Internet site fights online banking fraud

ADANA Friday, September 8, 2006 TDN
In the hope of preventing others from making the same mistakes, victims of Internet banking fraud have founded a Web site, www.sanalbankamagdurlari.com, on which over 800 victims share their problems and pass on warnings to others.
Cem Polatoğlu, founder of the Web site, told the Anatolia news agency that the victims who have been “robbed in virtual environment” have the goal of coming together to find a solution to their problems. A victim himself, Polatoğlu stated that online fraud has reached “frightening levels.”
The Web site was opened in December, 2005 with subscriptions to the site increasing ever since, Polatoğlu said: “There have been 831 people who have allowed their names to be disclosed [on the site]. … We estimate that the number of our members is well above 10,000.”
Stating that their catch phrase is “We didn't get robbed, the bank did. We want our money back,” Polatoğlu added: “The banks didn't take the necessary precautions. They are still not taking them. Nowadays banking services are performed by e-signature in many other countries. In Turkey this system is not widespread. $500 million has been transferred from victims' accounts to Russia this year as part of this virtual fraud system … due to the banks' mistakes, because no one writes down their passwords in e-mails anymore.”