Bank lost my money

[Belgian Pie]

Assuming that what you said is 100% true and nobody else knew the PIN or had access to the card, the most likely explanation is that your card was cloned and your pin was recorded. Maybe the cloning happened at a fake ATM. Or it could happen if a card reader is installed over the face of a real ATM.

It can not happen because in Taiwan a PIN is 6 numbers and for abroad the bank gives you a 4 PIN # that is activated especially on request. And they (the Bank) ask you to change your original PIN (6#) as soon as you get your ATM card.

[2Enigma]

I'm also suspicious. Getting that kind of money in one day is not possible from an ATM in the U.S. (last I was there, the max per day was 450 U.S.)
I'm suspecting internal bank fraud. You need to find where the ATM was located and call the detectives branch of the local police. This is also a Federal Crime in the U.S. and the FBI might also give you an ear.

[Homer J]

The bank's name is Hua Nan Bank. And sorry I should have made this clear, it didn't happen in one day, it happened over a week. Yeah, I should have noticed but I almost never use ATM's, so I didn't look at my account for a while. My school prefers to pay me in cash. The bank says someone must have "cloned" my card in Thailand when I was there in January. I used the card ONCE in Thailand,Phuket, at an atm. The money didn't start disappearing until April. The bank couldn't explain to me why these criminals would wait 3 months before they started robbing me. Five days before the money started disappearing I went to the bank(inside at the teller) to deposit a large sum of money. Five days later the money started disappearing. That to me is more suspicious. But the big problem is that the bank does not try very hard to get the cameras from the atm. They always have some excuse and the manager is always too busy. Even when we at last got them for a sit down after hours at 6 o'clock, my taiwanese friend was running late(ten minutes), they would call her and say they want to leave now, they don't want to wait anymore. Their promises of phoning me every week to keep me up to date also didn't happen. If there is a video at the atm(or atms, I don't know) where it was stolen, then it will be deleted after a while. But it has been clear from the first day when the bank clerks laughed at my problem that they would not try hard at all. Newest development is that I found a lawyer, his fee is 33 000, win or lose. He said he thinks we could win..........I guess they all say that. I will try the consumer protection agency as well, thank you Bigduke6. And thinking of calling the newspapers......

[sandman]

Hua Nan is maybe the single least professional, backward and generally simply useless banking institution in Taiwan.

[headhonchoII]

Good idea getting a lawyer. Only now will they start taking you seriously. It does sound like your card may have been cloned. Have you checked with Hua Nan that they did not issue another ATM card prior to the withdrawals.

It may be a case of internal fraud as you said. Or it may be that the criminals were waiting for you to place a large amount of money so they could 'clean you out'. They may have been checking the balance everyday.

[trubadour]

wow. that's such bullshit. get some legal advice.

[Dragonbones]

Don't use your credit card in 3rd-world countries.

[sandman]

Don't use your credit card in 3rd-world countries.

Credit card companies are usually pretty good about it. My wife got her credit card garnished when we were in Thailand and the company paid up happily. This is different. This is Hua Nan Bank. I'm actually a little surprised that they even offer ATM cards. They've obviously developed by leaps and bounds since the last time I was unfortunate enough to have to deal with them about five years ago.

[divea]

Don't use your credit card in 3rd-world countries.

Yeah right! That is one piece of senseless advice from you DB. I am surprised. You think Credit Card frauds do not happen in 1st world countries?

Thailand is a huge tourist hub and a pretty safe one if you're not doing shady things and people tell me even then it's pretty safe. Remember the money that was siphoned was from a US ATM from a Taiwan Bank. Could be a TW banker for all you know!

[irishstu]

Don't use your credit card in 3rd-world countries.

But how would I survive in Taiwan?