FAIRWAY, KS (KCTV) -
One man has a warning about keeping an eye on your checking account. Money disappeared from his account and it could be connected to Facebook.
Banks deal with fraudulent charges daily. KCTV5 spoke with one victim of bank fraud who found out someone made illegal charges on Facebook and that he wasn't the only victim.
Brian Haff knew that there was money in his bank account on Friday but by Sunday, it was nearly empty.
"I got a text message saying my account balance had gotten low," he said.
Luckily his bank, Metcalf Bank, notified him of the charges. He discovered someone had spent $200 twice using his debit card number. What was also shocking is what they bought - points or credits for a game on Facebook.
"I wasn't aware they accepted credit cards for anything. I found that a little odd," Haff said.
Haff vented a bit on Facebook about the damages the illegal charges caused him and discovered he wasn't the only one.
"Within a day or so, I started hearing from other people who had the same issue, with the same type of charges and they had no idea where they came from," he said.
The same charges came from Facebook and an herbal tea store in California. And even stranger, the victims whose accounts had been hacked were customers of the same local bank - Metcalf Bank.
Metcalf Bank immediately refunded Haff's account. A spokesperson there confirmed that there were three cases with the same illegal Facebook charges and they are investigating. Bank officials said fraudulent charges occur daily and, while the banks have updated technology to help to catch this, customers should monitor their accounts daily.
It's always a good reminder to be cautious about who and what company you are giving your credit card information to, especially online. For more information on tips to protect your account information, click here.
Copyright 2012 KCTV (Meredith Corp.) All rights reserved.
