God Protects My Account

A cautionary tale

A week ago, I received a phone call from a private line. The caller addressed me by name and said they were calling from the fraud department from my bank. That got me alarmed. However, I silently thanked God for protecting me from fraud.

He said they'd noticed some activity in my account and they believed someone had got access to my debit card and was using it to purchase something at this store. Did I know anyone in Glasgow (Scotland)? I said no. Have I recently been to Scotland? I said no.

He said they were going to  have to block my card. He asked me to confirm recent transactions I have made including direct debits. I did. He asked me how much I had in my account. I told him.

He then asked if I could confirm my card details and I did. He told me he was going to text me a code to confirm that I wanted to block my card. After I received the code, he said he was going to speak to his manager about the fraudulent transaction. He even gave me a reference number.

While I was waiting for him to call me back, I received a notification that £299 had been taken from my account and spent at the store the man had told me about.

When he called me back, I told him about the money that had been stolen. He said they were still working on stopping the fraud. He was going to text another code to me. I confirmed the code. He then put me on hold. While I was waiting, I received a text confirming that my card had been temporarily blocked. I then received another call from this woman claiming to be from my bank.  I wss really confused. I thought I was speaking to my bank. I decided to hang up both calls. I then used my bank app to call my bank.

The customer adviser told me the first call wasn't from the bank, but from a fraudster impersonating my bank. He was the one who had used my card to purchase the item. The adviser told me although the amount had been withdrawn from my account, it was still pending and will take two days to clear. She said once it has cleared, I should call the fraud department who will investigate and pay me back the money that was stolen.

Cutting a long story short, it turns out while I was chatting to the thief, my bank had got suspicious of the transaction and had blocked my card. They had also marked the transaction as fraudulent and let it stay on pending for several days.

I asked my bank how the fraudster had known I was at that bank. I was told he had obviously got my details from somewhere and was just fishing. I happened to catch his bait.  They also confirmed banks will never call and ask for your bank details. If that happens, I should always hang up and call the bank.
 
The stolen money has  been returned to my account. I have also received my new bank card.

I believe the fraudster represents the devil who comes to steal, kill and destroy. The real fraud department from my bank represents Jesus who restores that which was stolen or lost.

Thank you, God, for protecting me from fraud. ❤️

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"The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly." John 10: 10