Consumer complaint received 2022-11-25
Company: FIFTH THIRD FINANCIAL CORPORATION
State: KY
Product: Money transfer, virtual currency, or money service
Sub-product: Check cashing service
Issue: Fraud or scam

Complaint:
XX/XX/XXXX i received a $ XXXX settlement for a XXXX and XXXX lawsuit for the medication XXXX. I went to my primary bank, Fifth Third, to deposit the check and the clerkXXXX XXXX, was immediately standoffish towards me. 

It's important to note that this law suite was for a XXXX  med. Anyone who would be a part of this law suite would be mentally ill to some extent. XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX fXXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX. I suffer from XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXXXXXX from childhood trauma and extreme bouts of life stress. It is incredibly hard for me to work. I can hardly even leave our home to take out the trash some days. I go to XXXX XXXX XXXX every week. I am unmedicated, due to distrust and stress resulting directly from the side effects of the medicine the settlement is from. My friends work very hard to take care of us. I'm very lucky to have such a tight group of caring friends. Our living situation is volatile and this money was going to be used immediately to pay off our living situation for the next year. We were already planning to move within the week. We've been hopping between homes back and forth for months preparing for this. We have to be out of our current home by XXXX. I'm not usually one to bring this up either, but i feel like my race and appearance might have played some aspect. As i mentioned, I'm a XXXX male, standing at XXXX. I was wearing a XXXX hoodie ( it was XXXX ) and the way the clerk was instantly stand-offish just gave me a weird feeling. No one i talked to on the phone at fifth third was like that. It was only people i spoke to in person at that local branch. If not race, i believe class might play some aspect. Before this, I've never had more than {$200.00}. 

She kept saying to herself, " No this doesn't look good. I don't like this. '' She " Called '' the bank where the check was being issued, XXXX, and said that she talked to someone there and they said the check wasn't good. So i walked XXXX miles to the nearest XXXX bank in XXXX weather. Getting there, i have to take moments to use my XXXX XXXX having XXXX walking XXXX miles in the cold is difficult for me. I talk to a clerk at XXXX, XXXX, and explain the above to him. He takes the check, looks it up on his computer, explains to me that the check is in fact good and that the funds are ready for me in my name. He gives me a card with his name and number and tells me that if there is an issue with Fifth third to have them call him. I walk back to Fifth Third, tell them all that. They let me deposit the check. I was informed that ALL FUNDS, {>= $1,000,000}, would be available to me in the morning, but until then they can issue me {$100.00}. I take the {$100.00} and go home. I wake up tomorrow, XXXX, to an alert on my phone that my money was on a 10 day hold, and that i was {$130.00} negative in the bank. I think " Ok it's negative because the {$100.00} they gave me, the {$30.00} is the overdraft charge. I just have to wait until the XXXX of XXXX ( 10 days ) for the check to clear and I'll be good. '' I go on with my day, looking for a place to move and thinking nothing of it. I wake up the next day, XXXX, and my account is locked. 

I call Fifth Third and was told they are locking my account for fraudulent activity and that i have 30 days to pay them. In a panic I try to get in contact with everyone I know who's involved. I emailed the law firm that represented me, XXXX and XXXX, and told them that the check bounced, I called them also and left a message. I called XXXX XXXX, l The company who issued the check, and was told my best bet would to be to go to Fifth Third and try to get the check back. Immediately get dressed and go to Fifth Third and try to get back the check. The clerk, XXXX, again, is again immediately standoffish and just flat out refuses. So i walk, XXXX miles in XXXXweather again to the closed XXXX bank to try and talk to XXXX I instead talk to the branch manager XXXX, and explain everything to her. She remembers seeing the check yesterday, looks it up and SHOWS ME ON THE COMPUTER WHERE IT IS JUST SITTING WAITING TO BE CLAIMED. She even calls someone above her and they explain that everything is good and all the issues lay with Fifth Third. 

XXXX  goes on to tell me that Fifth Third will issue a legal copy, and if i bring this legal copy to XXXX, they can open a new account in my name, deposit the check and give me access to it tomorrow. I leave and go home, on my way home i call XXXX XXXX  again to let them know what's going on. They tell me to go to Fifth Third and see if I can get a legal copy today. I call Fifth Third for approval before i go back to XXXX I get XXXX or XXXX transfers in the XXXX department until I'm speaking with the head of the fraud detection department. I explain EVERYTHING to him. He tells me that if i go back to Fifth Third and show them the legal documents that they can issue me a legal copy right there. He tells me he's putting a note on my account for them to check. I stop at home to get my roommate XXXX, to come back to Fifth Third with me as a witness and to keep me calm because i am absolutely furious at this point. I then get an alert on my phone informing me that my daily balance is- $ XXXX. 

I go back to Fifth Third, again speaking with XXXX, and she refuses, she even acknowledges that she sees the note on my account and that my balance is negative HALF A XXXX, all she can give me is a printed copy. I tell her i want to talk to her boss, she tells me she is the boss, i tell her " You aren't the CEO of 5/3rd, everyone has a boss. '' She directs me to some lady in her office. I again explain the whole situation, show her the legal documents, show her the law firms website, contact information and exchanged emails. I show her the documents that i had to pay to get notorized and informed her that the law firm, XXXX and XXXX, and the company issuing the checks, XXXX, would fax over documents at request to verify anything they need at request to verify anything they needed. They then tell me, to my face, that they think I'm scamming them and lying. After everything I've shown them. They tell me that XXXX bank, rejected the check. She calls someone in the fraud department and he was just as unhelpful.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation