Consumer complaint received 2020-09-17
Company: Square Inc
State: WA
Product: Money transfer, virtual currency, or money service
Sub-product: Domestic (US) money transfer
Issue: Fraud or scam

Complaint:
On XX/XX/2020 I transferred {$500.00} from My XXXX XXXX Checking account into my CashApp money transfer account because I needed access to cash while waiting on a replacement debit card to be sent to me from my bank. After making the transfer, I realized that I could not remember my access PIN number for my CashApp Card which I had just transferred the funds to. So I followed the instructions on the Back of my CashApp Card which was to go to cash.app/help in order to reset and receive a new access pin to retrieve money from the ATM. Upon going to cash.app/help I was instructed to call a phone number which brought me to a live person. This person assured me that he would help me reset my Pin but first needed to verify my identity and account. After getting my information this person asked me to download an app that would make the process easier going forward. He then asked me what kind of device I was calling from. Then he preceded to conduct a series of test transactions which led to him fraudulently transferring {$1800.00} out of my checking account. He attempted to transfer over {$4000.00} before I began to receive alerts from my bank for unusual transactions. I immediately contacted my bank and cancelled all of the transactions because they were unauthorized and fraudulent but was told by my bank that the transactions could not be cancelled until they posted to my account which totally makes no sense. I waited the few days then disputed all of the transactions that went through and was given a provisional credit by my bank pending investigation. Upon my Banks completion of their investigation they concluded that the transactions were authorized because CashApp Support sent them documents showing that the transactions were made from my phone and email which was connected to my CashApp account. The scammer had access to my account and knew what type phone I was using and my phone numbers of course because he asked me for them in order to verify who I was. So my Bank agreed with CashApp and charged me for the {$1800.00} which means I lost {$1800.00} twice! I then attempted to contact CashApp in order to get my money refunded but preceded with trepidation do to the method my money was stolen. I found out that CashApp only has an online dispute process which made me even more leery. But I lodged my dispute with them anyway and after a few days I received an email stating that my request for refund was denied because CashApp found through their investigation that the transactions were done through the same device which had done prior transactions. Not Prior fraudulent or unauthorized transactions just prior transactions. This makes absolutely no sense because of course I have done prior transactions. I have used CashApp to send and receive money on numerous occasions the prior year! CashApp advised me to dispute the transactions with my bank to recover my money after my bank had already overturned my provisional credit based on the information CashApp sent them. Of course I used my same device for prior transactions. I feel like the Bank and CashApp has failed to implement a change in their policies and practices which  is resulting in the theft of thousands if not millions of hard working consumers money such as myself. I was told by my Bank Representative that they get this same thing happening daily to people with CashApp but yet no one has implemented a change to halt this atrocity! My money is supposed to be insured by the FDIC and I am not supposed to be held responsible for unauthorized transactions but yet neither one are protecting me now. Im even more upset that large financial institutions such as CashApp and XXXX XXXX are allowed to continue their banking practices while blatantly knowOmg that scammers are duplicating their website but they are not monitoring XXXX or the Internet to put a stop to this. If CashApp is and has been aware that their website is being commandeered by scammers on a daily basis why arent their IT department not securing their website?! And if the Banking Industry is aware of this scam as I was told by my Bank Representative, why are they not putting secure measures and policies in place to protect the banking consumers! I believe that this is a multi XXXX dollar money laundering scam being run by CashApp and the Banking industry and it needs to be exposed and stopped permanently! I want my money refunded from CashApp or my bank which is supposed to protect me from unauthorized transactions and is FDIC insured any!

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation