Consumer complaint received 2016-02-01
Company: UNITED SERVICES AUTOMOBILE ASSOCIATION
State: MN
Product: Bank account or service
Sub-product: Checking account
Issue: Deposits and withdrawals

Complaint:
On XXXX/XXXX/15, while trying to use my local bank debit card, I discovered my local bank account had been overdrawn by transfers requested by my USAA accounts. I have the accounts linked to ease in transfer monies to pay insurance etc at USAA. When I called USAA the next morning ( they were closed the previous evening and fraud unit is not accessable directly ) I had to wait on hold over two hours. I was then told that I had no worries, that I was covered by FDIC?? and it would be straightened out Monday because fraud dept doesnt work on weekends ( not true I found out later ). In the course of that day and the coming weeks I talked to them many times remaining on hold for extroidanary long hold times yet they continued to tell me they had no data breach and no extra fraud activity. In the course of various conversations I got bits and pieces of what went on. Through their app someone using an I phone ( we dont have ) using and ip address in XXXX logged on to my accounts with a pin ( i have only phone with app and no one knows my pin including my wife ) and requested tranfers and then using same app used a program called SEND MONEY ( I have never activated or used this portion of the app ) and sent the money to themselves. Pay Pal administers this program for them. During the course of one of the phone conversations i got the transaction numbers and called Pay Pal directly and they tried to look up numbers and told me they felt it was an " inside '' job. An IT director and a big health concern by XXXX who was using the same security program that found the OPM breach told me that his system had flagged XXXX " spear phishing '' emails involving USAA and it indicated to him that there was a vulnerability. I was locked out of my accounts and login so the only way I got any of this was through bits and pieces from various workers. I was then told at one point it was found that I was part of a scam and they were exercising their right to not do business with me. The first time I was told this, it almost sounded like I should expect the police at my door. I asked to speak to a manager and was denied every time to any access to anyone higher than a " team leader '' on duty. The fraud dept called and left a message to call but no extension number. I was told on the message just to call main number and I would be directed to them. Not true, as a matter of fact I think I got the car loan dept. Their phone system is atrocious with many hours wasted on hold only to be at wrong dept and then back on hold to be at wrong dept again and then on hold ... .... I finally went to their office in XXXX and still was not allowed to talk to management although they did set up a video conference with a nice young man who helped me contact fraud dept ( no video there ) where they agreed to do another review and they would call me in a week. They never did and when I called they told me same finding. To sum up I have been treated horribly, never told how they arrived at their conclusion despite of repeated request for info. All info points to an inside job ( pay pal statement, IT director opinion, extremely long hold times indicating high call volume/problems, and now a big security upgrade since my trouble with hold times going down since ), yet they are seeming to blame me and holding me liable for overdraft ( i was able to reverse ACH transfers at my local bank putting it back at USAA ) they are threatening me with collections credit reporting etc. I seems to me that they are " circling the wagons '' and putting the blame on me. This has caused me great stress ( good for weight loss ) and countless hours. The sad part is, if they had jumped on this the minute I reported this, they could have reversed this as Pay Pal hold the money for a few days. while transactions clear, but instead apparently their lack of timeliness is my fault. I have not gotten any written info except XXXX 's

Company public response: Company believes complaint is the result of an isolated error
Company response to consumer: Closed with monetary relief