Calgary man wins fight over $630 in suspected fraudulent Visa debit charges, after contacting CBC

Steve Gallant says he uses his Tangerine chequing account for small, indulgent purchases, such as coffee, fast food and video games, via a Visa debit card.

So, he became concerned last December when he saw a series of transactions totalling $629.90 from an unknown source: T & TEC TBD.

The 47-year-old Calgarian immediately Googled the unfamiliar initials.

Turns out, they refer to the Trinidad and Tobago Electricity Commission - a legitimate organization - catching Gallant completely off guard.

"I don't have an account with the Trinidad and Tobago Electricity Commission or whatever this is. I haven't left the country in probably 10 years," says Gallant.

"Clearly it's a fraudulent transaction."

Gallant immediately notified Tangerine about the six unapproved transactions and within days the bank credited him back the money.

It was a provisional credit until the bank could investigate what happened.

That was mid December. As time passed Gallant figured the investigation had proven he'd been scammed and the matter was settled, he says.

Then, a few weeks ago, Gallant noticed the transactions were back and without any warning, the $630 had once again been taken from his account. 

Gallant contacted Tangerine looking for answers and a more favourable resolution.

But after spending hours on hold and receiving few answers, Gallant reached out to CBC News to share his story.

Within two days, Tangerine returned the money to Gallant's account again with no explanation.

"It was a frustrating experience, hopefully it is over now," he says.