Consumer complaint received 2024-05-20
Product: Checking or savings account — Checking account
Issue: Managing an account — Deposits and withdrawals
Company: ARVEST BANK GROUP, INC. (AR)

Ill start by saying that I am on disability and every month on the 3rd I receive a check that is directly deposited into my checking account from XXXX ( Social Security XXXX XXXX ) in the amount of {$XXXX}. This is my only source of income. Ive been banking with XXXX for over 10 years. I am from XXXX but reside in XXXX. Since the move last year, everything has gone down. XX/XX/XXXX was the ignition of this escapade where I stayed at a hotel with my partner with unsecured Wi-Fi and my information was stolen from my computer and destroyed it. Soon after ; odd calls, weird emails, new accounts, and withdrawals from my XXXX account. I realized that I had become a victim of identity theft. Over the course the holiday season last year my account was constantly attack. Around XX/XX/XXXX I reported this to the FBI, Federal Trade Commission, Social Security, and Identiytheft.gov. My account was constantly attacked with charges and transfers, even go as far to gaining access to my mothers credit card accounts that I am joint with. Up in till XXXX, my account would go up and down. Id get my XXXX check in and XXXX or half would automatically offset the overdraft that built up, then it would go in the red again. I had to put in several disputes, some were received, most were chargebacks or XXXX did not favor my side of the dispute even though it was fraud. All the while my XXXX  is constantly being affected by having to spend more money for things I shouldnt have to pay like overdraft fees. In XXXX, as a stop gap measure, I decided to re-route my XXXXI check to a new account that I had opened, XXXX XXXX, to keep it safe. XX/XX/XXXX or so, I made the change with the Social Security XXXX to re-route my check from XXXX to XXXX. In XXXX, I received it in my new account in XXXX. XX/XX/XXXX I was hospitalized for XXXX days. XX/XX/XXXX, I log into my banking app and found out that my XXXX check had been deposited into XXXX. Out of {$XXXX}, only {$XXXX} was left after part of my check went to pay for items that were disputed but charged-back to my account and overdraft fees. I called XXXX and the agent explained to me that they have the right to keep the check and use it to offset the balance owed, and she confirmed with me that they called the Social Security XXXX to have them re-route the check back to XXXX. After the phone call using XXXX I was trying to transfer {$XXXX} to XXXX I had amount left because I paid {$XXXX} for my cell phone bill. The transfer failed, not sure why. This part is peculiar, I went into my XXXX account to try to transfer with XXXX and I had successfully processed a transfer of the {$XXXX} to XXXX from XXXX, stating that it was completed but on hold till the XXXX. Stumped, I tried to log back in to XXXX to check to see if the transfer went through XXXX side but all of a sudden, I couldnt log back into my XXXX account. It came up with an error message, tried multiple times. So I called XXXX back and they stated that the account was locked, they could not speak with me and that I needed to go in a branch to speak about my account. XXXX  XX/XX/XXXX, my partner and I went to the main branch here in town and spoke with a branch XXXX letting us know that the XXXX department had locked the account and noted that I come into a branch to be verified. The lady there was nice and explained to us the status of the account. She verified me. I explained to her what had been going on with the account and what their agents over the phone have been saying. She vehemently denied it was XXXX that had the check re-routed back to them. At one point while reviewing the account the note that she read implored her to make a phone call to fraud to verify that I am at the branch. She spoke with some guy from XXXX, couldnt remember his name and hung up. As the course of the conversation continues, she is making notes on my account as we are talking about the situation the lead up the chaos of the account. I didnt want to have the accounts closed and was worried that they were. I asked her if there is a department to talk to about that other then fraud. She gave me a phone number for a department to help with mitigation of the accounts, I have XXXX XXXX accounts. XXXX opened in XXXX had a - {$XXXX} and the new XXXX account was - {$XXXX}, some disputes were chargebacks, overdraft fees, both accounts where hacked. We even went as much as to come back the next day. XX/XX/XXXX went back to the same branch to add my partner to my second XXXX account. There we sat and spoke with another lady. I chatted with her about the situation, that I was frauded, account was hacked, and I was here yesterday. Again, I asked her how the account is doing, asked her if the account slated to closed, can I still fix it. She said everything looks fine. THE NEXT DAY, XX/XX/XXXX I woke up and log into XXXX and saw that my old account was showing a XXXX balance. I checked XXXX to see if the transfer went through, and no it had not. I called XXXX and they said that they cant talk to me and that I needed to go into a branch. I informed them that I was just there yesterday and the day before. The agent stated that the fraud department noted that I never showed up. In haste I told him that I did fact show up to the branch on that XXXX  he gave me the impression he didnt believe me. He said that I did not go to the bank as I was told to. I told him that is a straight up dam lie! I asked him to connect me to the fraud department and replied he couldnt do that, asked why, he stated there isnt a phone for the fraud department. I then asked for a supervisor, and he replied that they are not allowed to talk to me about the account and that I need to go the branch like I was told to. I was upset and he mentioned I would like him to file a report and I said yes. The conversation tapered off there and we eventually hung up. ( How could I have not been there at the branch when it shows that I withdrew {$XXXX} on XXXX XX/XX/XXXX? XXXX you see that withdraw in the system being done at that branch? ) He got quiet and said to me that he is not allowed to talk to me about it. He then said that he would finish the report and said goodbye. He hung up on me. Serval days pass still with no money in XXXX, almost XXXX weeks of not having any money for food and bills. I still have no access to XXXX, they keep telling me to go the branch and I keep telling them that I already have. I call XXXX on a daily basis asking them about the hold. XXXX said the hold was there because they are still waiting for XXXX to release those funds for the transfer. I am afraid now that XXXX is holding the transfer till I get my XXXX  check next month to offset the second account or wait till the XXXX when the transfer either has to clear and be sent back. That XXXX will wait till then to request the transfer back to use the {$XXXX} to offset that balance. This is illegal. That would mean they have used more the 75 % of my XXXX check for offsetting. From what I know is that they can only use XXXX of the check or have to leave XXXX of it left but not nearly all of it. I believe that XXXX is behind the rerouting of my XXXX  check, effectively putting my money on a constant merry-go-round of endless doubt, where will it be this month or will I have access to it or lock it. They locked my account XXXX times since XXXX, and its been when my benefits check is to be deposited. They are causing confusion, duress, pain and suffering to a point where Ive developed panic attacks and XXXX outs. I have become nonfunctional in the sense I am and who I am supposed to be towards my family and friends. I dont enjoy life anymore. Why should I? They chose not to help me in a time of crisis when I first arrived here in XXXX, staying at a hotel of horrors for XXXX months with my partner invested with roaches and bed bugs. Resulting in bites all over my partners feet and a horrible fall. Where I feel victim to identity theft that started this entire mess. Their so-called code of ethics failed me in my disputes to recover the funds for services not rendered. Quite the opposite, their brochure should read $ XXXX visits are free. I was being defrauded and explained to them the situation, I emailed the only pictures I had saved before my XXXX computer and my XXXX were destroyed by the cyber-attack. Disputing {$XXXX} charged on XX/XX/XXXX, {$XXXX} on XX/XX/XXXX, {$XXXX} on XX/XX/XXXX denied, denied, denied. A wench has better luck winning a game on a monopoly board with its XXXX corners than me getting any help. They didnt help me with a case where I was bamboozled by XXXX for {$XXXX} charged XX/XX/XXXX and {$XXXX} on XX/XX/XXXX in a case where an illegal lease was involved for a new place. With nothing left to find another place, I am forced to sleep in my partners RV. XXXX has ruined my life, I feel my health has worsened migraines and still recovering from being septic from the hotel. With their constant attack on my funds to show their arsenal of punishments by locking my card, freezing my account, or holding my check as long as legally possible only to describe loosely as their common business practice with their clients. This chicanery just shows their disdain for me that I am disabled or not rich to have any impact to their bottom line for their intended growth. Their noses long as stretchers cover the high class but not the mass. They dont care if they destroy a disabled persons life, and they dont care if that person is then tossed to the streets as long as they get to satisfy their own selfish greed but yet keep that faade. They pretend to stand high behind their morality and good faith in their business. They skirt the word of XXXX twisting their XXXX values to suit their duplicitous nature, all the while hiding behind a veil of their false ideology. They do not give a thought to me or anyone as they nyxlings feed off the shadows of us in lusts evil by temptations perpetuated by the XXXX and those minions of which they represent. I must repudiate this notion of acceptance of such injustice and call for Humanitarian Consideration. Agencies like the XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX, I implore your office to consider the living conditions of myself in determining the wrong that has been done. To see me as a person. I plea that your office recognizes my living in such drapid circumstances, I require assistance for basic sense, they left me with nothing. I have no savings, I do not have any money left out. I have been without my XXXX check for a month now, I have no money to survive.