Consumer complaint received 2017-09-20
Company: FIFTH THIRD FINANCIAL CORPORATION
State: FL
Product: Debt collection
Sub-product: Credit card debt
Issue: Attempts to collect debt not owed
Sub-issue: Debt is not yours

Complaint:
An employee at Fifth Third Bank befriended my father ( bank address : XXXX XXXX XXXX, XXXX, FL XXXX. I am not sure of her title or last name. He took her to lunch, had her family over for dinner at his home with me present and went to dinner at her house. Her name is XXXX ( last name unknown ). The bank should have record of such employee with that first name at that particular branch and time. 

He dealt with her when he had small erroneous charges or two on his bank credit card. 

A new card was issued and XXXX, the bank employee, took the old card and said she would shred it Shortly thereafter she left the bank saying she was going into real estate at our DINN TABLE we now have recently found out she had been fired - do not know the reason. {$5000.00} some odd dollars was charged and the bank demanded the payment even though My father insisted he did by no means transact any such charge. 

He called the customer service department and they researched what the problem may be and found out the he had two active credit cards in his name my father denied he had any other credit card only the newly issued card - the customer service rep told him it would take three months for the investigation. There was no other communication from the bank of any resolve but my father trusted in the bank a took no action. 

My father after receiving another collection notice spoke to a XXXX ( last name unknown ) at the branch on his suspicion of who may be responsible for the fraudulent charge and named XXXX even not knowing it was his old card being used that was supposed to be shredded and the customer service department did not even mention that. Just that there were two credit cards in his name. 

XXXX Told my father not to say anything as it would be her word against his - WHAT? Neither investigated? Again WHAT? 

Again no action at was taken so my father took it that everything had been settled. It turns out that the bank did not notify the credit card company to cancel the old card and the matter IS still unresolved. 

The fired bank employee ( criminal ) - XXXX - came to my father 's house and said that at the time of exchange of the old card to the new card she had given his old card to her assistant to shred - WELL according to XXXX her Assistant did not shred it and she was aware of that but XXXX was not responsible for the fraudulent charge in the amount of around {$5000.00} or so but she did admit that she changed the address on the credit card. To who 's address - who knows - I will find out on XX/XX/XXXX.  HOW CAN A BANK LET THAT HAPPEN WITHOUT PROPER IDENTIFICATION? XXXX did not report this as she claimed this was a single mother with XXXX children in need of money. 

XXXX then told my father not to report the fraudulent charge as THE GIRL ( the " GIRL ASSISANT? ) would pay off the credit card and just let it be and when the card was paid off all would be good. My father did not fall for that. However, there was an {$800.00} payment made towards the debt. 

After my father received another pay now bill he contacted XXXX who he had previously had spoken to about his suspicion on who may behind the CRIME ( who advised him to say nothing ). He went to XXXX and told him XXXX confessed to the CRIME and finally almost after a year XXXX opened an investigation? after almost a year? My father was also told the case had been closed. CLOSED? What on earth was happening here? And my father still trusted XXXX. 

I contacted Fifth Third Bank Credit Card Fraud department and they had never received the notification of any fraudulent actions My father TOLD THE BANK TIME AND TIME AGAIN THAT HE DID NOT CHARGE THAT AMOUNT TO A CREDIT CARD he did not possess and even though Fifth Third Bank found that he had two credit cards - THE OLD ( SUPPOSEDLY SHREDED CARD ) the NEW credit card - my father advised that the charge was not initiated by him. PERIOD. NOTHING WAS DONE when he was told it would take three months to investigate. INVESTIGATE? MY FATHER TOLD HIM THAT IT WAS PROBABLY THE OLD CARD THAT WAS NOT SHREDED. DOES NOT THE BANK HAVE A CLUE TO THIS INFORMATION? OH, OKAY WE 'LL LOOK INTO IT. 

I called the customer service number on the back of my fathe'rs card and was advised to fax A Power of Attorney naming me as POA for my father on XX/XX/XXXX at XXXX on the advice of an agent at Fifth Third bank by the name of XXXX. I sent the POA with an URGENT cover page message about the CRIME. Why I did not speak directly with the Fraud department leaves me clueless and why she did not direct me to the FRAUD department is beyond me. I kick myself a hundred times for not catching that. I then called the Fraud department and XXXX who is a Supervisor said there was nothing they could do and it would take five days to validate the POA if they in fact had received it and advised I go to the branch. What? How can they validate such a document when there is no social security numbers listed to validate and only the named designated POA ( s ) and my father 's signature that had been witnessed and was deemed valid by a Notary. And then tell me to go the corrupt branch that now has told him that the case had been closed? CLOSED???????????? 

I tried my best to capture the negligence of the Fifth Third Bank in this writing but now I will tomorrow ( XX/XX/XXXX ) go to the branch AGAINST MY FATHER 'S WISHES, as he feels they are helping him and get to the bottom of this criminal action not only by the employee XXXX but the branch itself Fifth Third bank. I will call the Sheriff that came to see my father and let her know my intentions and to please be there. If not her then I will request another Sheriff accompany me. 

My father is XXXX years old and in the XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX. He has still good sense but can not sometimes deal with intense situations such as this and will leave it in the hands of people who say they are going to help him ( the Bank ). He is too trusting. I feel that there is more than the one person at the branch that may be involved - mainly XXXX and possibly others. Please help me out. 

As of the writing the old credit card may still active ... .... 

My father just denies he needs assistant as feels that the bank will handle. After a YEAR look what has happened - NOTHING, NOTHING. 

XXXX XXXX XXXX POA for XXXX XXXX XXXX Contact information : Cell : XXXX call or text/ email addresses XXXXXXXXXXXX or XXXXXXXXXXXX. 

Please please please do something. THIS PERSON MAY HAVE TAKEN ADVANTAGE OF OTHER SENIOR CITIZENS.

Company response to consumer: Closed with monetary relief