Money taken from account after scam phone call and downloading Anydesk on Apple iphone

[Toby47]

I made a call to what I thought was Ticketmaster to get a refund for an event I could not attend. I am sorry and embarrassed to say this was a fraudulent phone number listed on Google and I was talked into downloading an app called Anydesk after being told the Ticketmaster server was offline and that the refund could be made securely using this app. In my defense I was under stress, time pressure and following the bereavement of my mother simply not thinking straight. To make matters worse the tickets were in my wifes Ticketmaster account so the app was downloaded to her phone. After a period she suspected something was wrong on the call and hung (I was still none the wiser). A couple of hours later on checking her bank account it had been emptied with over £600 removed, she then checked Paypal and over £5000 had been withdrawn. I feel sick, upset and guilty.

Has anyone had experience of this and any luck recovering lost funds? 

[PayPal_Meghan]

Hello @Toby47, 

Thanks for joining the PayPal Community to ask your question! 

I'm very sorry to hear about the loss of your mother. I hope the happy memories soon outweigh the sad ones. Please don't be too hard on yourself about the unauthorized activity that has happened. Unfortunately, fraudsters like the one you've mentioned are getting tricky to notice. I have a few tips that will hopefully help you get in control of the situation. 

First, you'll want to remove the app that they had you download, if you haven't already. Next, download a virus and malware scanner. The app might have downloaded malware into the background, so you want to pick one that can search all of the phone's files to make sure it's clean. While you're doing that, I recommend having your wife update her passwords for every account that was linked to her phone on a different device. That way, if there is malware on the device, it won't see or be able to record the new passwords. 

After everything is cleaned up, you'll want to start filing reports. At the bank, you'll want to have them file a chargeback on the unauthorized transactions. Through PayPal, you can also file an unauthorized dispute by following the steps on our Help Center here: How do I report an unauthorized transaction or account activity? Since this happened because of an app taking control, it may not look like it was unauthorized on our side, so the case might initially be denied. If that happens, please reach out to Customer Support and request an appeal. With the appeal, please include a report of the virus/malware scan and details about the situation and application that was on your phone. 

If you can, I also recommend filing a report with the Internet Crime Complaint Center in Sri Lanka and your local authorities so everything is on record. Lastly, if you have any other questions or there's anything else that PayPal might be able to help with, you can reach Customer Support by clicking 'Contact' at the bottom of any PayPal website. Support is also available through Facebook Private Message, Instagram Direct Message, or Twitter Direct Message.

I apologize that this is such a long message; I wanted to include everything I could think of to help. I hope you're able to receive refunds for the unauthorized withdrawals right away. 

- Meghan

[Toby47]

Thanks for the quick reply, the app was deleted as soon as the fraud was discovered, she didn't actually open up the paypal app at anytime so i assume the password has been stolen from the phone password file.

We will carryon with the other things you've recommended, thanks for the help.