On 8/11/08 I noticed a $10 charge made by Alltel Replenish on my SunTrust online banking account. I clicked on the transaction, then the HELP link and notified SunTrust that I did not make the transaction. The next morning I called Alltekl to question the charge, thinking maybe I had purchased something online for my wireless account. The Financial Services rep keyed in my Visa check card and told me the $10 transaction was a replenishment for prepaid minutes. I told her I had a post paid plan with Alltel, and had never had a prepay account. She told me that she could not reveal the name or the mobile # that used my check card, but the account had previous fraudulent activity and that I should notify SunTrust immediately. I hung up with her, logged into my SunTrust online banking and I saw 11 more transactions with Alltel Replenish that were in pending status. I called SunTrust customer service, notified them someone was using my visa check/debit card somehow and I needed to cancel mine. I told her that I did not loose my card and it was not stolen, I don't know how my information had been obtained. She put me in touch with SunTrust's fraud department so I could begin to dispute all the charges ($292.99).
The fraud department said they were mailing me an affidavit to dispute the charges and assignged me a case number. At the urging of others, I contacted Alltel's fraud department and made them aware that someone was using my visa check card to replenish prepaid minutes, but I didn't know who it was. The lady I spoke with was wonderful. She said that if the accounts who received my funds were not mine, she would not provide me any information, but she would be able to direct me to the next person who I should notify. She took my visa check card number, keyed it into her computer and immediately had all 12 transactions right in front of her. She told me to go to my local police department and ask them to open a case for identity theft / fraud. As soon as I got off work, I went to the local sheriff's department in my home town and filed a report. The officer who took my statement told me that I should be relentless with my bank because banks never cooperate well with victims of identity theft and that I shouldn't wait for the affidavit from the bank to come in the mail, he suggested I go back to the local branch and do this immediately.
The next morning I went to the SunTrust branch on Westover Blvd.in Albany, GA. The customer service rep in the center of the bank offered to assist me. I told her what happened with my card and she called and had my affidavit pulled. She printed it, I signed it and she said that the maximum amount of time it would take for me to get my money back would be 120-days, but it could be as soon as 10-days.
I called SunTrust fraid department every to check the status of my affidavit until on 08/26/08 a young man told me that it was unnecessary for me to call every day. He said I would be the first to know of any developments in my case.in the mean time, Alltel's fraud investigator called me to let me know the person (s) of interest in my theft case had been forwarded to the detective working my case. He stated there were 12 transactions made and the funds were posted to 11 different prepay mile numbers and they were all local to me. He said he would work closely with the lieutenant working my case and ensure the perpetrators served jail time.
On Friday, 8/30/08 after still not hearing back from SunTrust I called again to check the status of my case. The very rude lady told me my case was denied on the 26th, due to the fact that I had previous financial transactions with the merchant my card was used and therefore I would not be able to dispute the charges. I old her that I disclosed to SunTrust in advance there were charges that I made with Alltel as I have a wireless account with them, but I did not have a prepay account where the disputed charges were made. She told me it didn't matter and if I disagreed with the findings of my case I could only write a rebuttal letter. Needless to say I was very ticked off. I grabbed my keys and went back to the Albany branch on Westover Blvd. I yelled, cursed and made a complete idiot of myself to try to get someone to listen to me. They could not have card less. I told the customer service lady to close out all my accounts with them and put my money in my hand immediately. I still had a pending transaction in my checking account so I wasn't able to close it, but she would give me all the rest of it and just leave enough to cover the pending charge. She filled out the withdrawal slips and left. When she came back, I snatched my money from her and told her and everyone else in there that they were useless and should all be unemployed. I went back to my office and checked my online banking again. My savings account did not even appear so I knew she closed it out, and my checking only showed a balance to cover the one pending transaction.
I called the lieutenant working the theft case, but he wasn't available to I spoke to his superior. I told him what the bank did and he assured me no SunTrust investigator made an attempt to contact them regarding my case. He said SunTrust actually closed their case prior to the sheriff's department even receiving their subpoena'd information from Alltel's fraud investigator.
I called SunTrust fraud back to inform them that their investigator closed my case without speaking with the Alltel fraud dept or the local Sheriff's dept. The SunTrust lady said the SunTrust investigator noted my account that he in fact contacted them both. This really ticked me off worse because SunTrust falsified documents.
I have complained to the BBB, Federal Reserve, State Attorney General, Senator, State Senators, FDIC and now rip off report.
I will follow up again when I hear something back from SunTrust, if I ever do. If I don't, I plan to take legal action.
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