USAA fraud department has locked all of my accounts

[belleama]

This is just getting worse and worse. Some of you will remember that DH's Yahoo account was hacked the other day.

 

http://creditboards.com/forums/index.php?s...=344907&hl=

 

Well he regained control of the account but the hackers erased everything on his account. All emails contacts everything. Well amoung the list was my account info. As soon as I found out DH's yahoo account had been hacked I changed the passwords to my bank accounts and yahoo account. Today I go to log into to see if my latest deposits have hit because I need to pay the movers. I can't get in at all. It says my account has been restricted. So I call them. Sure enough the fraud dept has frozen my accounts pending verification of my ID. I'm livid now because they already have copies of everything. My SS card, my Bcert, my DL. Well they are saying now that they need new copies of my SS card and DL. No problem right? I can fax it over. NO they won't take a fax it has to be mailed. Meantime I have NO money. Meantime I'm supposed to be out of here on TUESDAY. On top of that I can't find my d@mn SS card. Oh and they also want DD and DH's SS cards and Bcerts. WTF??

 

I am beyond livid. I'm Effin weak too I cried on the phone for a good half hour pleading with this woman to atleast take a fax while they wait for the mail. She says no. So I have no money for anything. The post office is closed so now the soonest it will go out is tomorrow. Fraud is not open until Monday and it takes a minimum of 48 hours to "investigate." I am so so sad and I feel broken and violated, again.

[hegemony]

that sucks. I am sorry to hear this!!! hang in there.

[Jen23514]

that sucks. I am sorry to hear this!!! hang in there.

 

{{{{belle}}}}}}}

[mdw2006]

I am sorry you are going thru all this Belle. I hope things get worked out soon.

[Tigz]

They locked your account because you changed your password? Or is it possible the hacker tried to get into your account and USAA has flagged it.

 

Also, if the account is yours....why do they need DH's social...and especially why do they need DD's.

 

I think you need to call them back tomorrow and ask to speak to a supervisor. (but still get all your docs together).

 

Do you still live at the same location and have the same phone number? I would be surprised if they don't have a way to go through their call logs to verify you are calling from your home phone.

[belleama]

They won't tell me why they locked it. She just kept telling me that they have the right to do that due to the patriot act. They are allowed to request proof of identity. Thats all she kept saying. She wanted their SS cards and Bcerts because they are listed as family members on my account. The woman I spoke to is from some executive services branch. She said she was the highest level person I could speak to. They would not let me speak to fraud.

 

I am in the process of moving but I haven't changed my address or phone number yet. This whole thing reeks.

[belleama]

that sucks. I am sorry to hear this!!! hang in there.

 

 

that sucks. I am sorry to hear this!!! hang in there.

 

{{{{belle}}}}}}}

 

 

I am sorry you are going thru all this Belle. I hope things get worked out soon.

 

Thanks you guys.

[Tigz]

They won't tell me why they locked it. She just kept telling me that they have the right to do that due to the patriot act. They are allowed to request proof of identity. Thats all she kept saying. She wanted their SS cards and Bcerts because they are listed as family members on my account. The woman I spoke to is from some executive services branch. She said she was the highest level person I could speak to. They would not let me speak to fraud.

 

I am in the process of moving but I haven't changed my address or phone number yet. This whole thing reeks.

I have only heard the nicest things about USAA (at least from my husband and a couple of others). You might want to sit down and write a nice (well, not so nice, but nicely composed) letter to the president and the chairman of the board.

 

Names to know: Chair= Lt. Gen (Ret.) John Moellering; CEO = Maj. Gen (Ret.) Josue Robles Jr.

 

It will probably do nothing....but at least you will feel better, and it will let them know that...at the very least...someone in their organization was rude and kept spouting off the patriot act to try to get the private information of your spouse and child....throw in there that you think they were doing it as a marketing ploy using the guise of patriot act might shake things up a bit

 

Make sure you put in the letter that because of their actions (which they refused to tell you the reason), a service members family was left with no money to pay expenses....even though it was in their bank.

 

At the very least, they should respond telling you the reason for the frozen account.

[belleama]

Update:

 

I called USAA back yesterday and spoke to a different rep in the member ID verificaion department (whatever that is). She was very nice and agreed to take a fax as long as I also sent the copies via mail. She also agreed to accept the reciept from the SSA in lieu of copies of the actual cards. I faxed everything over and called to verify that they have recieved everything. They did and have started their "investigation." I was told that it will take 48 hours to complete so by tuesday my accounts should be unlocked. Then they can tell me exactly what happened and why my accounts were locked in the first place.

 

This is all a HUGE PITA. But I've learned my lesson AGAIN. Don't keep all your money in one bank. As soon as I start my new job I'm going to open an account with NFCU. Start putting money in my accounts at DCU and Commerce and request new ATM/Debit cards for both. I am NOT going to deal with this again.

[persevering]

I'm really sorry this happened to you, and it sounds like this last time you finally reached someone with enough compassion to meet you halfway on helping you. Also, before you reached this latest person at USAA, this felt like a huge eye-opener on how USAA is capable of treating its customers in a very serious situation such as a breach of a customer's account(s). As far as how the previous person (the executive) treated you, I would expect that from other banks such as Capital One, but not USAA .. USAA came across as cold and unhelpful .. kinda like "hey, tough s**t, lady. At USAA, the bottom line is watching out for our money ... not ... 'helping the customer rectify the problem' "

 

Because I'm guilty of leaving email lying around in my inbox, particularly banking-related email, could I ask you about one thing ? I'm not clear on what it was that was in your husband's yahoo email box that made it possible for the USAA account to be hacked. Was it a piece of email from USAA that had enough information like last name, bank account numbers, etc ? Or was there something in the yahoo account that was like the equivalent of a post-it note like, "note to self: our password right is such-and-such, and our current log-in is yada-yada" ?

Edited June 28, 2008 by persevering

[persevering]

Update:

 

[...]

 

This is all a HUGE PITA. But I've learned my lesson AGAIN. Don't keep all your money in one bank. As soon as I start my new job I'm going to open an account with NFCU. Start putting money in my accounts at DCU and Commerce and request new ATM/Debit cards for both. I am NOT going to deal with this again.

 

This kind of worst case scenario is what makes me nervous about and distrustful of online banking. This is why so far I have done as much of my banking by phone mail and by phone as possible.

[Tigz]

Bell, even though this is a huge PITA, It could be a lot worse. What if someone were to clear out your bank account? Some would even have the balls to call up pretending to be you and try to get the account opened up again so that they could clear out whatever they didn't get to begin with.

 

I would still write the letter to the Chairman and CEO. The way the first lady treated you was inexcusable...and to ask why on earth, at this particular point in time (when you were having to deal with no money, emotional stress, etc) why on earth the woman had to start demanding information that was not needed in order to get your account back open under the guise of Patriot Act. THAT information could have waited a week or two at least.

 

The new Chair and CEO are both retired military. They should know, more than anyone, the stress that family members go through when their spouse is deployed, and should try to make things easier on those left here.

 

I can understand needing to verify and make sure that the account is secure, but there is no need to put undue stress on you.

[belleama]

USAA came across as cold and unhelpful .. kinda like "hey, tough s**t, lady. At USAA, the bottom line is watching out for our money ... not ... 'helping the customer rectify the problem' "

 

If it was their money. I could kindof understand that tone. But none of it was theirs. Neither of us has credit with them. They were only deposit accounts. No more. They will not be the only ones to hold the bulk of my deposit cash anymore. Not after this.

 

Or was there something in the yahoo account that was like the equivalent of a post-it note like, "note to self: our password right is such-and-such, and our current log-in is yada-yada" ?

 

Bingo.

 

This kind of worst case scenario is what makes me nervous about and distrustful of online banking. This is why so far I have done as much of my banking by phone mail and by phone as possible.

 

This kindof thing is exactly the reason I bank exclusively online. I want to know IMMEDIATELY if something is going on with my account. I want to see it. Them locking me out right now is really hard for me to swallow because I check pretty much daily. Most of the time things are just fine. Every once in a while I see something that is completely off and I can contact them about it. Debit card purchases show up almost instantaniously. I like that. So this experience will not turn me off from online banking. It has just turned me off this bank.

 

Bell, even though this is a huge PITA, It could be a lot worse. What if someone were to clear out your bank account? Some would even have the balls to call up pretending to be you and try to get the account opened up again so that they could clear out whatever they didn't get to begin with.

 

I would still write the letter to the Chairman and CEO. The way the first lady treated you was inexcusable...and to ask why on earth, at this particular point in time (when you were having to deal with no money, emotional stress, etc) why on earth the woman had to start demanding information that was not needed in order to get your account back open under the guise of Patriot Act. THAT information could have waited a week or two at least.

 

The new Chair and CEO are both retired military. They should know, more than anyone, the stress that family members go through when their spouse is deployed, and should try to make things easier on those left here.

 

I can understand needing to verify and make sure that the account is secure, but there is no need to put undue stress on you.

 

Trust me I will be writing them a letter. This whole thing was just over the top rude and unnecessary. DD is a minor why would her identity even matter? Even if she wasn't who I said she was wtf would it matter? DH doesn't even have accounts with them because he doesn't consider them a real bank at all. So why would his identity matter in the least? He has a member number so that he can access my accounts and that is it.

 

The patriot act chaps my azz and so do people who try to claim it gives them special powers when they don't know WTF they are talking about.

[Pam]

Or was there something in the yahoo account that was like the equivalent of a post-it note like, "note to self: our password right is such-and-such, and our current log-in is yada-yada" ?

 

Bingo.

 

 

oyyyyy belle, tell me you didn't.

 

Now you know why they want you to verify that you are you. someone tried to gain access and control over your bank accounts, and at some point failed. Given how much information someone could get about your accounts by logging in, they need for you to provide documentation that a hacker wouldn't have access to.

[aescutie]

You put all your personal information on line at yahoo. You knew it (YAHOO) was hacked before this happened. Now you're angry at the bank that is trying to protect you and your money.

 

I don't get it.

Edited June 29, 2008 by aescutie

[belleama]

Or was there something in the yahoo account that was like the equivalent of a post-it note like, "note to self: our password right is such-and-such, and our current log-in is yada-yada" ?

 

Bingo.

 

 

oyyyyy belle, tell me you didn't.

 

Now you know why they want you to verify that you are you. someone tried to gain access and control over your bank accounts, and at some point failed. Given how much information someone could get about your accounts by logging in, they need for you to provide documentation that a hacker wouldn't have access to.

 

Dh had it when he first deployed then got the sheet wet or something during his trasfer. So I resent it via email and he was supposed to have deleted the email once he arrived in Iraq. I didn't find out that he didn't until my accounts got locked.

[belleama]

You put all your personal information on line at yahoo. You knew it (YAHOO) was hacked before this happened. Now you're angry at the bank that is trying to protect you and your money.

 

I don't get it.

 

Yeah I sent information to DH back in November. Its JUNE. Should have been deleted MONTHS ago. And YES I am pissed at the bank for NOT notifying me that something was going on with my accounts. They won't even tell me whats going on so for all I know it may have nothing to do with the hacker. Though I firmly believe it did due to the timing of things. But it is possible that something unrelated is going on. I won't find out until after this "investigation" is over.

 

Anyway I never said I was pissed that they were trying to "protect me." I'm pissed because I can't access MY MONEY. I'm also pissed that the first rep was being a B*tch and demanding proof of info that's really none of USAA's business. The end.

Edited June 29, 2008 by belleama

[zx10 guy]

Hi Bell,

 

Sorry to hear about your issues.

 

But I need to clarify some things which seem to be misconceptions here. First, you never ever use any public service like email to send/store/what have you sensitive personal information. The only time you can get away with sending sensitive information is if you use encryption. Standard email is straight text. Anyone can grab the contents off the "wire" and read it easily. Corporations use certificates to encrypt email between branch offices. So the hacker could have harvested the information he/she needed from just sniffing internet traffic or could have hacked into the Yahoo server. And even if the email was deleted, you aren't sure when it was permanently purged from the server.

 

It's a real hassle and the bank representatives might have been over the top with their treatment of you. But based on the circumstances, they were following procedure.

[belleama]

On Monday I was told they were still "investigating" and I would get a call back that day. Today after not hearing back I called them again. Now I am being told that someone is working on closing my accounts but no one is willing to tell me what is going on. No idea what happened. No idea why its happening. WTF is going on. :cry2:

 

ETA: The woman on the phone now is saying that the accounts are being closed due to "suspicious" deposits on the account. No one will tell me what that means or why this is happening.

Edited July 2, 2008 by belleama

[mdw2006]

On Monday I was told they were still "investigating" and I would get a call back that day. Today after not hearing back I called them again. Now I am being told that someone is working on closing my accounts but no one is willing to tell me what is going on. No idea what happened. No idea why its happening. WTF is going on.

 

ETA: The woman on the phone now is saying that the accounts are being closed due to "suspicious" deposits on the account. No one will tell me what that means or why this is happening.

 

 

Is your money still there? As in if there are "suspicious" deposits do they mean some weird lottery scam is putting money in or someone is taking money out?

[Tigz]

On Monday I was told they were still "investigating" and I would get a call back that day. Today after not hearing back I called them again. Now I am being told that someone is working on closing my accounts but no one is willing to tell me what is going on. No idea what happened. No idea why its happening. WTF is going on.

 

ETA: The woman on the phone now is saying that the accounts are being closed due to "suspicious" deposits on the account. No one will tell me what that means or why this is happening.

Bell, time to call your lawyer. Seriously.

[belleama]

On Monday I was told they were still "investigating" and I would get a call back that day. Today after not hearing back I called them again. Now I am being told that someone is working on closing my accounts but no one is willing to tell me what is going on. No idea what happened. No idea why its happening. WTF is going on. :cry2:

 

ETA: The woman on the phone now is saying that the accounts are being closed due to "suspicious" deposits on the account. No one will tell me what that means or why this is happening.

 

 

Is your money still there? As in if there are "suspicious" deposits do they mean some weird lottery scam is putting money in or someone is taking money out?

 

 

Yes my money is in there. On Monday when I called they told me that due to some regulation cc or something they can put all deposits on hold for up to 11 business days. I didn't know this on friday. So even if they unlocked my accounts on that day the funds would have been on hold until the 7th. Today they tell me about the "suspicious"deposits. Something about the money going in there looks funny to them. Rather than ask me about the deposits they have decided to hold my money until the 7th and close the account on the 14th.

 

The more that I think about it the more I can kindof see why the deposits look strange but its nothing really out of the ordinary and certainly not anything that cannot be verified very easily. Lots of money going in some coming back out. I'm thinking their suspion is coming from the fact that there have been no direct deposits of wages into the account? Maybe? I'm grasping at straws. No one knows anything about anything or can tell me anything. The woman who said supicious deposits only said so after being grilled again for another hour. I just don't get it. *sigh*

 

The last woman I spoke to was willing to take down GMs and DH's contact info. She said the "investigations" department MAY contact them and reverse their decision. I'm not holding my breath though.

 

I'm so pissed. I this stupid azzed bank.

[belleama]

On Monday I was told they were still "investigating" and I would get a call back that day. Today after not hearing back I called them again. Now I am being told that someone is working on closing my accounts but no one is willing to tell me what is going on. No idea what happened. No idea why its happening. WTF is going on.

 

ETA: The woman on the phone now is saying that the accounts are being closed due to "suspicious" deposits on the account. No one will tell me what that means or why this is happening.

Bell, time to call your lawyer. Seriously.

 

Then say what? I still have no idea whats going on. What I do know is my money is locked in there and my online access has been restricted.

[Tigz]

On Monday I was told they were still "investigating" and I would get a call back that day. Today after not hearing back I called them again. Now I am being told that someone is working on closing my accounts but no one is willing to tell me what is going on. No idea what happened. No idea why its happening. WTF is going on. :cry2:

 

ETA: The woman on the phone now is saying that the accounts are being closed due to "suspicious" deposits on the account. No one will tell me what that means or why this is happening.

Bell, time to call your lawyer. Seriously.

 

Then say what? I still have no idea whats going on. What I do know is my money is locked in there and my online access has been restricted.

I would think (don't know...just think) that your lawyer would have the right of discovery concerning whatever data they have that is questionable. It could get your funds unlocked quicker.

 

Secondly, if they do freeze it/close it due to some investigation and come to the conclusion that you are doing something illegal (or receiving funds from out of the country) someone will be notified. You don't want to be unprepared if the FBI comes knocking.

 

I don't know for sure if that is what they do...but I don't see how they can just arbitrarily lock/close an account without notifying some government/law enforcement entity to report possible illegal activity.

[belleama]

Umm... they unfroze my accounts today and are overnighting new debit cards. I'm really in shock.