned money back.
CBC asked BMO what it is doing about the fraud. The bank said it is determined
to work with government and policymakers to help Canadians defend themselves against scams.
We are always open to reviewing cases when new information becomes available and will be reaching out to our customer to discuss this matter,
BMO said in a statement.
CBC contacted three lawyers who specialize in cybercrime and data privacy for this story. All three said they couldn't comment because of a conflict of interest.
Alana Regnier says her family is reeling after thousands of dollars were stolen from their bank account.
Regnier, who is originally from Unity, Sask., has been living in Calgary with her husband Caleb and two young children. Their dream is to one day own a house of their own.
She said she made the difficult decision to go back to work part-time after the birth of her second child. Regnier said she was able to put in about 600 hours of work with a non-profit and managed to save about $10,000 to go toward a down payment.
Then on March 14, a routine check of her Bank of Montreal (BMO) account led her to the shocking discovery that $10,000 had disappeared, she said.
It was really devastating, we were completely shocked,
Regnier said. Our money's gone.
WATCH | Alana says $10,000 loss hits hard:
Young mom sacrifices time with kids to earn money for down payment, then loses $10,000 to cyberthieves
Alana Regnier says her family is reeling after thousands of dollars were stolen from their Bank of Montreal (BMO) account. She went back to work part-time after her children were born to save $10,000 for down payment, only to have it disappear from bank account.
Regnier said the loss of her family's money was heartbreaking, especially when she factored in the lost time with her young children.
It's years of savings and we've been feeling very, fearful these past couple of months, like from gas to groceries,
she said.
The Regniers are among more than 100 Bank of Montreal customers who say they've had money transfered from their accounts without their authorization. BMO clients from all over Canada have reported a collective $1.5 million in losses (new window), and some say they are working on a class-action lawsuit.
CBC has previously spoken to others planning to be involved in the proposed lawsuit. Many, like the Regniers, say they are depressed and having sleepless nights wondering if they'll ever get their hard-earned money back.
CBC asked BMO what it is doing about the fraud. The bank said it is determined
to work with government and policymakers to help Canadians defend themselves against scams.
We are always open to reviewing cases when new information becomes available and will be reaching out to our customer to discuss this matter,
BMO said in a statement.
CBC contacted three lawyers who specialize in cybercrime and data privacy for this story. All three said they couldn't comment because of a conflict of interest.
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