Consumer complaint received 2023-03-11
Company: INDEPENDENT BANK CORP.
State: MA
Product: Checking or savings account
Sub-product: Other banking product or service
Issue: Opening an account
Sub-issue: Account opened as a result of fraud

Complaint:
Our previous landlord, XXXX XXXX gave us ( XXXX XXXX XXXX and XXXX XXXX ) a receipt dated XX/XX/XXXX for our Security deposit and last month 's rent in the amount of $ XXXX # XXXX It was a deposit slip for XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX, Ma. We had signed a lease for a property, XXXX XXXX XXXX Unit XXXX, XXXX, Ma XXXX owned by XXXX XXXX, and listed with XXXX XXXX XXXX. 
We assumed that it was a tenant landlord escrow account. 
We were tenants from XX/XX/XXXX until XX/XX/XXXX. Every time the rent went up we had to pay the monthly rent increase and additional money to bring the last months rent to the new rent amount. During the pandemic we had three rent increase in XXXX. 
In XXXX of XXXX the rent was raised to XXXX with an additional XXXX due towards last months rent. We paid the money and were not given a receipt from XXXX XXXX showing the deposit to the XXXX XXXX Account number that he had given us back in XXXX. We had never been paid annual interest from XXXX to XXXX. We had never been given an letter or XXXX showing the additional money that we had paid each time that there was a rent increase. 
We took the original receipt that we had for XXXX XXXX showing the deposit of XXXX for our Security deposit and last month 's rent and we went into The XXXX XXXX of XXXX XXXX XXXX We asked to speak to the manager.We explained that ware concerned about the amount of money that was supposed to be in our tenant landlord escrow account. We gave the XXXX the receipts that we had been given in XXXX. The XXXX of the XXXX XXXX XXXX said to us this is NOT a tenant landlord escrow account. Your names are not on it. This is a passbook savings account for XXXX XXXX and you have no right to any information. You have no right to this money. We then contacted XXXX XXXX by text and phone. He ignored us. We then sent certified mail, he refused it. We then had XXXX XXXX served by a XXXX. XXXX XXXX responded by calling XXXX and was angry, screaming, and threatening. XXXX XXXX then sent a letter that same week with a new rent increase to XXXX with an additional XXXX due towards last months rent. We paid XX/XX/XXXX rent and on XX/XX/XXXX received a Notice to Quit even though rent had been paid. We notified XXXX by phone, text, and email that the XXXX rent had been paid and also that there were multiple repairs that needed to be done, including no working oven, a broken toilet, a window that wouldn't open in the XXXX bedroom and other health and safety issues documented by the XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX. In XXXX we received a letter from XXXX XXXX dated XX/XX/XXXX addressed to XXXX XXXX only, stating " XXXX XXXX is phasing out the old passbook savings accounts. This is the new account number XXXX make a not of it. '' No amount of money given, no receipt from XXXX XXXX. We once again called XXXX XXXX and we're told that it was a savings account for XXXX XXXX with a notation XXXX XXXX. XXXX XXXX would not give us any information regarding the account, when it was opened, the amount deposited, the current funds in the account. We moved out on XX/XX/XXXX. XXXX XXXX met a real estate broker on XX/XX/XXXX listed the property and put a lock box on the condo that day. XXXX XXXX refused to return our security deposit and we took XXXX to XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX. We won a judgement in our favor. XXXX XXXX appealed it and wants a jury trial. It is scheduled for trial XX/XX/XXXX. We the tenants are senior citizens and can not afford an attorney. We decided to subpoena the bank records for the XXXX XXXX XXXX accounts. We called XXXX, XXXX, XXXX, XXXX branches and each time we're given no help or information and treated with absolute rudeness. We finally spoke to the XXXX of the XXXX XXXX branch in XXXX XXXX, Ma. The XXXX, XXXX XXXX was very professional and responsive to the fact that we had receipts from XXXX for an account that was supposed to be our tenant landlord escrow account and also a letter from XXXX XXXX dated XX/XX/XXXX for a new account number that was supposed to be a tenant landlord escrow account. 
The XXXX, XXXX XXXX said that the account from XXXX was a passbook savings account with only XXXX XXXX 's name, neither XXXX XXXX XXXX or XXXX XXXX were ever listed from XXXX to XXXX. The account did not have a XXXX that listed us. 
The account was closed we had no right to any information. The account number given in XX/XX/XXXX was an account for XXXX XXXX with a notation for XXXX XXXX XXXX, only not XXXX XXXX. We told XXXX XXXX that we had never done any paperwork for this account or signed anything or given our social security number. The XXXX found a XXXX with my name, social security number and signature dated XXXX. The XXXX XXXX XXXX said that he did not understand how a XXXX dated XXXX could be used to open an account in XXXX. The XXXX was never used for the account opened in XXXX. Both accounts have been closed. XXXX XXXX is still in possession of our security deposit. Giving a XXXX in XXXX dated XXXX with no authorization to use the tenants social security number is violation by XXXX XXXX and XXXX XXXX and identity theft. XXXX XXXX has assisted XXXX XXXX in the theft of our security deposit. 
XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX Unit XXXX XXXX, Ma. XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation