Consumer complaint received 2024-02-04
Product: Money transfer, virtual currency, or money service — Domestic (US) money transfer
Issue: Fraud or scam — 
Company: STATE EMPLOYEES CREDIT UNION (NC)

We were advised by an XXXX XXXX XXXX to make this complaint to the CFPB. 

It is our hope that this complaint toward our banking institution, the NC State Employees Credit Union, gets an them to acknowledge our loss as fraudulent and recognize the their lack of guidance in part as we made a wire transfer in the amount of {$100000.00} last XX/XX/XXXX. 

On our first call to them once we realized we had been victimized we were told the XXXX " protects their members '' and would work to get our money back. Once we went to the credit union in person to report the crime we followed the credit union officer 's directions to file a police report and wait for a response from the real XXXX XXXX department on a decision to cover the loss. We also filed reports to the Federal Trade Commission and the FBI. 

We waited for weeks and finally were told that by XXXX that our transaction could not be returned to our account because we signed the wire transfer paper. I appealed to the same teller a month or so later and he told me the same but that he would look to see if the money could be recovered under the XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX but it was unlikely. I never heard back from him. 

Our main complaint is that the teller should have immediately consulted with a branch manager to meet with us before we made such large wire transfer. That way we would have been able to rethink our decision and the thieves would not have gotten our retirement savings. When it didn't go through the first time and the person posing as a XXXX XXXX  XXXX called us and instructed us to return to the credit union to change the " beneficiary '' on the wire transfer paper. When we walked in the teller recognized us and said, " I was just about to call you to come back because the transfer didn't go through. '' At that point we feel like we did not receive the guidance we should have to reconsider the transaction. Instead, we gave him the new beneficiary information provided to us by the thief and it went through. This is when we felt he should have called in a branch manager. 

Below is the statement I provided to the FBI as a narrative of the chain of events that led to the loss of our XXXX XXXX XXXX funds. Now we face a huge tax bill. 

XX/XX/XXXX, XXXX XXXX, XXXX XX/XX/XXXX : I received an email from XXXX XXXX that looked official stating that an order was ready that I did not make. It was a purchase for XXXX and another for guns. I called the number on the email that stated " if you did not make this purchase '' please call. I was connected to an " agent '' for XXXX XXXX who tried to help me but we were disconnected. A different " agent '' called ( XXXX ) and told me to open an app called XXXX XXXX on my phone. This call also failed so finally a man who identified himself as " XXXX XXXX '' the " XXXX XXXX for XXXX XXXX '' called and asked me to open the application on my desk top. My husband and I did this together. At that time he ran us through several searches to prove to us that we had been hacked and that he would take care of this problem for us. He also gave me figures of other " pre-authorized '' charges pending on my account. {$1400.00}, {$1800.00}, {$2200.00}, and I had one for {$380.00} on the XXXX XXXX " invoice ''. 

He had me give him the phone number for the call center for my bank. He said he was going to send them a message and that a someone would get back to me. Within minutes a person identifying himself as " XXXX XXXX '' called and explained he was from State Employees Credit Union ( my bank ) XXXX department. I questioned the phone number XXXX ( XXXX ) XXXX as it was from XXXX and he explained to me that all banks have their XXXX  headquarters in XXXX . He then gave me the exact figures of preauthorized amounts that were pending on my State Employees Credit Union. I emailed the XXXX to put a block on my account and he said that was fine. 

XXXX XXXX also knew the name of my XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX and told us that someone had made a request to withdraw {$100000.00} and that I would have to make my own request quickly so that the " hackers '' would not get it. He gave us rules because he said that no one could be trusted and that the hackers could be someone from XXXX XXXX or XXXX. He even asked me if I trusted my XXXX XXXX! The same week I had sent a message to our XXXX XXXX advisor requesting an appointment so this seemed like a possible place the hackers could have gotten in. 
The Rules : Only speak to XXXX XXXX, Don't tell anyone, Can talk to family but only to say the problem was resolved, Can withdraw funds from XXXX but to let him know first. 

After that call " XXXX '' called me back and told us to keep my phone lines open so they could try to " catch '' the hackers. This continued for days and hours on my phone and my husband 's phone. Always with sincere concern for my XXXX and promises to have this situation corrected. I continued to follow directions from him and the other person but always questioning their titles and what they were doing. I have over XXXX text messages from them. 

The actual thefts occurred between XX/XX/XXXX and XX/XX/XXXX because the XXXX weekend delayed transfer of funds. 

Following XXXX 's directive, I called XXXX XXXX from XXXX XXXX on XX/XX/XXXX to request our withdrawal of all funds from our retirement funds, XXXX told me to make up a scenario if I was asked why I wanted to withdraw ALL the funds. He said XXXX XXXX or someone at his office could not be trusted. My agent, while taken aback, explained it could not happen until after XXXX. 
So, the following Monday XX/XX/XXXX My husband and I both requested our funds by my cellphone from XXXX XXXX. The funds would be available by Thursday XX/XX/XXXX. In the meantime, my husband 's was on an open line with XXXX. So he heard the requests. The total amount requested was {$110000.00}. XXXX XXXX withheld money for a XXXX for taxes. 

XX/XX/XXXX : XXXX XXXX had me open an account with XXXX XXXX ( a digital bank ) while he was on Any Desk on my computer. That afternoon XXXX again gave us specific instructions for wiring the {$10000.00} out of my checking account to XXXX XXXX that he had me open that morning. He made sure that I used the exact name on the account I opened on the wire transfer form and that he wanted to stay on an open line while I was in the bank so he could hear what we were saying. Our teller 's name at XXXX. I was instructed to wire the money to XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX # XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX, XXXX, XXXX  XXXX. Beneficiary was to be XXXX XXXX, XXXX Account # XXXX Routing # XXXX Address : XXXX XXXX XXXX, suite XXXX, XXXX XXXX, XXXX was the beneficiary. I did this under great duress with my husband at my side. He instructed me to " act normal '' because the teller may not be trusted. 
Once back in the car he asked for me to send a picture of the wire document and quickly told us to go back bank because the teller had put my name as it is stated on my XXXX accounts and made me the beneficiary. Returning to the bank the teller saw us and said he was about to call me because the wire did not go through with the way my name was stated. This time, because I was unable to do any further transactions due to stress, explained to the teller the corrections changing the name and beneficiary to what is mentioned above. The teller did not call a branch manager but proceeded to conduct the wire transfer. 

XX/XX/XXXX : The calls from XXXX continued on my husband 's phone while XXXX called me and again had me open Any Desk on my desktop computer, open my XXXX XXXX Account and with control of my computer began moving small amounts of that {$100000.00} into XXXX Reference # XXXX. He explained he had to do smaller amounts at a time so that the hackers could not trace it. 
He sold {$96000.00} Reference # XXXX and began the withdrawals using the XXXX XXXX app on my computer. He said, " You can go do your work Mam, and I will do mine. '' I have email documentation of all withdrawals on XX/XX/XXXX as follow ; {$11000.00} ref : XXXX, {$11000.00} ref : XXXX, {$19000.00} ref : XXXX, {$19000.00} ref : XXXX, {$22000.00} ref : XXXX, {$9800.00} ref : XXXX, {$9800.00} ref : XXXX. {$4900.00} ref : XXXX For XXXX or XXXX of these I received emails stating the transactions were cancelled but XXXX XXXX would continue to try. XXXX told me to ignore these. 

XX/XX/XXXX : Final withdrawal {$13000.00} ref : XXXX XX/XX/XXXX : XXXX apparently became ill and was " in hospital '' so XXXX called me to open another account this time with XXXX while he continued to monitor our phones and send text messages. XXXX called me later to verify the account. He had me stay on the line while I called XXXX local to verify but it would not go through. The XXXX XXXX account was now at {$0.00} and they were trying to get the last of the retirement money through XXXX. 

XX/XX/XXXX : XXXX texted me asking if I had gotten that verification email yet from XXXX. I had not. I had moved {$12000.00} out of my checking account to my XXXX Account with XXXX because I was concerned that it was all I had left. XXXX had me move it back to my checking account so I moved {$13000.00} and was waiting for verification to begin the securing these funds when the XXXX account was verified. 

XX/XX/XXXX : XXXX is continuing to be sick and XXXX is trying to follow up with me to get the last of the money stolen. All the while reassuring and even promising me that the money will be back in my account soon. I spoke to him by phone and said I was going to call the FBI and he said, " Ma'am are your trying to scare me? Because we won't be scared. We are working for you to secure your funds and your IP Address. '' In text, " ... just wait patiently, everything will be find and tomorrow you will have all your questions answered. '' My text : " The XXXX XXXX account is XXXX balance, the crypto.com does not work. I have been looking into my XXXX XXXX help section to figure out if I did the wrong thing by calling the number on the email. '' XXXX 's reply : " Your thinking to much ma'am! '' My text : " Does XXXX XXXX  even send emails for orders? '' XXXX 's reply : " I already told that there are certain steps has been taken by your bank ( XXXX XXXX ) to secure your funds! '' Don't think too much it might effect your health... forget everything, have a good sleep and tomorrow you once you get your answers then you would be happiest one. '' And, " Whenever customer has any fraudulent charges every financial company ( aka XXXX XXXX ) sends emails. We never call our customers first. '' My text : " How did XXXX XXXX know these charges were fraudulent? '' " I want to call my XXXX XXXX '' XXXX 's reply : " Because XXXX know you and your the owner of not your ( financial ) advisor. '' And, " mark my words by tomorrow morning you will get your answers and everything will be fine. '' He tells me that XXXX will call me on a new secure line by XXXX est the next day. XXXX ( XXXX ) XXXX because of inactivity on the old number a new one was created. 

XX/XX/XXXX XXXX calls from this number but within a few minutes the call disconnects and I am not able to all it back. Same with XXXX 's number. All contact has been cut by them. 

I then went to the bank to report the incident and we closed our checking account, followed direction to file a XXXX, XXXX police incidence report reference number XXXX. In the following days that week I also made a report to the FTC per my XXXX XXXX XXXX account. I also called XXXX XXXX to lock my account and made disputed reports for all transactions. A report to the FBI was also made and the above narrative was sent to that report. 

Again, this complaint is to have the XXXX acknowledge their role in our loss and hopefully be able to return the money to our account via XXXX.