Consumer complaint received 2015-09-24
Product: Bank account or service — Other bank product/service
Issue: Deposits and withdrawals — 
Company: TD BANK US HOLDING COMPANY (NJ)

I share a student savings and checking account with my niece who at the time was working XXXX part time jobs and a very good student. also practicing cheerleading for her school. She read on an instragram where she can make money. When she inquired with the guys that ( she did n't know / strangers ) set up the link she asked what she had to do and if it was legal. She was told that they needed her bank information and debit card. They also told her it was legitamit business and advised her money was to be put in her account but to show they did n't need her money and to prove this was n't a scam to take her money out of the account. She also asked whose money would go in and they said they had money investors. She asked them would it be checks or cash they did n't tell her just advised her again it was legal. The guys advised her these money investors for tax reasons had to spend so much a year and to meet some type of quota. 
She believed it was legal and met with this guy and gave him her debit card and texted her passwords user id and password for debit card after she took her money out of the account. The guy or guys went to the ATM MACHINE and deposited XXXX checks payable to my niece marked gifted in memo. The back of these checks were endorsed by the guy making the deposit into her savings at the ATM ( XXXX checks in the amount of {$780.00} each ) = {$1500.00}. Then the guy deposited XXXX more checks endorsed by him in the amount of {$780.00} each = {$1500.00} into my nieces checking account. A total of XXXX checks forging my nieces name marked as gifts payable to her. These deposits were made on XXXX/XXXX/2015. At the time of the deposits they did a withdrawal of XXXX. On XXXX/XXXX/2015 the guy did XXXX transactions. a online money transfer of {$300.00} and also a ATM withdrawal of {$600.00}. On the XXXX the guy made a ATM withdrawal of another {$600.00} from the ATM. He also went to XXXX IN XXXX NJ where he made XXXX purchases at the self service cashier and with each small purchase made a cash withdrawal of {$200.00} ( example XXXX item {$1.00} + {$200.00}. = {$200.00} ) On XXXX/XXXX/2015 my wife went to check something on our account and noticed that the savings and checking account shared by me with my niece showed negative balances and insufficient funds so we called the bank. They advised us of these purchases and we also advised them my niece was in Pa at cheerleading camp so she could n't have made deposits or withdrawals. We also went into the XXXX XXXX branch where they viewed the checks and the signatures and went into a file and viewed my signature card and my nieces showing not even close just scribbling. When we became aware of the fact my niece gave them all her info and card we went to the XXXX XXXX we told them the checks deposited were not either endorsed by me or my niece they got in touch with the fraud department on the phone the fraud department told us even though the checks were forged no fraud was committed because she gave them the card and info and we have to pay this back. We also asked them why that much money was allowed to be withdrawn when the funds we not cleared the bank managers told us it was done as a favor to us because we were long time customers of the bank. When my niece got back from Pa we went and filed a report and charges. The police arrested XXXX guys XXXX a minor from XXXX ( let out into his mothers custody ) the other guy from XXXX of age was let out on bail. The police got the ATM camera photos from the bank. Also we do not understand if a person is giving a check for a gift why write out XXXX individual checks to the same person in the same amount when you can just write out XXXX. We have received numerous calls from collection and after almost a month I was told by the girl i can file a complaint form for the forgery and some type of XXXX XXXX form. I also called my lawyer.