Unauthorized withdrawals from my checking account. What can I do?

[BonBon]

Originally Posted by Nancy1999

What does the company say that that the withdrawals were for? What services were provided for this money? Could someone else have given them permission without your knowledge? I'm not sure whom you would contact; I cannot imagine your bank doing so little to help you resolve this. I think I would find another bank as well.

It's an online vendor. They said I called them and wanted to buy something but didn't have a credit card. They agreed to sell 'me' the item if 'I' authorized a large initial payment by phone and then agreed to 6 monthly installments to be paid the same way. So they expected to receive 4 more payments this way.

The bank manager told me that whenever you write a check to someone they have ALL of your banking info needed for this type of transaction.....your name, address, account number, ABA number, etc. So it could have been ANYONE who I've written a check to in the last.....I can't even guess how long.

He did offer one piece of good advice - he said to always pay using your debit card. That way the bank can just cancel your card to stop future withdrawals instead of having to close your entire account.

[BonBon]

Originally Posted by jencar98

Bonny, I used to work for a bank and the best advice I can give you is to....don't give up. They can and do refund money on fraudulent withdrawals and that is exactly what took place. Don't know the size of your bank but if you have a loan officer there, speak with him/her, don't just deal with bookkeeping. Explain that you have been a valued customer with no account problems for the past 20 years and want to remain their customer, but you can not afford to be without your funds for the length of time the bank is requiring. Ask them to, at the very least issue a partial refund until this fraud can be proven or dealt with.

The customers that give up easily, don't get their money back. Those that are persistent have a good chance at getting it back, especially for this amount. It's not worth a few hundred dollars for the bank to lose your business. After all, I am pretty certain the bank could write off on their taxes losses like this.

Good luck.....I know ...it Sucks!

Originally Posted by jadabug

I am the head teller in a bank. I am not sure if laws vary state by state, but in TN if a customer has a transaction that clears from their account as an ACH file that was not authorized by the customer, we have a written statement of unauthorized debit. You are basically stating that you did not authorize the transaction and the bank returns it to the company that debited your account as an unauthorized transaction. If the debit cleared your account as a debit card or point of sale transaction it does take up to 90 days for the dispute to be cleared up as it is handled through visa or mastercard who has the majority of all debit cards in the US.

Thanks guys. That gived me hope that I have a chance of getting my money back. And believe me, for $500 I can be a royal pain in their butts until they put the money back in my account!!

Jen, it's Arvest Bank. Do you have those in Chelsea? They have several locations all over Tulsa.

[BonBon]

Originally Posted by bchgirl

Oh I'd be livid. How did this company have your checking account and bank routing number?

Anyone that I'd ever written a check to would have this information.

[bchgirl]

Well if someone "stole" the information...it's definitely fraud. I'd be raising h-ll at the bank.

[Nancy1999]

Originally Posted by BonBon

It's an online vendor. They said I called them and wanted to buy something but didn't have a credit card. They agreed to sell 'me' the item if 'I' authorized a large initial payment by phone and then agreed to 6 monthly installments to be paid the same way. So they expected to receive 4 more payments this way.

The bank manager told me that whenever you write a check to someone they have ALL of your banking info needed for this type of transaction.....your name, address, account number, ABA number, etc. So it could have been ANYONE who I've written a check to in the last.....I can't even guess how long.

He did offer one piece of good advice - he said to always pay using your debit card. That way the bank can just cancel your card to stop future withdrawals instead of having to close your entire account.

Did you ever write a check to this company? Could someone, who you have written a check to in the past, given this online company your information? I really hope you can get to the bottom of this.

[BonBon]

Originally Posted by lynnelily

I had that happen to me with unauthorized withdraw and I contacted my bank it is a credit union bank and they told me to come in fill out a report and put the money right back into my account that day. They said they would take care of everything. They also called me once when I was in another state visiting my daughter to see if it was me using my debit card.

Originally Posted by jadabug

I work for a bank and we do it that way too. If a customers says they didn't authorize it we return it to as unauthorized by the customer and the bank customer gets their money back the same day.

Hmpf! Well, I didn't get money put back in my account. I don't know if it was just this particular guy or what, but I will be stopping in OFTEN until I see some action on this from my bank. And my next visit will be to a different location to see what they have to say.

[BonBon]

Originally Posted by Rhetts_mama

Wow. I hope you get things straightened out soon. Does the bank have a fraud division that you can speak to?

I don't know. They're pretty big, so I would think they would. That's a good idea.....I'll have to call and find out.

[BonBon]

Originally Posted by Nancy1999

Did you ever write a check to this company? Could someone, who you have written a check to in the past, given this online company your information? I really hope you can get to the bottom of this.

Oh hell Nancy, I don't even know who I might have written a check to in the past 20 years. The account and ABA info hasn't changed in that time, so it could be anyone. I rarely write checks anymore because of autodrafts and debit cards, so it's a very limited list of people that I've written to recently. But no, I've never written a check to an online company - I always pay by credit card or paypal.

I'll go through and make up a list of checks going back to the first of the year, and offer the info to the bank. I don't know what I personally could do with the info, though.

[jacquelinebabco]

Originally Posted by Fatalivy

I had a situation a few months ago where someone used my debit card number in another state. guess what, I had my debit card, so someone just stole the number. well, my bank (loss prevention) called me to verify that I had made those charges because they felt it was unusual that i would have made purchase in a state i don't normally do it in. and such a large amount of money. i had not been online that day to see the charges, so i was totally unaware. i told them it was not me that went on a shopping spree and i did not authorize those charges and they returned the money that very same day. every bank is different, but i do not understand how they can hold you liable for something you didn't authorize or make you wait 90 days while it's being investigated. isn't that why banks are insured?

I had this happen not long ago and had to have a police report filed and then after getting the run around from the bank I sent an email to the president of the bank and had my money credited back to my account within 24 hours. This made me so angry that someone would steal my credit card number. I just felt violated. So sorry you are going thru this.

[nana911]

If you've been banking there for 20yrs, plus having direct deposit... could you talk to the bank personnel and ask if they can advance in your account, based on your direct deposit, the amount needed to cover this incident, while they resolve it. They have access to your ''paycheck'' so to speak and there might be finance charge, but it is worth a try.

I bank at Wells Fargo and with my direct deposit, if ever I need emergency funds I can advance up to a certain amount immediately. They would just pull it out of my next deposit.

After it is cleared up, I'd change banks immediately. It is outrageous that you, the customer, in person telling them it is not authorized cannot get this reversed. Most major banks may require 90days to get the reversal completed but they will put the money back in your account immediately.

As for the company that accessed your funds, I'd speak to the attorney general's office for guidance on how to nail them, since it is a commercial transaction.

[BonBon]

Originally Posted by jencar98

Bonny, I used to work for a bank and the best advice I can give you is to....don't give up. They can and do refund money on fraudulent withdrawals and that is exactly what took place. Don't know the size of your bank but if you have a loan officer there, speak with him/her, don't just deal with bookkeeping. Explain that you have been a valued customer with no account problems for the past 20 years and want to remain their customer, but you can not afford to be without your funds for the length of time the bank is requiring. Ask them to, at the very least issue a partial refund until this fraud can be proven or dealt with.

The customers that give up easily, don't get their money back. Those that are persistent have a good chance at getting it back, especially for this amount. It's not worth a few hundred dollars for the bank to lose your business. After all, I am pretty certain the bank could write off on their taxes losses like this.

Good luck.....I know ...it Sucks!

I forgot to say.....you're addressing one of my biggest concerns about changing banks, Jen. If I move my account to another bank, how much incentive is my bank going to have to get/give my money back?

[BonBon]

Originally Posted by nana911

If you've been banking there for 20yrs, plus having direct deposit... could you talk to the bank personnel and ask if they can advance in your account, based on your direct deposit, the amount needed to cover this incident, while they resolve it. They have access to your ''paycheck'' so to speak and there might be finance charge, but it is worth a try.

I bank at Wells Fargo and with my direct deposit, if ever I need emergency funds I can advance up to a certain amount immediately. They would just pull it out of my next deposit.

After it is cleared up, I'd change banks immediately. It is outrageous that you, the customer, in person telling them it is not authorized cannot get this reversed. Most major banks may require 90days to get the reversal completed but they will put the money back in your account immediately.

As for the company that accessed your funds, I'd speak to the attorney general's office for guidance on how to nail them, since it is a commercial transaction.

I hadn't thought about that, but you know....I'm not willing to pay a dime for something that wasn't my fault. My argument is going to be just that while I insist the bank put the money back in my account.

I'm not convinced that this company wasn't a victim of a scam, too. I will definitely keep your advice in mind, but first I just want to see if I can get my money back.

[OwnedByJezebel]

I would inform both the bank and the online company that you are filing a fraud report with the police, and then do it.

The online company certainly has phone records or some other means that will prove that it wasn't actually you that called them and gave them the bank account info. They are just stalling because it will be them that is left holding the bag.

What is the online company? What sort of service or goods did they say they provided for $500? Seems to me, that if you never got something that you paid for, it is also fraudulent for this company not to return the money to you. Do you know a good attorney that could write a quick letter and light a fire under them? See if the police would include them as being a party to the fraud, since they are not returning your money and still plan on taking more, while you have nothing in return. Doesn't that make them an accessory to the fraud?

[Rhetts_mama]

Doesn't the online company have a record of what address they shipped the item to? It's pretty obvious the item didn't come to you and that should be further proof to the bank that it was not you that authorized the transaction.

[mattymac]

Wow, this is horrible. I am so sorry this happened to you. I would definitely investigate this online company a little more. They are the ones that took your money. I know you didn't authorize it with the bank but if this company is saying it was an automatic withdrawal then they are the ones who stole your info and are taking your money. I would be so upset, good luck with the banks and company...I'm sure this is just so stressful. Fingers crossed that you get all of your money back!