Consumer complaint received 2024-09-24
Product: Checking or savings account — Checking account
Issue: Opening an account — Account opened without my consent or knowledge
Company: U.S. BANCORP (NC)

I co-own a company with my wife. On XX/XX/year> we reported that someone fraudulently opened a business checking account at US Bank in the name of our company, effectively impersonating me ( using my name ) and my wife ( using her email address ). 

I reported the fraud to US Bank 's Fraud Liaison office the same day, XX/XX/year>, and the person I spoke with told me that the person who opened the account had every last detail of our identity, including both of our SSNs, our company XXXX, our personal cell phone numbers, our business address and telephone number, etc. When I called the XXXX XXXX office again on XX/XX/year> I learned that the paperwork filed at US Bank on XX/XX/XXXX but the paperwork was apparently mishandled, and the internal request to close the account and investigate the matter was denied. 

Also on XX/XX/year>, we reported the fraud to the Federal Trade Commission, the local police department, all major credit bureaus, and all of our banks. 

So, I started over with reporting the fraud to US Bank XXXX XX/XX/year> and asked that the official paperwork be sent to me immediately so that the account could be closed. Around the close of business on XX/XX/XXXX, I received an email containing a packet of documents, the US Bank ID Theft Packet, that I would be required to submit to have the account closed. My wife and I both completed the packets and I sent both to the specified address via FedEx overnight service. The envelope was signed for on XX/XX/year> at XXXX AM. 

I called the Fraud Liaison office again on XX/XX/XXXX because my wife received another email about an update to the account, indicating that mobile device settings for the account had been updated. The Fraud Liaison office told me that the account is locked down and that the message " might '' mean that something is being done about the fraud, but they couldn't really say, because that is not their department. They told me to email the address in the ID Theft packet and that I would no longer be able to speak to anyone at the Fraud Liasion office. 

So, on XX/XX/XXXX, I also emailed the address provided by US Bank in the packet of information we were required to submit as evidence to support our identity and our request to close the account, stating " It is with immense frustration that I am writing to you to try to understand whether our US Bank ID Theft Packet was received and whether the account will be or has been closed. Please confirm receipt of our packet and provide some kind of timeline for account closure. '' As of today, I have received no response from US Bank about this matter, and the account has NOT been closed. US Bank continues to send emails to my wife suggesting how to make deposits, how to configure the mobile app, etc. Just today, US Bank emailed her an invitation to meet with a personal wealth advisor. I am very concerned, because it seems likely that a criminal would have added at least one other email address to the account, since they knew they would not be able to access her email. So, these same offers to expand the use of the fraudulent account are likely being sent to the criminal who opened the account.