Consumer complaint received 2024-08-20
Product: Money transfer, virtual currency, or money service — Money order, traveler's check or cashier's check
Issue: Unexpected or other fees — 
Company: CAPITAL ONE FINANCIAL CORPORATION (MD)

On XX/XX/XXXX I completed a mobile deposit into a CapitalOne savings account and received an email stating the deposit was successful and the funds would be available XX/XX/XXXX. On XX/XX/XXXX I received an email from CapitalOne stating the funds will be delayed until XX/XX/XXXX. I called CapitalOne and they asked what is the reason I'm receiving this check and when I told them its a VA XXXX check they asked what my XXXX was. Feeling uncomfortable and not willing to divulge that information. I hung up and called later in the day speaking to another CapitalOne rep in the fraud department and explained the situation and after about an hour or so she was able to get the check released into my account effective XX/XX/XXXX. I thanked her and asked to speak to her manager so that I could relay that her empathy and determination to get the situation resolved for a XXXX veteran was greatly appreciated. On XX/XX/XXXX I transferred XXXX into my XXXX  XXXX  account. Later that same day I received an email from CapitalOne that said my accounts had been frozen. I called the bank and learned that they suspected my check was fraudulent and they emailed the treasury and according to CapitalOne, treasury told them the check had been altered and the check was not initially made out to me. I called Treasury 's lost check line ( XXXX ) and learned that CapitalOne submitted the check for payment and Treasury paid the check on XX/XX/XXXX. I asked if Treasury could tell CapitalOne and the representative told me they could not verify checks over the phone and banks had an online mechanism to verify Treasury checks. I called CapitalOne back and learned that CapitalOne was ending the banking relationship with me because I submitted a fraudulent check. I told CapitalOne that according to treasury, the check was paid out on XX/XX/XXXX and I could not put a stop payment on it. CapitalOne said that even though treasury paid out the check, treasury would go into the account and remove the money because the check was fraudulent. I am including the only version of the check I have, which I have not altered in any way. When I asked the representative who's name was on the check the representative said it was confidential but Treasury told CapitalOne the check they paid out on the XXXX was not made out to me. The CapitalOne representative added that Treasury would be putting in a request to take the money back out of my account which is why all of my accounts were placed on hold. I again contacted Treasury and XXXX XXXX confirmed with me that my name was on the check they paid on XX/XX/XXXX and she wasn't aware of any efforts by Treasury to reclaim the funds. Still on XX/XX/XXXX I went into the CapitalOne bank local branch to speak to the manager there and see what they could do since I was in person. The manager was not there but the teller called their version of the number I had been calling for CapitalOne and was told CapitalOne was ending their banking relationship with me and that I had to wait for the results of the investigation. On XX/XX/XXXX I went back to the bank and a different teller called the same number and was told that if I put the money that I transferred out of the account on the XXXX XXXX and the XXXX that I transferred out of the account on the XXXX ( which was in the account before the check was deposited but according to CapitalOne since I withdrew the money after I deposited the check, that money was also unavailable to me ). I went to my XXXX  XXXX  branch and pulled out the cash and deposited it into CapitalOne. I was able to pull money out of all seven of my CapitalOne accounts ( XXXX total ). But since this all happened I still had direct deposits going into CapitalOne and since my accounts were restricted I had to go into the bank to pull the money out. On XX/XX/XXXX I went back to the local branch to withdraw money that has been deposited since XX/XX/XXXX, the teller called the same number, the restriction was released and I was able to take XXXX out of my seven accounts. Additionally, I took my XXXX XXXX check that I had received in the mail on XX/XX/XXXX with me to the bank and asked the teller to make a note in the system that the Treasury again sent me a check this time for about XXXX for my monthly XXXX. I let her know that I would not be receiving these checks if they were not intended for me. I also called Treasury again to check to see why a manager hadn't called me back yet and this time XXXX XXXX told me that the managers are busy and would call when they had a moment, she said she also put in a request for the manager to call me. I again repeated the information CapitalOne told me about my name not being on the check and she said CapitalOne is not supposed to tell me information within their online system. I asked her if her system has my name on the check and she said yes she sees my name is on the check and that the check cleared on XX/XX/XXXX but she was not able to tell me any information about anything that CapitalOne received from the online system. On XX/XX/XXXX I went back to the local branch to withdraw about XXXX ( XXXX which had been direct deposited on XX/XX/XXXX and XXXX which was in the account before I deposited the check ) the branch teller called the number again and was told that I was no longer allowed to pull money out of my accounts. When the investigation is over they would send me a check with any monies that are due to me. I called the number I had for the bank and was told that since CaptialOne was terminating the banking relationship I was not able to go into the bank to pull money out. I let them know CapitalOne had made up their mind to terminate the banking relationship a week ago and I was able to go into the branch to withdraw money since the full amount of the check in question was back in the account. The representative said he would escalate my concern with the investigations department but that's all that he could do. On XX/XX/XXXX I went back to the local CapitalOne branch to withdraw the XXXX I had attempted to withdraw the day before and was able to take the money out. I called CapitalOne to find out the status of the investigation and learned that an investigator had not been assigned. On XX/XX/XXXX I received an email stating the investigation was complete and my accounts would be closed because CapitalOne the unusual activity on one or more of your accounts is inconsistent with our expectations for account usage. On XX/XX/XXXX CapitalOne sent a harmless hold letter to XXXX  XXXX for the XXXX that I transferred out on XX/XX/XXXX but deposited back in cash at the local branch on XX/XX/XXXX to ensure my accounts would be unfrozen. I provided this information to XXXX  XXXX and they said in order for them to release the funds CapitalOne has to send them a harmless hold letter stating the money has been returned into the account. I went into the local branch on XX/XX/XXXX and was there for three hours with the CapitalOne teller and the marketing manager to get the solution resolved. I provided them with hard copies of all of the information ( emails, VA letter, deposit receipt ). They called/emailed various people within the CapitalOne fraud department and I ended up leaving the bank without a resolution. One of the people CapitalOne called was the bank ambassador who told me that even though all of the money for the check ( XXXX ) was inside the CapitalOne account because the XXXX was deposited in cash and not sent from XXXX  XXXX  they could not determine if the funds were fraudulent or not. When my XXXX  XXXX sends them the XXXX ( which were payroll direct deposits and other monies transferred into the account and not part of the XXXX ) treasury money, CapitalOne will have XXXX of money that I am unable to touch. The branch said theyve done everything they could do and I would have to wait XX/XX/XXXX hours ( which would be into the weekend ) to see what is decided. At XXXX on Friday XX/XX/XXXX I called the branch and learned the check could be released to me and I promptly arrived at the bank to withdraw XXXX but the XXXX hold was still intact at my XXXX  XXXX. On Monday XX/XX/XXXX I contacted my XXXX  XXXX  to find out if they received the notice to cancel the hold harmless ; they hadnt. 
During this whole process I was told multiple times that treasury could not verify the check information and but the VA could ( and did on three occasions XX/XX/XXXX email to XXXX, on XX/XX/XXXX through a letter ( which was resent on XX/XX/XXXX ), and XX/XX/XXXX verbally with a CapitalOne rep ) but CapitalOne would not accept VAs verification of the funds being sent to me. On XX/XX/XXXX CapialOne fraud department employee ( XXXX XXXX ) emailed treasury asking for the validity of the check, according to treasury they responded on XX/XX/XXXX that the check was valid, and written to me. A different CapitalOne rep said that notes on the account say that Fiscal Bureau of the Treasury  told CapitalOne on XX/XX/XXXX that the check had been altered and did not have my name on it. Not one of the reps I spoke to at treasury told me that the check was fraudulent and every agent I spoke with told me the check was cashed by CapitalOne on XX/XX/XXXX and there was nothing more they could do since the check was in my name and cashed by me into an account with my name on it. Despite me putting the XXXX back into the account in cash on XX/XX/XXXX. CapitalOne contacted my XXXX  XXXX  on XX/XX/XXXX and asked them to hold XXXX from my accounts through a hold harmless letter. Which my XXXX  XXXX  did. I still do not have access to the XXXX that my XXXX  XXXX  is holding for CapitalOne and CapitalOne says the sent a fax to my XXXX  bank to release the harmless hold on XX/XX/XXXX but as of XX/XX/XXXX my XXXX XXXX had not received it. This is strange to me because CapitalOne sent my XXXX  bank the harmless hold on XX/XX/XXXX which was promptly executed by my XXXX  XXXX on XX/XX/XXXX.