Consumer complaint received 2017-05-06
Company: BBVA FINANCIAL CORPORATION
State: CT
Product: Checking or savings account
Sub-product: Checking account
Issue: Managing an account
Sub-issue: Deposits and withdrawals

Complaint:
Sim  ple Bank, or BBVA Compass Bank according to my account, allowed an attacker of unknown origin to not only gain access to my ENTIRE bank account, but to manipulate their " instant contact system '' within their online banking website or app where a scammer added themselves to my account with a false email and phone used to withdrawl funds FROM my account using their " instant transfer '' system. This attacker had created  XXXX  unknown, unauthorized contacts and added them to my simple account. Simple instructed me to remove the  XXXX  fraudulent contacts and I did as soon as I logged into my account so I do not have record of the names used or their info used. These contacts allowed the person or person ( s ) responsible to make  XXXX  unauthorizesd transfers somehow between themselves and possibly another simple account, in the following amounts, and these   XXXX   occured on the same day,  XXXX ,   XXXX   XXXX  2017 . First Frauduelent Transaction :  XXXX ,   XXXX   XXXX    2017  at   XXXX   XXXX     XXXX     XXXX   XXXX    XXXX   XXXX   {$380.00} Second Frauduelent Transaction :  XXXX ,   XXXX   XXXX    2017  at   XXXX   XXXX    XXXX    XXXX   XXXX   XXXX   {$950.00} Totaling {$1300.00} that the attacker was able to transfer OUT of my account without my authorization - or any notification this was occurring from simple at all! The attacker labeled the fraudulent transactions as "   XXXX     XXXX   XXXX   XXXX   '', which they have gotten from my previous account history. My account history will show that payments made to this sender were always in the amount of {$700.00} for rent submitted by or on the  XXXX , never near the first of the month when these  XXXX  transactions occurred. By doing this, the attacker tried to disguise the transactions as transactions I would normally make, but the amounts are actually NOT amounts I would ever submit, nor were they amounts I have ever submitted in the past during my banking relationship with Simple Bank. When I call Simple Customer support, they have assured me that they are " investigating '' it and that this is a " rare occurrence '' and has never happened before. They have closed and locked my account which is pointless at this point since there is a remaining balance of {$8.00} -- - I had to call yesterday to withdraw {$20.00} ( of my remaining funds ) out of an ATM just so I could use that money as a opening deposit at another large firm bank, because simple has now left me without an account to use to pay bills, buy groceries or do anything else. Simple 's primary mode of customer service is support messages through their website and app. When calling their customer service, I am told I need to wait for their " investigation '' to complete, not given a time frame -- basically leaving me without any funds whatsoever -- and that they " take fraud very seriously '' and are working on my case " as fast as possible ''. However, they are not working fast enough to provide a resolution to me and leaving me with no funds whatsoever and NO bank account in the meantime is unacceptable. They obviously do not have the safeguards in place to prevent this from happening -- these were NOT fraudulent debit card purchases -- these fraudulent transfers were made by manipulating simple 's " instant contact '' feature.   XXXX   fraudulent transfers were " instant '' transfers, as shown in the screenshots. I was NEVER alerted that these transactions were taking place -- - and simple allowed them to occur with no problems! It was only AFTER I CALLED SIMPLE that simple froze my account and blocked my debit card. If I had not checked my account the day it happened and reported those   XXXX    transactions as fraud, simple would have never even cared to investigate them. I have spoken to multiple customer service people by phone and email, including a supervisor, and the best they can tell me is that once their " investigation '' is complete, they will issue me a check for the stolen funds. However they can not provide me with a time frame to when i 'd get my money back, HOW someone was able to get not only my account login name, but my account passphrase AND my account pin used to access the mobile app. They also can not tell me how someone was able to add their own email and phone to my account and create   XXXX   accounts to make to fraudulent transfers on the same day, in  XXXX  different amounts, on  XXXX  different times on the same exact day. I am left without {$1300.00} of my money and " Simple '' ca n't provide me with a temporary credit while they investigate, nor can they answer any of my questions as to how they allowed this to happen. Instead, they defer blame to me, their simple customer by saying this is " unique to me '' and " a rare occurrence ''. The public and anyone who uses simple bank or any of their partner banks needs to be aware that this can happen to them. I want to be made whole by Simple refunding my money in full IMMEDIATELY.

Company response to consumer: Closed with monetary relief