New tuition scam left woman with $37K in fraudulent charges – and no help from bank, police or school
CBC
Mira Burgess didn't have to wonder where her money went.
More than $37,000 in fraudulent credit and debit card transactions showed up at one place — paid to a private university, just a few kilometres from her Vancouver home.
"I know where the money is," said Burgess. "And nobody will help me get it back."
For months, neither the university, her bank nor police would help reverse the charges — leaving her on the hook for thousands of dollars in a growing tuition scam until Go Public started investigating.
The scam targets international students — and unwitting credit card holders like Burgess — and is now surfacing in cities across the country.
Fraudsters promise discounted tuition in exchange for an upfront payment. They collect and keep the student's money, then "pay" the school using stolen credit and debit cards. The student believes their tuition is covered — until the fraudulent payment is flagged.
In Burgess's case, scammers used her debit and credit cards to make 25 fraudulent charges. On her statements, the charges appeared as payments to UCW — University Canada West — an accredited private institution in downtown Vancouver that primarily caters to international students.
A legal expert says fraud victims like Burgess often have few options in these situations beyond hiring a lawyer — which can be an expensive option.
"It's just unfortunate that consumers are put in a position where their only recourse is to resort to investing in legal advice," said Anique Dublin, a Toronto lawyer who specializes in consumer protection. "It feels like everybody was failing this poor woman."
Burgess's financial nightmare began last fall.
She was working at home when she got a call that appeared to be from TD's fraud department. The number had been spoofed.
A woman on the line said someone had made fraudulent charges on Burgess's credit card, and instructed her to open her TD Banking app, to reverse them.
"She was very empathetic," said Burgess. "And was like, 'I know this is very stressful.'"
Instead, Burgess was unknowingly approving the transactions.
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