Consumer complaint received 2018-06-24
Company: BBVA FINANCIAL CORPORATION
State: CA
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 at approx XXXX XXXX I contacted BBVA Compass Bank XXXX Customer Service to inform them of several atm withdrawal transactions that I did not make nor authorize. I only became aware of these withdrawals the day before and after questioning the roomates in my home and filing a police report, then did I proceed to notify BBVA. I can assure you that it was within the two day notification window. As I spoke to the representative over the phone on the XX/XX/XXXX I tried to give her as much detailed information as I could and I even offered to submit the police report that I had filed the day before but she proceeded to tell me that it was not necessary and if additional documents were needed in order to approve my claim then the investigator working on my case would contact me. My claim included 5 atm transactions starting on XX/XX/XXXX and ending on the XX/XX/XXXX of XX/XX/XXXX. Here is the exact amounts and dates : 1. XX/XX/XXXX XXXX 2. XX/XX/XXXX XXXX 3. XX/XX/XXXX XXXX 4. XX/XX/XXXX XXXX 5. XX/XX/XXXX XXXX I went on to explain what I believed happened and why I still had my card in hand but money missing from my account. You see, I live with 3 other people whom I share a residence with and with these other people friends come and go, etc. When I first noticed the unauthorized transactions I was unsure how it happened since my card was inside my wallet the entire time. It wasn't until I looked at the time span in between transactions and the obvious PIN number that I had written down next to my card that I began to come up with my theory. I am suspectful that one of my 3 roommates was the person who stole from me using the PIN number that I left for myself in case I forget it. It is the only scenario that I see making any sense. I tried to confronted everyone in the house but of course they all denied using it. I couldn't prove beyond a reasonable doubt who actually did it, all I could really do was file a police report and contact my bank. While I was down at my local police department filing my claim, the officer who took my report informed me that since I did not have valid proof as to which person in my household actual stole my card and used it, I couldnt press charges on anybody unless I had it on camera or a witness to the crime. He did tell me to contact my bank as soon as possible and I might be able to recover most if not all of my losses. So I did exactly what he told me to do and I contacted BBVA on XX/XX/XXXX. Another key piece of information I would like for you to know is that I suffer from a XXXX XXXX XXXX that I sustained when I was XXXX XXXX XXXX which has made my XXXX and XXXX quite difficult over the years. That is the reason as to why my PIN was even inside of my wallet to begin with. While I was on the phone with the claims representative I made sure to include everything that I could in order to make the claim go with ease. I knew that since I was filing the claim on a late Friday evening that more than likely it would not be looked into until the following Monday morning so when the claim representative informed me that I would receive a notice in the mail or an email updating me on the status within 10 business days, I knew that for at least the next week and a half my life was going to be extremely hard and distressing. During the wait I didnt receive anything via email or mail either asking for more information or a denial letter so I assumed that no news was good news. I had no reason to  believe that the claim that I filed would be denied. I did everything according to my banks specifications regarding unauthorized transactions. Nothing I said was untruthful, misleading, or over exaggerated. Honestly, I wish that I could tell you the opposite. I never wished this to happen. I wouldnt wish this on anybody. Anyways, on the XX/XX/XXXX or XX/XX/XXXX business day I called back BBVA Compass bank to check the status of my claim because I haven't received a temporary credit like I was hoping to nor a letter. When I called in I was immediately transferred over to my claims representative and when we were finally connected I asked her about the status of my claim and I also told her that if she needed anything else from me I would be more than happy to get it for her. She told me to please wait on the line and after about a 5 minute hold she got back on the phone and rudely said Your claim has been denied. For a minute I sat on the line in complete shock. I then went on to ask her why and she replied, the person who had your card also had your pin on them and you stated it was one of the people in your house so because you know the person you have to file a police report and take it up with that person. When I told her that I wasnt sure who it was and that I had already filed a police report and was told that I needed to go through my bank, she rudely cut me off and said, there is nothing that we can do, you need to file a police report. And that was the end of that conversation. She was so rude and non-empathetic to my feelings, it was absolutely ridiculous. I have never been treated so poorly in my life. She treated me like I was the criminal and not the victim. I know that they did not thoroughly investigate this crime because if they would have pulled camera surveillance they could have seen that I didn't make those transactions. I have nothing to hide. I hope that whoever reads this letter tries to put themselves in my shoes and understand that this entire situation has been absolutely horrible and financially devastating. I am begging for you to look into this matter and see if BBVA had justification to make the decision that they did or if I was unfairly stereotyped and persecuted for doing the right thing. Thank you and have a wonderful evening. Sincerely, XXXX XXXX

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation