KADAR Vishnu had been saving with a city bank for many years and never shopped online or ever had a PayPal account but, to his dismay, $212,000 had been deducted from his account.

The 64-year-old man told Guyana Chronicle that he was told by the bank that his account has been hacked when he went in for a visit.

Vishnu related that his Automated Teller Machine (ATM) card was cancelled even though he told the staffers that he did not withdraw any money and a new one was issued to him.

The elderly man disclosed that, at the bank, he was then told that someone was shopping online using his money via his ATM card information, using PayPal to buy games and other things online.

Vishnu was, however, told it was not him doing the online shopping and was reassured that his money would be credited to his account but, to date, that has not happened. He was asked by bank staffers to sign a ‘dispute form’ stating he had nothing to do with the online transactions from his account.

The senior citizen added that two months after, he was called by the same bank and given some information about the person who had been shopping online through Zoon Shipping. He took the information given and went to Criminal Investigations Department (CID). The police, Vishnu related, did some ground work and he was told that the person who had been shopping online using his money does not exist.

“I was told by the police that the address was visited and no one by the name given ever lived at the location and that I have been scammed,” Vishnu said while noting that to date, the money was not credited to his account.