Consumer complaint received 2020-05-29
Product: Checking or savings account — Checking account
Issue: Managing an account — Problem using a debit or ATM card
Company: CHARLES SCHWAB CORPORATION, THE (CA)

I OPENED A HIGH YIELD CHECKING ACCOUNT WITH CHARLES  SCHWAB BANK BACK IN XXXX OF THIS YEAR XXXX. I OPENED THIS ACCOUNT ONLINE AND TRANSFERRED {$32000.00} INTO THE ACCOUNT AS MY BEGINNING DEPOSIT. THE MONEY WAS FROM MY ACCOUNT AT XXXX XXXX WHERE I HAD THE MONEY SAVED SINCE XXXX FROM MY XXXX WHEN I WORKED AS A XXXX XXXX. I RECEIVED MY FIRST STATEMENT ON XX/XX/XXXX THE STATEMENT SHOWED THAT THERE WAS TWO CHECKS WRITTEN AGAINST MY ACCOUNT FOR {$10000.00} EACH. TOTALING {$20000.00}. I WAS SHOCKED BECAUSE I NEVER HAD ANY CHECKS FOR THIS ACCOUNT. IN FACT, I DECLINED CHECKS, NOT ONCE, BUT TWICE. ONCE, WHEN OPENING THE ACCOUNT I CHECKED THE BOX NO, WHERE IT ASKS, DID I WANT CHECKS? THEN AGAIN, WHEN ASKED BY A SCHWAB REP OVER THE PHONE IF I WANTED CHECKS FOR THIS NEW ACCOUNT. I TOLD THE REP, NO. I DO NOT WANT ANY CHECKS LINKED TO THIS ACCOUNT. SO UPON DISCOVERING THESE UNAUTHORIZED TRANSACTIONS, I IMMEDIATELY CONTACTED SCHWAB BY PHONE TO REPORT THE THEFT. THE REP WHO TOOK THE REPORT AND FILED THE CLAIM SAID THAT SCHWAB SOMETIMES SENDS OUT CHECKE TO NEW ACCOUNT HOLDERS AS A CURTICE. EVEN THOUGH THE CLIENT DECLINED THE OFFER OF CHECKS. SO I FILED THE CLAIM ON XX/XX/XXXX. I RECEIVED A CALL BACK COUPLE DAYS LATER FROM THE FRAUD INVESTIGATOR TELLING ME WHAT TO EXPECT DURING THIS PROCESS. FIRST SHE SAID THAT THE INVESTIGATION WOULD TAKE UP TO 90 DAYS, IN WHICH TIME I WILL HAVE TO WAIT UNTIL THE INVESTIGATION HAS CONCLUDED UNTIL I CAN HAVE ACCESS TO MY STOLEN MONEY. I DID SIOME RESEARCH AND LEARNED THAT AFTER 10 BUSINESS DAYS, IF THE INVESTIGATION WASNT COMPLETED, THAT THE BANK IS REQUIRED TO GIVE ME A TENTATIVE CREDIT FOR THE AMOUNT OF THE UNAUTHORIZED TRANSACTIONS. WHEN I BROUGHT THIS UP WITH THE INVESTIGATOR, SHE TOLD ME THAT I AM MISINFORMED, AND THAT THAT REQUIREMENT DOESN'T APPLY TO CHECKING ACCOUNTS. AGAIN I DID MORE RESEARCH, FOUND OUT THAT THE LAW DOES APPLY TO CHECKING ACCOUNTS, AND DEMANDED MY MONEY BE RETURNED AS IT WAS ALREADY 12 BUSINESS DAYS SINCE I FILED THE CLAIM. I CALLED THE BANK EVERY DAY ( SOMETIMES 2 AND 3 TIMES A DAY ) STARTING FROM THE THIRD DAY AFTER I FIRST FILED THE CLAIM, TRYING TO GET IN TOUCH WITH THE INVESTIGATOR WHO WAS HANDLING THE CLAIM. EACH TIME I WAS TOLD THAT SHE WASN'T IN AND THAT SHE WOULD RECEIVE A MESSAGE TO CALL ME BACK ASAP. SEEING HOW I WASNT GETTING THROUGH TO THE INVESTIGATOR, I DECIDED TO CONTACT XXXX, AS THIS WAS THE BANK THAT THE THIEF USED TO DEPOSIT THE 2 CHECKS AND STEAL MY MONEY. SO I WALKED INTO A XXXX XXXX  BRANCH, ASKED FOR A MANAGER ND ONCE INTRODUCED, I HABDED HER THE TWO COPIES OF THE XXXX DOLLAR CHECKS AND EXPLAINED THAT THEY WERE DEPOSITED HERE AT XXXX AND THAT THE SIGNATURE WAS FORGED AND THAT I NEVER AUTHORIZED, NEVER WROTE NOR SIGNED THE CHECKS, NORE DID I KNOW WHO THE PERSON WAS WHO'S NAME WAS ON THE FRONT OF THE CHECKS. THE MANAGER WENT INTO THE BACK WITH THE CHECKS AND RETURNED 10 MINUTES LATER. SHE TOLD ME THAT, UNFORTUNATELY, I WOULD HAVE TO GO THROUGH MY BANK TO RESOLVE THE ISSUE. SHE COULD SEE THE TEARS IN MY EYES AND SHE SAID, APPARENTLY YOUR BANK HAS ALREADY CONTACTED OUR FRAUD DEPARTMENT ABOUT THIS MATTER, THEN SHE SAID, NOT TO WORRY BECAUSE I'M NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR THE UNAUTHORIZED CHARGES, AND THAT THE FUNDS FROM THOSE TWO DEPOSITS HAVE ALREADY BEEN REVERSED AND SENT BACK TO SCHWAB BANK. THINGS WERE STARTING TO LOOK GOOD. I GOT HOME CALLED SCHWAB AGAIN, WAS TOLD THE SAME STORY, THAT THE INVESTIGATOR WASN'T IN AND SHE WOULD BE NOTIFIED THAT I'M WANTING TO SPEAK TO HER. SO I LOGGED INTO MY EMAIL ACCOUNT AND NOTICED THERE WAS A MESSAGE WITH AN ATTACHMENT SENT FROM THE INVESTIGATOR XXXX XXXX. I OPENED THE EMAIL EXPECTING TO SEE A MESSAGE SAYING MY STOLEN FUNDS HAVE BEEN CREDITED BACK TO MY ACCOUNT. BUT THIS WAS NOT THE CASE. INSTEAD I RECEIVED A MESSAGE WITH THE ATTACHMENT FORMALLY STATING THAT THE BANK HAS CONCLUDED THEIR INVESTIGATION, AND THEY ARE DENYING MY CLAIM BASED ON THIS, THEY SAID THAT THEY HAVE BEEN UNABLE TO CONTACT ME BY PHONE. AND THAT THE AFFIDAVIT I SUBMITTED WAS NOT VERIFIABLE. LIKE I SAID, I CALLED THE BANK 11 TIMES IN 8 BUSINESS DAYS, DURING THE 14 BUSINESS DAYS THAT THE CLAIM WAS OPENED. EVERY TIME TRYING TO GET IN TOUCH WITH THIS LADY WHO SAYS THAT THEY COULDNT GET IN TOUCH WITH ME BY PHONE. THEY NEVER ONCE CALLED ME AFTER THE FIRST CALL I RECEIVED ON THE 3RD DAY AFTER FILING THE REPORT. THE AFFIDAVIT THAT SHE SAID WASN'T VERIFIABLE, IT WAS JUST A STANDARD FORM DOCUMENTING THE UNAUTHORIZED TRANSACTIONS. THERE WAS NOTHING ON THAT FORM THAT WAS UNVERIFIABLE. SO I EMAILED THE INVESTIGATOR BACK SAYING THAT I KNOW THAT XXXX HAS RETURNED THE XXXX AND WHEN WILL I BE RECEIVING MY MONEY. I RECEIVED ANOTHER EMAIL SAYING THAT I WONT BE RECEIVING ANY MONEY. THAT THE DECISION IS FINAL AND IF I WANTED TO PURSUE THE MATTER FURTHER I WAS BOUND BY THE ARBITRATION LAWS AND HAD TO GO THROUGH ARBITRATION TO TRY AND RECOVER MY LOSS.