Victims Of Internet
Banking Fraud Suing
State Banks
A group of 70 victims of
internet fraud, losing
some ¢300 million
colones, are suing the
state banks - Banco
Nacional, Banco de Costa
Rica and Banco Popular.
The victims are also
looking for damages.
The victims allege
losing money from the
bank accounts, taken by
way of internet fraud,
due to the banks
negligence and inability
to protect their
accounts. The money was
removed from their
accounts from third
parties who accessed
their accounts.
The group say that
organizations using
sophisticated equipment
breached the banks poor
security to to access
customer accounts.
The 70 affected are
asking the Tribunal
Contencioso
Administrativo to order
the banks to pay them
for their losses and
damages suffered.
Some 500 cases of fraud
for a total of ¢800
million colones have
been filed with the
Organismo de
Investigación Judicial (OIJ).
The 70 victims are being
represented by the
Asociación de
Consumidores Libres
(ACL), headed by lawyer
Adriana Rojas, who
explained that the
filing is now possible
under the new Código
Procesal Contencioso
Administrativo.
The Banco Nacional and
the Banco Popular
yesterday denied any
responsibility, while
the Banco de Costa Rica
has yet to make a
statement on the charges
against them, bank
officials saying they
need to analyze the
complaint before
commenting.
The ALC alleges that the
banks violated the
rights of the consumer,
allowing a breach of
security and private of
information.
The ALC says that state
banks began offering
internet banking in 2004
but it was not until
2007 when they began
warning customers of the
risk incurred. According
to the ALC, in 2005 ¢52
million colones in
losses were reported,
while the figure in 2007
was ¢700 million and
that the state banks hid
the risk factor of using
online banking from
their customers.
The group also alleges
that the banks violated
the responsibility of
protecting customer
information.
In addition to the
compensation of the
victims, the ALC is
asking the courts to
order the banks to
tighten their security
systems and keep up to
date with technological
advances.
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