Consumer complaint received 2021-08-05
Company: U.S. BANCORP
State: IA
Product: Money transfer, virtual currency, or money service
Sub-product: Domestic (US) money transfer
Issue: Fraud or scam

Complaint:
Synopsys : After notifying my bank, US Bank, that I had been defrauded {$1200.00} via a wire transfer from a scammer who had stolen over XXXX Bitcoin ( {$1.00} mil. USD ) it took my bank 30 days to get me a letter to sign so the other bank could return my funds. Not only did I lose my entire income from XXXX, but the scammer is still stealing from people via Bitcoin. 


Here 's the story ... 

On XX/XX/XXXX, I made a wire transfer of {$1200.00} from my bank in Iowa to a bank in South Carolina ( see image # 1 ). I was trying to purchase product at wholesale price to sell on XXXX. The seller was verified twice on a website called XXXX. At first he tried getting me to wire the money from my Credit Card via two Bitcoin websites. Those transactions failed so I went with the wire transfer option instead. I thought he was legit, what else can I say? 

On XX/XX/XXXX, I realized I had been scammed and immediately contacted XXXX and US Bank. I followed all the instructions my banker, XXXX, told me to do, including filing a report with my local FBI office. I also contacted the bank in S. Carolina and talked to the manager, XXXX. I told her that her institution was being used by a criminal who was using her bank for fraudulent wire transfers. After talking to her a few times I was reassured that the fraudulent funds were on hold. She did not tell me they were only on hold for a limited time only. 

On XX/XX/XXXX I was called in by my bank to sign something called a " hold harmless '' letter ( see # 2 ). As I will prove later, US Bank had already received this letter for me to sign on XX/XX/XXXX. XXXX, the person handling my wire fraud claim, sat on this letter for two weeks. 

A few weeks later I called my banker for an update. I got a voice mail later saying she was going on vacation and my money was gone. Needless to say, I flipped XXXX XXXX out! Since my banker was on vacation, I called the scammers bank and yelled at XXXX. She said it was out of her legal control to be able to freeze the funds in the account, and that the scammer had withdrawn MY MONEY and had closed down the account. What a waste of energy! 

So, this is when my nightmare began. I will spare you all the details. I have contacted XXXX with no response, the FBI with no response, the local police department in XXXX XXXX with no help, XXXX XXXX XXXX which charged me {$40.00} to tell me I would have to go to trial and pay them lots of money to get my {$1200.00} back ... Sigh. 

As a matter of fact, when I first called my bank on XX/XX/XXXX, the receptionist, XXXX, told me I couldn't come in immediately because of Covid. I showed up in two minutes, tried calling three times with no answer, and I ended up having to wait at the front door for someone to leave before I could enter. The apathy regarding this event was palpable. I have a new found hatred for banks, bankers, and all the scum that works for them. 

On XX/XX/XXXX, I received a reply from US Bank via a complaint I filed via the XXXX  ( see # 3 ). The response stated that on XX/XX/XXXX US Bank received a hold harmless letter that needed to be signed by me. If you remember from above, I signed this letter on XX/XX/XXXX. XXXX  from US Bank sat on this for two weeks! The XXXX  response then goes on to say that on XX/XX/XXXX US Bank received the signed letter. That is a lie! I had talked to my own personal banker XXXX the next day ( XX/XX/XXXX ) to make sure she sent the letter to XXXX! They had my signed letter on XX/XX/XXXX, not XX/XX/XXXX! The XXXX  response then goes on to say that after they sent the letter to the S. Carolina bank, the funds were gone ( implying it was my fault because I was the one who delayed the letter getting back in time ). 

On XX/XX/XXXX, I received a second reply from US Bank via the XXXX  website reiterating that, " On XX/XX/XXXX, the receiving bank replied requesting a hold harmless letter be returned. You fulfilled this request on XX/XX/XXXX, at which time we returned it to the receiving bank. '' Again, this is an outright lie! I had the paper signed on XX/XX/XXXX. And again, I contacted my banker XXXX on XX/XX/XXXX to make sure she forwarded it to XXXX  at the wire department! In full disclosure, after I signed the letter I did hand it off to XXXX. Perhaps XXXX sat on the letter and XXXX is lying to protect XXXX. I have no idea why XXXX disrespected me the way she did when I found out I had been robbed. I thought we had a good business relationship. 

To sum it up, it has taken me a great deal of time and energy to decipher all the lies told to me via the people at US Bank. Them telling me I " fulfilled this request on XX/XX/XXXX '' when I actually did so on XX/XX/XXXX was beyond infuriating! This was a simple problem and US Bank failed miserably! 


This is what I want : I want to know why XXXX refused to help me when I was frantic the day I found out I had been scammed. I was in the process of losing my first years profits working on XXXX, and at the same time I had to listen to her cackle with her customers at the drive up window for 15 minutes once inside while waiting for my banker. This was beyond unprofessional. 

I want to know why it took XXXX  from XX/XX/XXXX to XX/XX/XXXX ( almost an entire month ) to get a signed piece of paper to me and back to the scammers bank! 

I want to know what XXXX and my own bank manager plan on doing to make sure this never happens again! 

I also want my {$1200.00} back! And if I can't get it back, I want to make sure this does not ever happen to anyone ever again! This was completely preventable, and only occurred because of the incompetence of a bunch of liars that work at US Bank! If this wire transfer was for {$10000.00}, and I lost it all, I could have done something really horrible, like blow my brains out in the middle of US Bank. This is no XXXX joke! Banks are supposed to protect peoples money. What happened to me was completely unacceptable. 

I have been with US Bank since they were called XXXX XXXX. After 30 plus years as a loyal customer I requested one simple favor, and they couldn't figure out how to get me to sign a piece of paper within 30 days. I have a XXXX near perfect credit score rating, I pay all my bills and credit card payments on time, and this is what I get in return? What a XXXX  joke! 

The most infuriating part of this whole ordeal is that this outcome did not have to happen. It was completely preventable assuming XXXX  and or people working my claim would have gotten the paperwork taken care of in a timely manner. 

And to top it all off, the head of security from the S. Carolina bank, XXXX, told me his bank sent a third notification to my bank on XX/XX/XXXX requesting permission to send back my funds with no response. I will add his contact information below. 

The scammers Bitcoin wallet ( XXXX ) to date has XXXX BTC in it. If you search XXXX for " XXXX btc to usd '' it shows XXXX Bitcoin equals {$1.00} million. 

According to : https : XXXX ... the scammer has continued stealing from people since he defrauded me. 

Here is a list of contacts if you are interested : XXXX XXXX ( my US Bank banker ) : XXXX XXXX  ( wire department ) XXXX XXXX XXXX Wire fraud number / claim # XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX ( XXXX XXXX / XXXX XXXX XXXX ) XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX  , XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX  XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX, SC XXXX XXXX ( scammer ) : XXXX XXXX XXXX ( XXXX ) XXXX-XXXX  XXXX  ID XXXX Bitcoin wallet ( XXXX ) Email : XXXX If you need more evidence such as screenshots of the conversation between me and the scammer please let me know. 

I hope you can help me. Thanks for your time.

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 explanation