Consumer complaint received 2024-06-14
Product: Money transfer, virtual currency, or money service — Mobile or digital wallet
Issue: Unauthorized transactions or other transaction problem — 
Company: ROBINHOOD MARKETS INC. (NY)

I was XXXX  abroad, my phone was stolen and multiple accounts accessed. On the morning following my XXXX  I made desperate calls to my banks and credit cards to freeze my accounts. However, when I called the published Robin Hood number, the automated announcement was that THE ONLY WAY TO REACH customer service was by logging into the app and requesting a callback from there. However, the thieves were easily able to replace my login credentials in my Robin Hood account so I could not log in. So there was NO WAY for me to report this fraud to Robin Hood. I know it sounds crazy but other people on have had similar experiences leading to losses. Again there is no way to speak with a rep if one is locked out by fraud. In desperation, I created another account just to speak with a human from Robin Hood. I tried to explain the situation to a poorly trained service rep who was working off a very narrow script. However, they just hung up on me! Desperate repeated calls led to more hang ups. Requests to speak with a supervisor led to more hang ups! 

I was only able to speak with an actual XXXX based rep who listened to my story 2 months later. I was finally granted partial access to my account and saw that ~ {$28000.00} ( all assets ) were siphoned off in the week after the initial incident. It took them a week to do it. If there was a way to freeze the account, this never would have happened. I was told by Robin Hood however that according to the published Robin Hood guarantee, my losses would be compensated as the transactions were fraudulent and a full internal investigation would be launched. Robin Hood does indeed publish a guarantee that reads : Well cover 100 % of direct losses due to unauthorized account activity Shortly thereafter, my account was locked again because RH could not remove the thief 's phone number from account credentials. It took another several months to regain full access to my account. Subsequently, I called RH for the status of my case. Depending on which foreign customer service I spoke to, they would either tell me that they have no record of my incident or tell me that security team is working on it AND lock my account again. Requests for a supervisor led to yes more hang ups. At no point was I able to speak with anyone from a higher level of the company. Eventually, I got an email from Robin Hood saying that my request for compensation was denied because I did not abide by their guidelines when my phone was stolen. At no point did Robin Hood request any documentation, police records or any other information that would be required to conduct an actual investigation into the matter. 

I immediately called back and requested clarification. The rep I spoke with had no record of my complaint in my account! I submitted all the details of the incident again. This time I offered to provide them with the documents related to the incident and the rep said " yes if you want to '' and did provide me with a document link. I uploaded the police report and once again requested to speak with a higher up but was denied. Eventually, I got an email from a generic customer service representative, saying that my request is denied and the case is closed. 

Not only did Robin Hood allow the thieves to easily access my account and steal my hard earned money, but they also have absolutely no mechanism to stop the fraud in progress even when I was aware of it. Furthemore, they reneged on their publicly posted guarantee to replace the funds in case of an unauthorized access after promising me to reinstate my funds.