In October I fell victim to one of those eBay email scams which attempt to "phish" for your bank account information so you can "continue bidding" on eBay. I had only recently opened my account (it was a student checking account) when I started college earlier that year, and I usually didn't keep more than a few dollars at a time in my account, except to make a deposit every month in order to write checks for my rent and other bills.
Well about a week after I'd unknowingly given my account information to the individuals running the eBay scam, I went to the ATM behind the BB&T just across the street in order to make a night deposit. I deposited the exact amount to cover the checks I was planning to write the next evening, which was close to 800 dollars. After I deposited the money, I checked my balance only to realize it came up 4 dollars less than the amount I had just deposited. I printed another account balance slip and it showed the same thing. I knew I had keyed in the exact amount which I deposited because I always check it twice. I walked back across the street to my apartment and got online to check my account history with their online banking.
Once I started looking through my account history I realized that over the last week or so, someone had been checking my balance every single day, sometimes even twice a day, and they were doing so at a non-BB&T ATM. It was costing me $1.50 each time, and I had gone from a balance of about $5.00 to almost -$5.00. Every one of these transactions where listed with California locations. I knew myself or no one else had been using my card in California as it had been with me everyday. I also had never used another ATM other than the one directly across the street, and I have never even been to California.
This made me really concerned and I knew something was up. I missed school the next day so that I could go over to the bank and talk to someone about the ATM charges on my account. I printed off my account history and took it with me to the bank. I attempted to explain my situation to the lady they instructed me to speak with. This lady was very rude and disbelieving, and acted as though I was completely stupid. I attempted to explain to her that I'd never even used another ATM, and she flat out told me that I had to be lying because no one could access my account without my card. She seemed completely convinced I had checked my balance everyday, even though I told her it wouldn't make any sense to check my balance that often, as I had only made 2 purchases with my debit card, and only made deposits at the counter and with the ATM behind the bank.
I never wrote checks for anything other than my bills. No matter what I said she seemed certain I did it, and almost refused to listen to me when I tried to tell her that I was scared that someone would steal the money I had just deposited and cause my checks to be returned. After she realized that she couldn't get rid of me, she attempted to scare me off by telling me that if they investigated it and found I had made those charges myself, that I would be responsible for all fees associated with the investigation.
I immediately agreed to it and told her to proceed with filing the investigation, and it seemed to almost make her angry. She finally took the papers which I'd printed and left to make copies and file for the investigation into my account. I still believe she didn't do anything with it and only acted like she did in order to get me to leave, but I'll explain that later. I asked her to destroy my debit card and issue me a new one with a different account number. She basically refused to do it and said that there wasn't a need for it. I asked her again and she told me it would cost me like 25 dollars to get a new card.
I told her again and again that I was going to lose money if whoever was checking my balance realized I had more than a few dollars after my deposit cleared and withdrew the money. She just kept telling me that if it happened, I wouldn't be liable for any charges. She told me that someone from the FBI or from the bank would call within a few days to tell me what was going on. I waited and waited, and no one ever called.
About a week after I visited BB&T I got a letter in the mail telling me that my account was nearly $1400 overdrawn. I immediately ran to my computer and checked my account history. There were about 3 or 4 different withdrawals, numerous ATM account balance fees and my rent check for $675 and my phone bill for about $100 had gone through.
My rent had bounced, but the bank paid that check, but my check to the phone company had been returned. Even though I had only a little less than 800 dollars in my account, BB&T let someone withdrawal over $1300 dollars and let a $675 dollar check clear. The rest of my money disappeared because of NSF charges. Again I printed off my account history and went straight to the bank to sort this out.
This time I was fortunate enough to speak to a lady who was considerate and listened to me and actually attempted to help. I explained to her that my two checks were valid but all the other charges were fraudulent. I wrote and signed a statement about what had happened (by this time I'd realized I had been had by the eBay fake email scheme). I told her about being there a week earlier, and what the lady had said to me. She could hardly believe it.
She couldn't find any record of the other lady filing for the charges on my account to be investigated. I don't believe she ever even attempted to help me, she just pretended to get me out of there.
But anyway, I gave the lady my card and she destroyed it and ordered me a new one (which was free, I might add). I asked this lady if they could clear the check that I'd written for my phone bill, as I had more than enough money to cover it when I wrote the check. She told me she'd see what they could do. I left feeling satisfied that my problem was solved...
Well a good while went by, and my account finally changed from having a balance of just less than -$1400 to about -$90. I went back to the bank to try and figured out what happened and why I still had a negative balance. I should have had a balance of 100 dollars, or at least more than 30 dollars even if they couldn't take the NSF charges off for the 2 checks I'd written, even though I had the money in my account.
Well the bank never could really give me an answer as to why I owed them 90 dollars for NSF charges that were completely not my fault. I wasn't the one who let someone withdrawal 1300 dollars when I had less than 700. To me that was ridiculous and I refused to pay it. They finally closed my account and continue to bill me for 90 dollars, even though I feel I am the one who is owed money.
At this point I'd almost settle for just a balance of $0 and them clearing all the negative marks against me on the chex system and my credit report. To this day I don't have a bank account, and the charges from the phone company for the returned check and past due payment caused a great deal of agony and stress and caused me to get behind on several bills trying to get that one caught up. I realize it was my fault that my account information was taken, but I'm not the one who used it fraudulently. Why should I be punished for the criminal acts of another? I thought that was what the security features of my debit card were for, but I guess I was wrong. I would appreciate any assistance in resolving this matter, as I've done all that I can.
Matt
Fairmont, West Virginia
U.S.A.
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