Q My 84-year-old cousin recently returned home to find that her account at a Florida bank was missing $32,000. The bank said her account's mailing address had been changed via computer and that the money had subsequently been paid via PayPal for purchases.
Report bank for not giving full refund in money scam
We made the discovery six months after these payments began, because my cousin had been hospitalized or in a rehabilitation center during that time and so hadn't missed her bank statements. But the bank says it has no responsibility for my cousin's losses beyond the first 60 days, and as a result has refunded only the $16,000 it said was paid out during that period.
Since my cousin has never owned or used a computer, shouldn't the bank have thought it unusual that she changed her mailing address via computer? What can my cousin do?
ESTHER LITVIN, SURFSIDE, FLA.
A What happened to your cousin sounds wrong to me. I suggest you file a complaint with the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, which is part of the U.S. Treasury Department.
For instructions on how to file a complaint electronically or by conventional mail, see tinyurl.com/6yneag3. Alternatively, you can call 1-800-613-6743.
Why complain to the federal government? A little checking shows that your cousin's bank is a nationally chartered financial institution. That means Florida bank regulators have no authority over it, said Flora Beal at the Florida Office of Financial Regulation in Tallahassee.
Q I'm interested in the Magic Jack device for making Internet telephone calls, but it seems too good to be true. And, if everybody used it, would that affect the telephone companies?
EDITH RUEST, OTTAWA
A Magic Jack is one of several services that provide free or low-cost Internet telephone calls if you already have a broadband Internet connection (dial-up Internet connections are too slow). Other brands include Ooma, Vonage and Skype. Many cable TV companies offer a similar service.
What all of these services have in common is that they bypass the traditional telephone network by converting your voice into data packets that can travel over the Internet. So yes, telephone companies would be adversely affected if everyone used Internet telephone service.
For a Consumer Reports review of Magic Jack, see tinyurl.com/3m2tvnf. For more background on Internet telephone service, see tinyurl.com/3rwdxku. Note that Internet phone service is also called VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol).
E-mail tech questions to steve.j.alexander @gmail.com, or write to Tech Q&A, 425 Portland Av. S., Minneapolis, MN 55488. Include name, city and telephone number.
No fatalities have been reported among the 80 passengers and crew members on board, though 18 were injured.