Consumer complaint received 2022-08-16
Company: BANCO POPULAR DE PUERTO RICO
State: PR
Product: Checking or savings account
Sub-product: Checking account
Issue: Managing an account
Sub-issue: Problem using a debit or ATM card

Complaint:
On XX/XX/XXXX I receive a fraud alert call from XXXX XXXX XXXX for a credit card I have with them, I review the transactions and I recognize that the transactions are not made by me. I immediately log into my Banco Popular account and see that I have a negative balance of {$59.00}, so I proceed to review the transactions and see that they are the same ones that the XXXX alerted me to. I proceed to call Banco Popular to notify them of the transactions and transfers to my account without my authorization. When I check my phone I see that they hacked my email and my social networks ( XXXX and XXXX ), I see that I have several messages of password changes of my accounts such as email, social networks and I see the transactions of transfers from my bank account, when I communicate this information to Banco Popular they guide me and determined to make a claim for fraud with the number XXXX. At that time the service representative informed me that they proceeded to block the account and that while the investigation was being processed. 

On XX/XX/XXXX I personally went to the Banco Popular branch in XXXX XXXX to find out the status of the claim where I was notified of another XXXX  transaction for {$1000.00} where the same had been rejected for not having the funds. I was contacted by XXXX XXXX from the Risk Department to create a password for any call or transaction made by phone since bank transfers were made without my authorization and they were made by phone to Banco Popular. At that moment they blocked the bank account XXXX so that they could not make any more transactions to the account in complaint. 

The staff of Banco Popular XXXX XXXX XXXX proceeded to open a new bank account so that I could receive the payment of my children 's alimony and for the direct deposit from my employer. 

On XX/XX/2022, Banco Popular deposited the {$10000.00} in fraud claims to my account. So on XX/XX/XXXX, I went to Banco Popular XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX and made a withdrawal from the account in claim and deposited it in the new account in order to be able to pay my debts. 

I keep an eye on the account through the mobile application, where I manage all the movements of my accounts and my personal life. 

On XX/XX/XXXX, I see some transactions in the account in claim and I call the bank so they can explain me about the negative charges that appear in the account, the girl who attends me tells me that an officer of the risk department must contact me, that she can not provide me with the information I am requesting. 

On XX/XX/XXXX, I go out for lunch to buy my groceries and I see that when I process a transfer to pay for them, they are denied. I made several transactions and nothing processed, I proceed to call the XXXX so they can explain the situation to me. They tell me that I will receive a letter in the mail about the result of the investigation, that they can not give me more details, I insist to the service representative named XXXX that I need them to explain to me why my account can not be used, I had tried to make a transfer to buy my lunch and the same had given me decline the account having the funds. He tells me that he can not give me more information, I insist again and ask him to give me the result of the investigation, he puts me on hold and when I return he tells me that my case has been consulted with a supervisor who will contact me within 24 to 48 hours. I insist again and he puts me on hold, after XXXX minutes on hold he tells me that the claim was denied and that I should go to a branch office for more information. 

I go to the XXXX XXXX XXXX branch, the closest one to my work, there I am attended by XXXX XXXX XXXX, bank consultant, she asks me for all my data, ID and verifies in the system what I have mentioned and tells me that she can see a letter that they had sent me with the final answer to the claim and that it had been denied. He tells me to go to the XXXX XXXX branch so that they can provide me with more information. I inform her that I do not agree with the answer to the claim that XXXX had notified me that I could request a reconsideration, she proceeds to make a new claim with number XXXX. 

In the claim made by XXXX XXXX of the XXXX XXXX XXXX branch I sent her evidence of the transactions that they continue to make with my social networks, entries to my email account to prove that I am not the one who has made such transactions and I include there are IP from where they have been connecting to identity theft to my person. 

On XX/XX/2022 I receive by mail the resolution to the claim XXXX of the {$10000.00} where they determine that two of the debits of {$500.00} were made by mistake to my bank account and the other debits for the amounts of {$4000.00}, {$1000.00}, {$1000.00} and {$3000.00} totaling {$9000.00} determine that the same as Rejected Customer had participation, indicating that customer made voluntary debit transactions that were made with the same IP Address which the customer accesses the system of Banco Popular XXXX XXXX XXXX 

It is very difficult to understand the mechanisms used for the investigation carried out by Banco Popular where it identifies that several transactions were made by mistake and the other transactions were made voluntarily by this servant being from the same place and on the same dates, even though I communicated and exposed evidence to Banco Popular of the identity theft against me.

Company response to consumer: Closed with monetary relief