Consumer complaint received 2018-11-13
Company: SUNTRUST BANKS, INC.
State: GA
Product: Checking or savings account
Sub-product: Checking account
Issue: Managing an account
Sub-issue: Banking errors

Complaint:
I have been a loyal Suntrust Bank account holder for years. On XX/XX/XXXX I was checking my online account and noticed a XXXX over the counter withdrawal that was made on XX/XX/XXXX. I was in disbelief and very shocked. First of all, I had not been notified to even confirm that I had withdrawn this very large amount which is out of my normal transactions. Second of all I was out of state visiting a family member when the withdrawal took place and I was using my debit card.. So how could I be in 2 different places at once making different transactions. I clicked on it and it brought up the withdrawal slip and the first thing I noticed was my signature on it 2 times. On the first signature the last part of my name was crossed out with an X and my name resigned the " correct '' way with the loop on the R of my last name XXXX. 
I immediately called the main branch on XXXX XXXX because this is where most of my transactions take place. No answer and I was sent to the branch managers voicemail. I left a message about the money that had been withdrawn by someone else other than me out of my checking account. I never even heard back from him until 2 weeks later and it wasn't even him it was another bank employee stating that his manager asked him to return my phone call. Moving forward.. After calling the XXXX XXXX I called the XXXX Suntrust number. I talked to someone in the fraud department and told them what happened and the first thing she said was that I made the withdrawal. I said no, someone else did. She would not give me any information pertaining to where this happened or who did it other than to say it would be turned over to an investigator from Suntrust and that I would be contacted within 15 business days by an investigator. 
I talked to another Suntrust location to try and find out where this withdrawal had taken place and he said Florida. I then called my local police to report this theft and had a police report filed. It was turned over to an investigator. The same day, I went to a local branch and opened a new account to transfer the bulk of my money to but couldn't close out the compromised account because items were still pending. The employee that helped me was very nice but when I told her my story and my concern with the way the transaction was handled ( meaning the double signature and that the signature was verified ) she said that procedures were followed. I did not know the full story at that time though because procedures were most certainly not followed. 
Meanwhile I played the waiting game. On XX/XX/XXXX business days later, I called Suntrust again because no one had attempted to contact me. I was told that my request would have a rush put on it and someone would contact me within 24-48 hrs. On XX/XX/XXXX, the 15th business day, an investigator finally contacted me from Suntrust and asked me questions and I told her my concerns with how the withdrawal had taken place. She said that she would turn in all the paperwork to begin the process of getting my money back and that I would need to have a paper signed in front of a notary stating that I had no involvement with this withdrawal. 
I talked to the police investigator several times through emails and phone calls and on one of those times, XX/XX/XXXX, he sent the address where someone had went inside a Suntrust Bank and withdrawn money from my account. It was address XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX TN XXXX I live in Georgia and have never lived in Tennessee. 
On XX/XX/XXXX the police investigator emailed me details of who walked in to a Suntrust Bank and stole money out of my account. To my knowledge Suntrust has a picture of me or my license with my picture on it to verify I am who I say I am. Not to mention countless photos over the years of me coming inside the branches or doing business at the outside of the bank through the drive-through. I am a XXXX  female who has lived in Georgia only and banked with Suntrust for numerous years. The person who stole my money is a XXXX female who used a Tennessee drivers license with my information on it. A TN drivers license!!, How she was able to do this is absurd and should have never been allowed to happen! I say allow because after everything I have seen and heard about how this took place there were absolutely no procedures in place to prevent it. 
The police investigator asked if I had received my money. I said not yet because the Suntrust investigator said that I had to wait until the police could get to the video of the transaction to make sure everything was how I described and also waiting on my signed document stating no involvement. The investigator said that Suntrust already has all this information that theyre the ones that gave it to him. Well I was shocked again because not only does Suntrust have evidence that I didn't do it, that clearly this is a case of identity theft, to top it off Suntrust again had not contacted me about any of this! This is my money!! That I chose to put into a Suntrust Bank. That I kept in all of these years and have had numerous accounts in and fees taken out, and a mortgage with, and a line of credit! 
I gave Suntrust time ( 1 business week ) and thought surely someone from Suntrust would contact me, their " valued '' client. I was mistaken. Once again I had to be the one to contact them. On XX/XX/XXXX I emailed the investigator and told her that the police investigator had already informed me of certain information that proves I am the victim of identity fraud and I did not withdraw money from my account and asked why I was not notified. I also asked that the money be returned to my account without having to sign a paper stating no involvement. She responded the same day by not answering my question as to why I haven't been contacted and apologized that I was not comfortable with the process. She said that the paper is needed to be able to be used in court as evidence against the fraudster and that as soon as I turn in the paper they will credit my account. I can not fathom that a bank would in essence aid criminals and treat their long term clients or any client as the criminal instead. Today is XX/XX/XXXX and I still have not received my money back that was stolen from my account, through a teller, by a person that walked into an out of state bank XXXX per my address on file ) used an out of state license and double signed my signature and was not asked to provide a social security number. phone number or even a previous address for proof of verification. I was asked all of that when I went into a Suntrust branch to withdraw a huge, whopping XXXX bucks. Much less XXXX Although it was on the same day I reported the incidence to Suntrust and I was in there having to open up a new account and scrambling to make sure everything was done properly to ensure some safety measures. Which by the way were already in place due to an incidence of someone stealing, not my debit card, but just the numbers from my debit card twice before. That was handled pretty quickly and the money put back in my account. 
The many, many errors of Suntrust and their employee, led to my money being stolen from my account. This should never have happened. I hear it happens multiple times, every day. Not to me it doesn't. If it does why are there not better procedures in place to prevent it? Better training. Alerts, etc. Again though.. this was allowed to happen in my opinion. And to add insult to injury Im the one that has to prove Im not the criminal. Im the one that has to be worried that this person is going to do this again to me and next time all of my money will be gone and no way to live. You have all the evidence you need to know Im not the one that withdrew the money yet Im still waiting on it to be put back into my account. On top of all of that, to not even have the courtesy to call me back or to keep me informed throughout this whole process, all of it has been unacceptable. I have never been treated so poorly by a company that claims to treat everyone fairly and equitably

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