Consumer complaint received 2024-10-15
Product: Checking or savings account — Checking account
Issue: Managing an account — Problem making or receiving payments
Company: TRUIST FINANCIAL CORPORATION (FL)

On XX/XX/year>2024 I received an email from XXXX XXXX, XXXX of XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX, company that manages the XXXX where our office is located ( XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX. XXXX XXXX XXXX, FL XXXX ), stating we had not paid the rent for the month of XXXX, 2024. I went into our Truist mobile app with the intention to screenshot an image of the check XXXX ( from our Truist Business Checking account ending in XXXX ) to send it as a proof of payment because when I reviewed the transactions I saw this check in the amount of {$3700.00} was cleared. When I opened the check image I realized it has been altered, the original payee was : XXXX XXXX XXXX  XXXX, with address : XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX, FL XXXX, but instead the security check looked very different. The payee was changed to " XXXX XXXX '' with address : " XXXX XXXX Ct XXXX XXXX XXXX, FL XXXX ''. The look of the check was different from the security checks I print using XXXX. The only information that was preserved was the amount ( {$3700.00} ), the check number ( XXXX ) and partially my signature. 

I called Truist Fraud Department and reported the situation and they assigned me case number XXXX. On XX/XX/XXXX, I received an email from Truist with confirmation of the initiation of a review. I also reported this situation to the XXXX Police Department and I received an email from them on XX/XX/year>2024 advising me to also report this fraud to the postal inspector ( htpp : //uspis.gov/report ) since the check was stolen in the mail. The XXXX recommended to report it to the FBI ( IC3.gov ) since it was consider as a cyber-crime because the check was deposited through a mobile app into an account at XXXX XXXX. I followed all those steps and mailed hard copies to XXXX Police Department/Financial Crimes . 

I also went to the Truist branch where we opened our account and they assisted me notarizing a Truist-Affidavit of Fraud that I sent by mail and the person in the bank sent it via email. I received a letter from Truist dated XX/XX/year>2024 stating that my claim was denied because I did nor reported within 30 days of the transaction. This was a very general, unfair response that denotes lack of detailed observation of my case, considering that I have been issuing this check for almost ten years. Therefore it was not a suspicious activity in our account. I called and wrote a letter to Truist requesting to reopen the investigation and submitted more supportive documents. I went again to the branch where we have the account, they helped me with notarizing another affidavit and I sent it with the supporting documentation via mail on XX/XX/year>. I communicated with the branch manager XXXX XXXX XXXX ) who has tried to help and she was told that I had to wait 90 days to get a response. 

On XX/XX/XXXX, I was contacted by Detective XXXX XXXX ( ID XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX Sheriff 's office- XXXX email : XXXX ) who informed that the XXXX Police Department XXXX XXXX XXXX had sent him the case since the address involved is located his area. He informed me that they have subpoenaed XXXX XXXX and he found out that the account was open in XXXX, 2024 but at the time of the attempted mobile deposit in XXXX, 2024, the bank had frozen the account because it seemed suspicious and they did not disbursed any money. He went to the address on the check and XXXX XXXX has moved to California and was not even in Florida when the account was opened. His parents provided his phone number to the detective and he spoke with him, concluding his identity had been stolen too. 

On XX/XX/year>2024 I sent an email to the branch XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX ) with the emails the detective forwarded to me showing the communication with the XXXX XXXX. She later informed she will forward those to the fraud department. 

On XX/XX/XXXX, I sent her by email the official report from detective XXXX. 
On XX/XX/XXXX, she spoke for about an hour with XXXX XXXX from the Fraud Department who stated he notated everything in the system and she told me to monitor my account and if the money has not been returned by XX/XX/XXXX to contact her. 

I met with the branch manager in person on XX/XX/scrub> 2024. Together we called the Fraud Department and they seemed not even able to find the latest information we have supplied. She had to tell everything again and after speaking with a supervisor she told us to ask the detective to email his statement to " XXXX '' as if the official report provided was not enough. The detective sent the email the same day XX/XX/XXXX. While I was at the branch, the XXXX called XXXX Fraud Department and explained the case, they were rude and told her I had to file the claim with Truist and cut the conversation. 

Today is XX/XX/scrub> 2024 I called again the XXXX  XXXX Department and I explained again, apparently they reviewed my case, but they said they can not do anything. A supervisor XXXX, told me they attempted to contact XXXX XXXX  in XXXX and they did not get a response so they can not do anything. I hope you can help me to find to recover the {$3700.00} that are floating in a frozen account in XXXX XXXX  and hold Truist accountable for negligence. What purpose have security checks if anybody can print a cheap internet check image and deposit it? How a bank is not able to backup a loyal client for almost a decade? Something is very wrong with both banks and they should be monitored and responsible for their shortcomings. Thank you for your assistance with this. 

( I have emails exchanged if you need me to send them )