Consumer complaint received 2023-11-10
Company: TOWNEBANK
State: VA
Product: Checking or savings account
Sub-product: Checking account
Issue: Problem with a lender or other company charging your account
Sub-issue: Transaction was not authorized

Complaint:
XXXX, on XX/XX/XXXX, I received a text message at XXXX from my bank saying that a quote - " LARGE WITHDRAWAL '' - charge of {$160.00} was posted. I looked it up on my Towne Bank application on my phone and noticed it was listed as a charge from XXXX. When I checked the most recent charges from the previous days, a list of repetitive charges ( all listed as being from XXXX  ) for {$45.00}, {$160.00}, {$290.00}, {$160.00}, {$94.00}, {$15.00} ( these were all posted between XX/XX/XXXX to XX/XX/XXXX ) and then I found additional posts of {$63.00}, {$81.00}, {$20.00}, {$13.00}, {$10.00}, {$36.00}, {$32.00}, {$27.00}, {$22.00}, {$18.00}, and {$16.00} ( All between XX/XX/XXXX to XX/XX/XXXX ). On top of those, I had another 2 pending charges ( for {$29.00} and {$94.00} ) listed as well. There were other tiny amounts charged ( most well under {$10.00} ) over the previous week stretching back to XX/XX/XXXX when the first tiny charge happened. I still am not sure why the bank could allow such a blatant pattern of fraud to keep posting charges without making contact with the client who entrusted them with their money ( or how do they let all of this go on without temporarily putting a freeze on the card so they could contact the client to see what was going on ). 
Upon realizing all of this had been going on yesterday, I immediately used the Towne Bank app to freeze my card. I then drove to the nearest branch located on XXXX XXXX in XXXX  XXXX, VA. I reported the fraudulent charges, and asked why I was not notified of these repeated charges for escalating amounts. I also asked why they did not notice this repetitive suspicious activity that was obvious fraud. Even more upsetting is that when I questioned them on what they do to monitor and protect their clients ' accounts, as well as asking why I was not getting any text messages/notifications of this suspicious activity, their response was simply, " we do not know. '' Additionally, they then told me that this is unfortunately probably going to end up being an issue that I will have to resolve with XXXX  ( not with the bank ), and claimed that this was XXXX 's fault and this would likely end up being XXXX 's responsibility to resolve. They said that since I would probably be told this after they investigate ( which made no sense to me ), that I should go ahead and call XXXX to file a report with them as well. The rep at the bank looked up a number online for XXXX and gave it to me. 
I wanted to do whatever I could to find a resolution and have my stolen funds returned, and I did attempt to contact XXXX  while I was at the Towne Bank bank XXXX filing my report. Yet, what I found out was that XXXX does not have an actual number that a member of the public can use to reach out to them ( the number the bank had given to me was to an emergency line XXXX provides for people with service animals and/or special needs ). I used my phone 's web browser to try and figure out how to get in contact with XXXX. I logged in through my phone 's web browser to file a request/complaint. XXXX had a section that listed all rides that I had taken on my XXXX  account so I could indicate which XXXX  charge I wanted to dispute. Yet, the last ride on my XXXX account was from XXXX of XXXX. I showed the bank reps this, and I still emailed XXXX and informed them of what I reported to my bank and requested that they contact me ( the bank also claimed that another rep was trying to find a way to contact XXXX  while I was there filing my fraud report ). 
I was able to file a report on these fraudulent charges with Towne Bank, and I also requested they also put a stop on both the pending charges from XXXX on my account. When I asked about what was going to happen and the next steps, the bank informed me that they would investigate the claim and report back to me. This was all they would say to me after asking multiple times. 
When I asked specifically about the money that was stolen from my account, they again said that they did not know and would contact me again once they investigated. While they were not rude, they did ask me the same sets of accusatory questions throughout my extended time there. The questions all appeared to aimed at getting me to admit that this was all my fault or only my responsibility to resolve with XXXX. Like previously stated, they even went as far as to say that I should go ahead and just get this resolved with XXXX. After spending well over an hour there filing my report with them, I left without being given an adequate response from the bank to several key questions : Why did I not receive text notifications about the repeated withdrawals as well as the almost all of the larger withdrawals, and how could they not explain why they did not notice or do anything about this obvious pattern of fraudulent activity. 
To make matter worse, later in the evening ( at XXXX ) I received a text message from Towne Bank XXXX The message said that one of the pending charges ( a {$94.00} XXXX  charge ) had been posted and the bank approved the withdrawn amount to be taken from my personal checking account. This is several hours after I physically went into the bank to file a fraud report and watched the bank representative record it as fraudulent as they assured me that they would place stops on the two fraudulent charges while also investigating the fraudulent charges they allowed to be withdrawn repeatedly. After of this is reported to them in person, how do they allow yet another fraudulent charge to be processed 4-5 hours after it is reported as fraudulent? 
This morning I did receive notifications that the bank did finally start blocking some new pending charges from XXXX, and while the bank rep did indicate that she would follow up with me, I have yet to hear back from anyone at the bank as of XXXX today.

Company public response: Company has responded to the consumer and the CFPB and chooses not to provide a public response
Company response to consumer: Closed with monetary relief