Consumer complaint received 2023-04-10
Company: SANTANDER HOLDINGS USA, INC.
State: FL
Product: Vehicle loan or lease
Sub-product: Loan
Issue: Managing the loan or lease
Sub-issue: Problem with fees charged

Complaint:
Company has refused to protect us from identity fraud, and charges us fees for fraudulent payments. XXXX father made repeated fake payments, and we've thus been hit with NSF fees that were not refunded. 

Company has refused to protect us from identity fraud, and charges us fees for fraudulent payments. For fear of our physical safety and lives, we did not make payments until they could reassure us that XXXX father 's access would be blocked. They refused. They not only refused, but after being repeatedly begged to take action, allowed him to re-enable the entire account and maintain access. 

Company, by refusing to protect us from identity fraud, has endangered the physical, financial, and emotional health of our entire family. Husband 's XXXX  father, who obviously knows his SSN, has access to the online account, and with it, our new address. 

Company, by refusing to protect us from identity fraud, has resulted in us paying hundreds-thousands of dollars of interest, and thousands on a lawyer, to attempt to refinance loan in solely husband 's name. Prior to contacting lawyer and almost half a year ago now, we were approved to refinance without the co-borrower. When the refinance company called to verify that this was okay, the bank gave husband 's XXXX father 's number out, who denied the refinance loan. 

Company has repeatedly delayed responses to lawyer ; has given out false information to delay responses ; has failed to communicate what was needed to delay responses ; and responded to a request to remove XXXX father 's access by removing our access to the account. 

To be clear, the XXXX father is not remotely involved with this account. His name is not on the lease as a borrower or co-borrower, nor is it on the title. He, by nature, knows husband 's SSN and name. Husband and family friend is on the lease. We asked that they block his father, not accept payments from his father, and add an account PIN to access the account. At one point, they deleted our entire account and we reset the login/password ; however, they then allowed his father to call in and use his SSN to get access to the new account and even blocked us out of it. 

Company has been in contact with us by phone, XXXX XXXX, and now an attorney. We need a FEDERAL organization to step in and help, as they outright refuse to address any of these issues. They refuse to protect our private information from someone committing identity fraud. They refuse to stop refinancing companies from thereby calling someone not connected to their accounts to approve/deny a refinance loan. They refuse to protect our physical safety by blocking XXXX  father 's access to account. They now even refuse to respond to our lawyer. They've cost and continue to cost us thousands of dollars. 

They need a federal investigation, federal banking practice monitoring, and/or to be shut down altogether. These practices and flagrant enablement is not okay. We're also not the only ones to complain about them, and others need help, too.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation