I have a checking account with this bank, and somehow a merchant got into it and almost "cleaned it out." I immediately went to the bank, signed fraud papers, and set up a new account. I was told I'd hear from them later.
On my own, for WEEKS, I emailed and called Banktech, who was the third party for some type of insurance company that created a "remote area check" to get the money and put it in that insurance company's account. The insurance company told me they had MY MOTHER stating her account number to them, recorded, so I said fine, let me hear it. They told me to call back and I never got to "hear it." They quit taking my calls. But Banktech sent me an overnight check for the amount stolen.
THEN the insurance company called me, angry - ha! So I started getting lots of telemarketer calls with folks trying to get my checking account information. MY MOM IS 90 years old and on the account with me, so I took everything from her so they could not get her to read it to them.
The problem is that anytime you write a check for anything, a crook can sell the information to the telemarketers, and they want you to REPEAT back the number they say to you (not recorded), and then when you do, IT'S RECORDED - quite a trick. Anyway, the bank had never called me or written me in all those weeks to tell me where they were in their process.
I went in and explained I got the money back myself and asked them to stop trying to get it back. I asked for a list of ALL "HITS" ON THE OLD account, as I wanted to identify all the fraudulent merchants out there trying to steal from me. The bank told me they did not keep any records on that. I was astonished. I asked them, "Don't you think when an account was closed for fraud that it would be kind of important to help with your investigation and for the police for you to keep that information?" The answer was, "We are too busy to do that."
Also, I asked to stop an automatic monthly payment to a security company (that I suspected was the seller of the information). They said, "Oh no, they have to stop that." When I finished with my tirade about the Attorney General and Better Business and Bank Commission getting involved - presto - they stopped that automatic payment and let that company into the new account only one time. I told them that one time had better not cause the same scenario, for it was plainly stated on the computer that only ONE COMPANY could get into the new account for electronic automatic pay - only one, not two.
As for the security company, I told them I thought they had a crook working for them when I explained I wanted monthly invoices from them. They stated I had signed papers for them to take money electronically from "such account." I laughed and told them, "Do I have to fight you too? Give me a manager." It was thus cleared up and has not happened again.
But when I got a new car recently and they used BB&T, I called them about how to send in extra money to take off principal only and was told, "Oh, just send in what you wish, it will come off principal." Wow, then I started getting bills, and each one asked for a lower monthly payment as I was AHEAD on them. So interest was being taken from that principal payment. Geesh - more phone calls and emails to get correct instructions, BUT THEY would not back up and take the money I meant for principal only, even though I was LIED to by one of their employees.
I stay with them because "most banks are the same way." I won't go into Chase, but I have to keep after them at times too, ha ha.
Just monitor your checking, savings, and credit and debit cards about every day so you can REPORT fraud quickly, as most institutions have time frames on them.
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