Consumer complaint received 2020-08-04
Company: Conduent Incorporated
State: GA
Product: Credit card or prepaid card
Sub-product: Government benefit card
Issue: Problem with a purchase or transfer
Sub-issue: Charged for a purchase or transfer you did not make with the card

Complaint:
On XX/XX/2020 I went to use my Dept of Labor ( DOL ) Way2Go Mastercard debit card ending in XXXX. It was declined. I knew I had received an unemployment benefit just a few days before so I logged into the Go Program app. Upon logging in I saw 36 fraudulent charges on my account, starting on XX/XX/2020 through XX/XX/2020. The majority of the charges were for XXXX XXXX # XXXX ( code for their online purchases ). Most of the charges were purchase and reversal. Unfortunately 5 charges cleared my account. Here are the 5 charges that cleared : XX/XX/2020 {$200.00}, XX/XX/2020 {$380.00}, XX/XX/2020 {$72.00}, XX/XX/2020 {$410.00}, and a second charge on XX/XX/2020 also for {$410.00}. Totaling {$1400.00}. 

I found the number for XXXX XXXX and called them in hopes they could cancel the orders and they could recoup their merchandise. The representative I spoke with said she was unable to look up the purchases because they were made with my debit card and not a XXXX charge card. I asked if I could be transferred to the finance dept because there must be a way to locate these charges in their system. She placed me on hold and came back on the line saying that she called the finance dept and they had a recording up saying they were out of the office for the entire day. I asked if it was COVID related or if they were closed handling fraud cases, was mine just one of many? She said she was not sure because she was working from home and all she could advise me was to try calling back on XX/XX/2020, and every day after until someone is back in the office but she wasnt sure when the finance dept would even be returning to work. 

I hung up and called the Go Program to report the fraud on my DOL benefits card. The representative who took my call advised me that he would open a claim. The DOL would then send me a Questionnaire of Fraud in the mail, via USPS. It could take up to 10 days for them to process the request and send me the questionnaire. Upon receipt of the questionnaire, I was to fill it out proving the fraud, and mail it back via USPS. I received the paperwork back on XX/XX/2020. It was due back by XX/XX/2020. Given that XX/XX/XXXX was a Saturday it was unlikely the paperwork would be received by Tuesday. I spent several hours on hold with Go Program to obtain a fax number to send the paperwork in to. Additionally, the Questionnaire of Fraud claimed I was only calling {$580.00} into question for fraud when the total about was {$1400.00} like I originally stated to the representative on the phone when I filed the claim. The rep who gave me the fax number advised me I could simply add the additional amounts to the forms provided, which I did. I went to XXXX and faxed these documents to Go Program Fraud Dept at XXXX Eastern on XX/XX/2020. 

My paperwork was received via fax by the deadline of XX/XX/XXXX. On XX/XX/XXXX a letter was created by the Go Program stating an investigation was opened on my behalf and I would receive a provisional credit for the {$1400.00} in question. I did not receive this letter until XX/XX/2020, but I did receive the provisional credit on XX/XX/2020. 

On XX/XX/2020 I went to use my provisional credit to pay out of pocket expenses for my youngest childs medical care. My card was once again declined. I logged into the Go Program Way2Go app once again and discovered that my provisional credit was reversed out of my account. On XX/XX/2020 the amounts of {$410.00}, {$380.00}, and {$200.00} were reversed and on XX/XX/2020 the amounts of {$72.00} and {$410.00} were reversed. Totaling the {$1400.00} in provisional credits. 

I called The fraud services dept at Go Program and they advised me ( after hours on hold once again ) that XXXX had provided a document stating they believed they had proof it was not fraud and that XXXX reversed my provisional credit, not DOL or Go Program. They also stated XXXX had 10 days to supply proof that it was not fraud. I hung up with DOL and called XXXX XXXX at XXXX on XX/XX/2020. I spoke with XXXX. She assured me that the 5 orders that were processed were in fact marked as fraud in her system. The XXXX order numbers are XXXX XXXX XXXX, XXXX XXXX XXXX, XXXX XXXX XXXX, XXXX XXXX XXXX, and XXXX XXXX XXXX. XXXX also advised me that the Dispute Team at XXXX had already sent communication to the investigator on XX/XX/2020 with their findings. She suggested I wait a few more days for DOL and Go Program to respond to their communication. 

On XX/XX/2020 I received a letter from the Go Program Fraud Services Dept dated XX/XX/2020. It stated The Fraud Services Department has completed an investigation regarding your recent claim. The merchant involved has provided our department with documentation that indicates the transaction ( s ) in question were in fact conducted with your authorization. Based on this information, we can not confirm that fraud occurred. You may request a copy of the documents in which we relied in making our determination. 

At this point I called XXXX financial back and spoke with XXXX. She assured me, just as XXXX did, that all the transactions were marked as fraud in the XXXX system. She spoke with a supervisor in the Dispute Team at XXXX and that supervisor told her that they sent the information on the fraud to the investigator on XX/XX/XXXX. I asked if I could have a copy of what was sent to the Go Program investigator. I was told that the only way to get a copy would be to submit a police report and get a subpoena. XXXX advised me to try the Go Program again and call back Monday morning when a XXXX supervisor could assist me but that they were not closed for the day. 

I called the Go Program back immediately and spent 4 more hours on hold. I finally was transferred to an agent on the dispute team. She reviewed all my information and confirmed my case was closed. She advised me that fraud cases are never reopened. Their internal policy is that it is reviewed once, and if its closed and there is still an issue that it is on me to seek reimbursement from the merchant directly. She said that she would also try to email the investigator on my behalf, even though the policy states they do not reopen cases, because it appears my case may have been closed in error. She documented everything I told her, the XXXX order numbers, the phone number to reach XXXX and XXXX at XXXX XXXX, and the Dispute team number at XXXX XXXX. She said that no one ever gets transferred to the investigators, there is no number or email I could be provided but she was try on my behalf. 


Monday XX/XX/2020 I attempted to call Go Program Fraud Services Dept at XXXX. From XXXX Eastern the phone would ring once, give a busy signal twice, then disconnect. At that point I called XXXX Dispute Team at XXXX and spoke with XXXX. He assured me just like XXXX and XXXX that yes these transactions were marked as fraud in his system. I asked him if I could have a copy of the communication sent to Go Program and he told me that only with a police report and a subpoena. I explained to him that after 4hrs on hold on Friday with the Go Program they  insisted I must dispute this with XXXX. He advised me that because an investigation was open with my bank, the Go Program,  XXXX most definitely could not credit me back for the fraud, despite the fact they know it was fraud. After a little more back and forth, XXXX read me the letter sent to the Go Program. It basically stated that Nordstroms electronic fraud system did not identify the transactions as fraud. It outlined the IP address used, the items purchased, where they shipped, tracking and order numbers, and when the items arrived. The items were sent to a company in Delaware that ships items internationally. I do not work for this company in Delaware, I am not a stockholder in this company, I have never even been to Delaware. The dispute department laid human eyes on the orders and its then that they manually marked the transactions as fraud. They however did not state that in their letter to the investigator. Their standard policy letter is to state that their system did not identify the transactions as fraud, to outline the shipping address, and other information I stated above, and to advise the bank to discuss the findings with the cardholder. XXXX advised me to try Go Program or my bank once again and call him back later in the week if I didnt have a resolution yet and he would continue to work with his supervisor to see what else they could do. He also advised me to look at Regulation E which governs the process of investigating fraud. He stated that it is the obligation and legal duty of the financial institution of the cardholder to do their due diligence and check the information sent by XXXX against their records on file, my address, phone number, etc. After hanging up with XXXX I researched Regulation E at that which point I came about learning about the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. 

I spent several more hours on hold with XXXX XXXX, repeatedly being transferred to the wrong dept, on accident they claimed. The first agent I spoke with stated a note in my file said spending inconsistent with cardholders spending history. At that point it sounds like Go Program was in agreement, these charges looked suspicious. Around XXXX I finally was put in contact with the Fraud Services. The individual who answered was not a supervisor, before transferring me to a supervisor she wanted to know exactly what I was calling about. I explained how on Friday an agent sent an email to the investigator on my behalf to ask them to reopen my case. She stated there is no way the previous agent I spoke with on Friday could have emailed the investigator. She stated the agents can email supervisors and managers, and managers can email investigators, but no one can call an investigator. She said she had no idea who the previous agent sent an email to, there was no history or tracking on it and there is no chance an investigator would ever reopen a case anyway because it is the internal policy that a case is never reopened. This is not the first time I had made a call and notes mysterious disappeared from my account/claim.

She finally transferred me to the supervisor on duty. He stated that the Go Program did not make the determination. He claimed that Mastercard had the representment and made the determination and if I wanted a copy of the documents, they were who had them, not the Go Program. He gave me the number to Master
card, XXXX. 
I called and spoke with XXXX. She advised me that Mastercard can not see my transactions because they are not the card issuer, that is XXXX XXXX and the Go Program. She offered to call the Go Program with me on the line to facilitate the conversation. We spent 2 hrs on hold together and never reached a representative at Go Program Fraud Services. At this point it was nearly XXXX XXXX and I needed to get to sleep. She advised me to call back in the morning of XX/XX/XXXX to try again. 

On XX/XX/2020 I also received 3 more identical letters to the one I received on XX/XX/2020, this time all the letters dated XX/XX/2020. 

On XX/XX/2020 I called Mastercard again. This time the agent did not offer to call Go Program for me and stated they would not facilitate the conversation because they did not issue the card and I should try XXXX XXXX at XXXX. I immediately tried XXXX and they said they have nothing to do with debit cards, that I absolutely must go through the Go Program.

At this point I called the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau ( CFPB ) to initiate this claim. I was advised by CFPB to also file a claim with the State DOL for GA at XXXX. The number goes straight to a busy signal. No answer. 

I dont want this happening to another person. I have spent 34 days and countless hours on the phone and I still do not have my {$1400.00} back. My Way2Go debit card was mainly used for XXXX XXXX purchases. Large sum purchases at XXXX or high end retailers has never been my purchase or spending history. At least one agent documented that in my file as their own findings, yet that was ignored.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation