Consumer complaint received 2021-04-02
Company: PNC Bank N.A.
State: NJ
Product: Checking or savings account
Sub-product: Checking account
Issue: Problem with a lender or other company charging your account
Sub-issue: Transaction was not authorized

Complaint:
To Whom It XXXX Concern, References : XXXX and XXXX On XX/XX/XXXX, I identified suspicious activity and unauthorized transactions that were made using my Debit Card. I immediately contacted the PNC customer service department by phone to dispute the transactions that were not completed by, or authorized, by me. 
These transactions by their name and merchant appeared to be based in a foreign country. The PNC representative advised that the transactions/debits were still pending, and a formal dispute could not be submitted until the transactions cleared. I was told by the PNC representative to call back the following week to officially dispute the transactions. The only direct action taken by the PNC representative was to cancel out my debit card and refer me to a PNC branch for a new debit card. Specific details of the fraud and unauthorized transactions were not obtained, nor asked for. 

I was, though, advised that PNC has a 100 % fraud liability protection for its customers. The transactions in question totaled {$7000.00} along with fees related to the foreign transactions in the amount of {$240.00}. 

On XX/XX/XXXX, in addition to contacting PNC, I contacted and filed a report of identity theft with the local police, the FTC, the credit bureaus, and the SSA. 

On XX/XX/XXXX, I again contacted the PNC customer service department by phone and spoke with XXXX. At this time the PNC representative was willing to accept a formal dispute of the transactions that were not completed by or authorized by me. I was advised a complete investigation would be completed by PNC and I would hear back when the investigation was complete. On this date the fees totally {$240.00} were credited back to my account while the investigation was being performed. While filing the dispute I was asked a few yes or no questions, but specific details of the fraud and unauthorized transactions again were not obtained or asked for. 

On XX/XX/XXXX, after hearing nothing, I contacted the PNC customer service department by phone. The representative, and they advised my claim was denied. The original fees in the amount of {$240.00} which were credited when the dispute was filed, were also debited on XX/XX/XXXX. During this call, I requested a new dispute be filed as it was not communicated, or clear as to how my claim was denied by PNC. Additionally, I asked to speak with a supervisor to discuss the denial and provide information related to the fraud and unauthorized transactions. 

On XX/XX/XXXX, I received the letter in the mail from PNC, dated XX/XX/XXXX, indicating after the overall investigation, PNC considered the transactions were valid. Since the dispute was submitted on XX/XX/XXXX, how is a thorough investigation completed on the very next business day XX/XX/XXXX? 

On XX/XX/XXXX, I was able to speak with a PNC XXXX XXXX XXXX Representative, XXXX XXXX, who indicated that the claim and my concerns would be escalated to the appropriate departments. He advised I needed to be patient as these investigations take time. Later that day, I was contacted by the PNC XXXX Department. During this conversation I was advised that I needed to go to branch location to have a new account opened due to the potential for additional fraud to occur on my account. 

On XX/XX/XXXX, I went to a local PNC branch at XXXX XXXX XXXX, XXXX, PA XXXX to open a new account and transfer my balance to the new account, and was advised they could not help me due to being short staffed and I needed to make an appointment at a future time if I needed help. 
Access to my accounts were suspended on the morning of XX/XX/XXXX, and as a result of the PNC branch employees inability to assist me, I was left without access to my account and funds until approximately XXXX pm that evening. During this time, I incurred additional fees in the amount of {$140.00}, stemming from transactions made on my account in the afternoon on XX/XX/XXXX. When I went back to the Branch on the evening of XX/XX/XXXX to open a new account and transfer my balance to the new account I was given a new debit card, which I was advised was active. That evening I went to the grocery store and had my card declined while purchasing groceries. The following morning, when the transactions made on XX/XX/XXXX cleared, I had incurred a negative balance of {$810.00} XXXX {$140.00} of which were overdraft fees XXXX. I was contacted by XXXX XXXX, the PNC XXXX XXXX who assisted me in opening a new account, who advised that the Bank had made an error in how they locked my account which allowed me to make transactions that caused my account to go negative and incur overdraft fees. At this time he assisted me in transferring {$660.00} from my new account to the account that incurred fraud to cover my actual transaction amounts and advised that the fees would be removed due to this error. These fees remain on the account to this day. After completing this process over the phone, we spoke further about the open disputes and noted that it was noted that these transactions were unusually large for me based on my prior transaction history. 

On XX/XX/XXXX, I received another letter in the mail from PNC, dated XX/XX/XXXX again denying the dispute. Not only was this again 1 day after the dispute was filed, but it was also the day before I spoke to XXXX. On XX/XX/XXXX, he indicated my dispute and concerns were escalated. How was this true, when the denial letter was dated XX/XX/XXXX? Why was there not full disclosure? 

After multiple calls to PNC, I was able to speak to a PNC representative XXXX XXXX who advised the transactions were considered authorized because my card information was available to the person who completed the transaction. Despite my immediate reporting of the unauthorized use and attestation that the transactions were not authorized. No one could tell me what other action I needed to take. What else could I have done to stop these transactions? 

These transactions were foreign transactions by a merchant I had never utilized, nor received any goods or services from this merchant, all on the same day emptying my account. I reported these transactions to your financial institution on the day they were made. I find it completely unfathomable that these transactions werent flagged by PNC as invalid or suspicious activity in the first place, but then after I reported them unauthorized, I was still advised that nothing could be done until such transactions cleared. I feel that this delay in taking action by PNC, ultimately resulted in these funds being unrecoverable. I have been a customer of PNC Bank for over 10 years and the level of customer service I was afforded was very disappointing. Some examples of the unsatisfactory service I received include : multiple disputes being denied without ever having spoken to the fraud department or given the opportunity to provide the full details of the fraud, making 5+ requests to obtain the specific details of how the disputes were determined to be authorized, being advised that I should have contacted the merchant despite that information not being available until XX/XX/XXXX when I was able to officially file the dispute, not being contacted by the PNC XXXX department XXXX open a new account based on fraud until XX/XX/XXXX ( 20 days after first reporting the matter ), having my account locked and incurring fees due to an administrative error by PNC XXXX that remains unresolved, consistently spoken down to and made feel that this issue was not important to PNC XXXX 

Per the multiple denial letters received, I have the right to request the documentation you relied on in making your determination. By way of this letter, I am formally requesting to receive copies of the documentation used to evaluate and making the determination to deny the disputes. Specifically, requesting the documentation and clear indication of what support was used in all three of the denials. 
I am also requesting to know what other recourse or options are available in appealing these decisions, which I feel were made with little to no true investigation. 

Regards, XXXX XXXX

Company response to consumer: Closed with monetary relief