Consumer complaint received 2023-04-24
Company: ALLY FINANCIAL INC.
State: WA
Product: Checking or savings account
Sub-product: Savings account
Issue: Managing an account
Sub-issue: Problem accessing account

Complaint:
Ally Bank froze all of my bank accounts when I attempted to transfer money to my external bank account, suspecting fraudulent activity. Despite verifying the transfer with them, my money has been held hostage since XX/XX/XXXX. Ally is aware that these accounts are crucial for paying my bills and rent, as well as receiving my paycheck. The day after my accounts were frozen, I received a voicemail from Ally Bank investigator XXXX XXXX, but I haven't been able to contact her since. I've spoken to the fraud prevention department six times, and they keep telling me to wait for XXXX to call back and that they can not directly connect me to her. However, based on the reps ' feedback, XXXX hasn't reviewed my verification answers yet, and I'm still waiting for her to call. It's been almost a week since Ally locked me out of my accounts. The fraud department reps have also given me inconsistent information about various matters, including the initial reason for freezing my accounts, their ability to reach the investigator, their escalation process, and my ability to speak with a supervisor. 

************************************************************************************************************** Sequence of events : On XX/XX/XXXX, I linked an external bank account using Ally 's online banking platform and successfully verified two trial deposits. I then proceeded to transfer {$20000.00} from my Ally money market account to my external account. However, on the same day, without any prior contact, Ally froze all of my accounts. 
____________________________________________________________________________________ On Thursday, XX/XX/XXXX, I received a voicemail from Ally 's fraud investigator, XXXX XXXX, who requested that I call her back at XXXX to " make sure we're not experiencing any fraud in your bank account. '' Since this number was not listed on Ally 's website, I contacted the fraud hotline provided on their website to ensure that the voicemail was legitimate. The Ally representative informed me that she did not recognize the XXXX number, but transferred me to that very number to speak with their fraud department. It is concerning that Ally Bank reps are not aware of their own phone numbers. The fraud department rep, " XXXX, '' verified my identity and proceeded to ask me questions about my recent banking activities, as well as my internet and cellphone providers. Afterward, he informed me that I needed to wait for the investigator to review my answers and make a decision. He declined my request to transfer me to the investigator and did not provide me with any timelines as to when my case would be reviewed or when the investigator would contact me. He stated that Ally Bank has the right to review my account at any time and refused to resolve the issue even though I had already verified the transaction. As a result, both of my accounts remained frozen.

____________________________________________________________________________________ On XX/XX/XXXX, I called Ally Bank 's fraud department twice and was again stone-walled by both reps. The first rep informed me that my account was frozen because the external account I linked was not under my name, but this didn't make sense as I had opened the external account in my name. She said I must wait for the investigator to call me, which could take up to 30 days. When I asked if the investigator could unfreeze my account without speaking to me due to being in a different time zone, she said she didn't know and that the investigator may need to talk to me about " what not to do next time '', implying that this was my fault. The representative claimed she would escalate my case, but when I called back later, a different representative claimed they had no way to escalate my case. He also refused to let me speak to a supervisor.

____________________________________________________________________________________ On Sunday, XX/XX/XXXX, I spoke to another rep who informed me of two processes that the previous reps failed to follow : 1 ) I can be redirected to the fraud prevention team supervisor 's voicemail for a call back, and 2 ) I can ask the reps to immediately message the investigator, XXXX, to see if she's available to speak with me. When I was surprised the previous reps didn't disclose this information, the rep admitted that some reps aren't friendly or willing to reach out to the investigator. Unfortunately, he couldn't message XXXX himself because she doesn't work on weekends. 
____________________________________________________________________________________ On XX/XX/XXXX, I spoke to two different fraud department reps and asked them to contact the XXXX to see if she could speak with me immediately. However, both reps said this was not protocol, they can't contact the investigator directly, and that I was given incorrect information. They offered to transfer me to their supervisor 's voicemail and assured a call back in 24-48 business hours. They also promised to contact their supervisor on their end and one rep said she would contact XXXXXXXX XXXX supervisor as well. According to them, XXXX still hasn't reviewed the answers I provided last Thursday. When I asked the second rep about why my account was frozen, he said it was due to an " invalid '' external account that I linked, not because it was under a different name. This still doesn't make sense as I received two trial deposits from Ally in that external account. I left a voicemail with the fraud department 's supervisor and am waiting for a call back from both the supervisor and XXXX. 

************************************************************************************************************** It's distressing that a bank can freeze my accounts without contacting me first, even when I've done nothing wrong. I can't get this issue resolved because I have no way to get in touch with the investigator XXXX XXXX, who holds all the decision power, and she refuses to review my case in a timely manner. This should have been resolved in a few hours or, at most, by the next day. Ally Bank has failed to show any sense of urgency in helping me regain access to my money, despite knowing that I rely on these accounts to pay my bills, buy groceries, and pay rent. Freezing customers out of all their bank accounts and expecting them to wait 30 days for an investigator to review basic information is unacceptable and should not be considered a security protocol.

Company public response: Company has responded to the consumer and the CFPB and chooses not to provide a public response
Company response to consumer: Closed with non-monetary relief