An auditing firm in Udon Thani has filed complaints against three banks after allegedly losing 2 million baht 30 seconds after a mobile banking app it was using was hacked.
On-anong Bunto, 57, a member of the firm's board, met Pol Lt Kitiphum Akkhawithayanukul, deputy chief investigator of Udon Thani's Muang police, on Thursday. She lodged complaints against three banks, accusing them of violating the Bank of Thailand's security measures.
Ms On-anong said the firm had opened five accounts with different banks linked to mobile banking applications. On Dec 22, however, the firm could not conduct transactions via one of its accounts as it was locked, she said.
The firm learned later that scammers had hacked into three accounts, including one used for salary payments to the firm's staff.
Ms On-anong said the suspects transferred 49,999 baht in separate transactions from each account. All took place within 30 seconds after the accounts were breached.
In the first account, a total of 199,999 baht was stolen through four 49,999 baht withdrawals. The same amount was siphoned out of the second bank account also via four withdrawals. In the last account, the suspects took a total of 1,999,999 baht through 40 withdrawals.
Ms On-anong said the three banks with which the accounts were registered did not notify the company about the unauthorised withdrawals.
She said the company had alerted the banks about the theft. The banks which kept the first and second accounts insisted they detected unusual withdrawals and froze the accounts on a fifth attempt to take out the money, she said.
However, the bank with which the third account was opened did not stop the withdrawals until it was prompted to do so by the police, she said. The bank's staff failed to advise on how to recoup the money and refused to answer the firm's queries or receive its complaint in writing, she said.
The bank with the last account is registered as a juristic person, which made amending account owner details difficult, she said.
The firm has lodged complaints against the three banks for neglecting to notify the company. Another charge was filed against the third bank.
