Consumer complaint received 2024-05-16
Product: Checking or savings account — Savings account
Issue: Managing an account — Deposits and withdrawals
Company: GOLDMAN SACHS BANK USA (NY)

Recap : my account got locked when I initiated a ~ $ XXXX withdrawal corresponding to my entire life of savings. I have not been able to access my account since then. 


Detailed context : I have had a savings account with XXXX since XXXX. I also actively use 2 investment accounts, one with XXXX and one with Interactive Brokers ( XXXX ). Over the past couple of years, I made several transfers between these accounts, without any issue. 

I recently moved to XXXX so I needed to empty these accounts and move the funds to XXXX. 

As of beginning of XXXX, most of my savings were on my XXXX account and I wanted to transfer them to my XXXX account, so that I could convert them to EUR and send them to XXXX. These XXXX accounts were not linked so I decided to transfer the funds first to XXXX, then to XXXX. 

So between XX/XX/XXXX and XX/XX/XXXX I made XXXX large deposits ( $ XXXX, $ XXXX, $ XXXX, $ XXXX ) from XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX again with no issue. A few days later, I initiated transfers from XXXX to my XXXX account via XXXX XXXX. The transfers got rejected, and I was left a message to call the support. 

I called the support and this is where it all started. They proceeded with regular checks to verify my identity ( last XXXX XXXX of social security, date of birth, ). As I do not own a US phone anymore, the number they have on file is that of a friend, and I was calling from my French number. After a few minutes on hold, they said that they were not able to verify my identity as the name associated with the phone number they had on file did not tie to my name. They were also not able to verify my identity with my passport nor with my New York driving license. I spoke with XXXX different person, none of them was able to propose an alternative way of verifying my identity. One of them vaguely suggested coming back to the US, opening a new phone line under my name and calling back from this number, but could not guarantee this would work. I hang up and realized shortly after that my account got locked. 

A few days later, as I met with my friend owning the US phone number they have on file, I tried calling again from that phone. I answered all the security questions, and I was calling from the exact phone number they have on file, but again, they said they were not able to verify my identity. They said my case was under review and that someone would contact me in the next 2 days. 

Nothing happens over the next week, so I call again, go through the exact same conversations, with various contradictory and ridiculous answers from XXXX agents. In short, there is nothing they can do, no way to verify my identity, and that I should just wait for someone to contact me, without even saying how they would be contacting me, nor when. 

I am able to receive a code on the phone number they have on file, receive mail to the address they have on file, receive emails to the email address they have on file, provide my full SSN, personal questions, passcode, IDs, I am able to show that the account from which the funds came from belong to me, show that the account to which the funds were going to belong to me, etc.. But yet, they pretend they can not verify my identity and retain control on my lifelong savings. It feels like a nightmare, I feel totally helpless.