Tag Archives: RBC

RBC Fraudster Attempts Heads Up:

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Typically, frauders call in an attempt to talk to you. They don’t leave a message because they want to actually reach you in order to scam you.

However, a new one just surfaced. It’s an actually recorded message left on your voicemail. There was a charge of $120 something declined on your RBC credit card. Your account has been blocked, please call us at 1-800-283…..

It’s fraud! Not on your credit card, but the call, message and scam! It’s a wave of RBC calls right now and it’ll be other issuers down the road.

If you don’t have an RBC credit card, you’d obviously know that. However, I do. You will immediately know it’s a scam when the phone number they leave is NOT the one on the back of your credit card. Any card issuer will leave only THAT number for you to call – period.

If you want to double check it further, call the number on the back of your card or log into your account. Both ways will verify for you that your account is just fine.

Yes, 100% of all scams can easily be prevented. Use some common sense and double check. No, your grand daughter has not been kidnapped or is stuck somewhere and needs money. No, your already ‘friend’ on social media has not set up a second account. No, your card isn’t blocked if the message doesn’t have the main customer service number on the back of your card. No, your bank isn’t calling you to ‘test’ your account and nobody from nowhere legit is calling you to get your personal information verified or your card PIN number! Ever ever.

Dear RBC: What a Rotten Idea…

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According to PIAC, we already pay over $700 million in paper statement fees in North America. And, since it’s summer again, it’s the bi-annual increase in service charges. Global Television had a big story on the Royal leading the way with their 18 million customers.

Have we just become numb to this, shrug our shoulders, and take it…twice a year? That’d be sad, but I have a hunch that that’s the case. The nastiest change by the Royal is that the seniors fee plans are changing from age 60 to 65. Great if you’re a shareholder because you get to rip off millions of seniors for another five years. That’s 60 more months of full service charges! The story featured one lady who has set up an appointment at her branch to see if she can get some fees waived. Sorry, lady – you’re wasting your time. The quote from the Royal was “we’re working hard to keep costs down.” That’s funnier than any comedy show you’ll watch this year.

What’s the behind the scenes reasoning for this one? We Canadians are slowing our borrowing down a bit. Maybe not by choice, but because we’re pretty maxed out. It’s also the result of a slower economy. Do you think banks are just going to see their income drop from interest income and not replace it somewhere else? The Royal already makes $1.5 billion in account service charges (2014). That’s 5% of all their income! Want to bet it’ll hit $2 billion this year if you don’t go somewhere else?

Why can the banks do this? Because they’ve made millions of you really sticky. That’s a bank phrase that they focus on a lot. When  you’re stuck – you don’t move elsewhere. If you have five dealings with a bank you’re so stuck, you’re not moving. A chequing account, direct payroll deposit, some RRSPs, a credit card, maybe a line of credit, and a mortgage, and they’ll likely have you forever! Then you’ll pay the increasing service charges, whatever fees they dream up, and take whatever bad service (if any) that you can get.

You’ll complain and moan. but you ain’t moving to a credit union. Your perception is that it’s too hard to move everything. It’s not! Get to a credit union TODAY. Open a chequing account and change your direct deposit. That’s the big step: Where your income is going. Then move your auto payments and you’re set. Oh, and while you’re there open up a Choice Rewards MasterCard, low-rate, or student card. No fees, no hassle, better and more flexible rewards, getting treated like an owner (because you are), and you’re never going to be charged a fee to enter a branch, or to pay your own payments down the road. It takes an hour of pain to move things around…for a lifetime of being valued for your business AND a rebate the end of year on all your dealings! My service charged went DOWN this month AND I got over $600 back in my annual profit sharing! As Nike says: Just Do It! Enough is enough! The government isn’t coming to help you here – so repeat after me: If it is to be – it’s up to me!

But part two is even nastier. The Royal announced they were thinking of charging their customers to pay their own Royal Visa payments, their loan payments, and mortgages. Yes, you heard that right. A service charge to pay payments for their own loans and credit cards. Last Friday they backed off. But you have to know this will come up again. How sick, sad, and just wrong!

The Federal Government has a long track record of not being big on helping consumers. They did force cell carriers to discontinue their paper statement fee. Yet they aren’t shutting down the banks from these rip-off fees that are probably a hundred times more than the little cell carriers and impact millions more people. Is it because Bay Street and the big no-service banks are some of the biggest contributors? You decide…

Lots Of Financial News In Just a Week!

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Canadian banks are kind of ashamed they’re Canadian. Bank of Nova Scotia is now Scotiabank, Toronto Dominion is TD, Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce has been CIBC for a long time, and the Bank of Montreal is BMO.

Last week, the Royal Bank went on a huge wave across the country to replace all their branch signs to read: RBC Royal Bank. The next wave will be to do away with the Royal Bank part altogether. Oh how I want to be in the sign business. In Canada it’s cool to be Canadian, but in the rest of the world, they don’t want to advertise that at all.

The RCMP in BC want to get the word out on a new phone/credit card scam. The crooks already have your stolen credit card number and give you a lot of information to put you at ease. All they’re after is the three digit security code and they can go crazy with online purchases. It’s the last and only thing they ask for, claiming they just need to “verify that you’re the cardholder.” Don’t ever talk to anyone about your credit card. Hang up the phone and dial only the number on the back of your card! Here’s the link from the RCMP:

Last week, CBC’s Marketplace did a short story on breakfast sandwiches. They’re loaded with fat, get you two-thirds of the daily sodium and a ton of calories. But here’s an alternative diet plan: Last week, New Hampshire just rolled out new scratch and win lottery tickets. They are now bacon flavoured. So grab your coffee and just sniff the lottery ticket. You’ll still lose, but you’ll win on the calories, fat, and sodium reduced breakfast!

Also last week, TD rolled out a ton more new ATM machines. These ones are optical readers. Just insert the cheque or cash you’re depositing. No more envelopes and you don’t even need to key in the amount of the cheque. Your receipt will print out a picture of the cheque you deposited. It was only last year we talked about taking a picture of a cheque with your smartphone and it’s deposited. Boy, how technology is advancing quickly.

The middle of last week, the Bank of Canada cut the bank rate by a quarter of a point. We’re a resource country and they’re seriously concerned with our economy with oil dropping by almost 50%. Within 24-hours, the banks cut most of their savings accounts interest rates by a quarter point. But they also announced that, no – they’re not cutting their lending or mortgage rates. So savers get ripped off and borrowers get hosed in order to make another few billion dollars. NOT nice and not right!