Consumer complaint received 2024-03-27
Product: Credit card — General-purpose credit card or charge card
Issue: Problem with a purchase shown on your statement — Card was charged for something you did not purchase with the card
Company: TRUIST FINANCIAL CORPORATION (GA)

My prior cases are closed because they were duplicates ( XXXX and XXXX ). However, please regard this as a new case because I have no resolution or proof that an investigation of my claim occurred. And Truist in their letter dated XX/XX/XXXX maintains an investigation occured when I know if they had processed a chargeback, it wouldve concluded fraud occurred. 

It took law enforcement XXXX weeks to receive a response from XXXX police, but somehow Truist concluded XXXX investigations between XX/XX/XXXX and XXXX without their input. Additionally, XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX, of XXXX XXXX, has also reached out directly to Truist on my behalf disclosing details of the criminal investigation and was ignored. 

Putting that aside for now, I want to clarify the details of my claim because it is clear to me that Truist Bank did not perform its due diligence in : a ) ensuring that my replacement card was appropriately verified at the time of activation. 
b ) performing a legitimate investigation into my claim and advising me of the reasons for the denials. 

Below is an outline of significant dates and conversations. Some of which was excluded in their XXXX recap : a ) On XX/XX/XXXX : I ordered a replacement card. My previous card had a {$0.00} balance and was frozen by me. 

b ) On XX/XX/XXXX : I received an email and text from Truist XXXX department to validate a charge for {$1200.00} at XXXX XXXX in XXXX GA, while I was at work in XXXX, GA ( off XXXX XXXX, near XXXX XXXX ). 
At the time of this transaction, I still had not received or activated the card. 
I do not have a XXXX XXXX membership and I immediately texted back and called to deny this charge. During this call : o I was advised there was another pending charge for the same amount at XXXX XXXX, I denied both. 
o I advised the rep that I never received the card, regardless it should not have been active. 
o She could not tell me how the card was activated, suggested it was a charge from my previous card, which had been locked prior to my ordering the replacement and had a {$0.00} balance. 
The call ended with me being assured that neither charge would post. 

c ) On XX/XX/XXXX : I logged in and saw that both XXXX XXXX charges for {$1200.00} posted. 
My automatic payment for {$150.00} which I set up previously had also been drafted and applied to this fraudulent balance. 
I filed a claim that day and was told that I would be sent supplemental claim forms by mail, I asked that it be sent by email also. 
o I again asked in both calls that day how was my card activated. I was provided with an initial response that it was not activated, then the response changed to it was activated on XX/XX/XXXX but she could see what method was used to activate. 

d ) On XX/XX/XXXX, as I was still waiting on the claim forms, Truist had concluded its investigation and determined the charges were not fraudulent. 
I was unaware of this because I had not received this letter, and their client advocate was not responding to me. 

XXXX ) On XXXX, I received a letter from Truist dated XX/XX/XXXX. 
It was not the supplemental claim forms, it was an acknowledgement of my dispute : o {$0.00} for the transaction at XXXX XXXX, in XXXX, Ga on XX/XX/XXXX o {$1200.00} for the transaction at XXXX XXXX in XXXX, Ga on XX/XX/XXXX I had disputed both charges, so even the acknowledgement of my claim is incorrect as disputing one charge and not the other. But at the time, I interpreted it to mean the second charge was going to be refunded. Both charges are still posted. 

f ) On XX/XX/XXXX : I called in to check on the status of the claim forms. 
I was told the matter was complete. 
On this day, I also received their letter dated XX/XX/XXXX advising of this decision. I insisted that I speak with a XXXX, I was put on the phone with XXXX who told me : a ) the case was closed and could not be reopened. 
b ) that they did not have to disclose their investigation process or findings c ) that I needed to work directly with XXXX XXXX for a refund. 
XXXX knows this is not standard procedure and was intentionally misleading. I could not submit a claim to XXXX XXXX, they referred me back to Truist. 
AGAIN, I asked her how my new card was activated. 
o I was again told they dont have to tell me how my card became activated on XX/XX/XXXX. 
Meanwhile, my phone records and my application access history will show it was not activated using these methods. 

In between all of this, I made attempts to reach out to the assigned Truist Client advocate XXXX XXXX, who initially reached out to me by email. She never responded to any of my emails but submitted generic messages to the Better Business Bureau that We reached out to the client and are working to resolve. She was not working with me. The only time I spoke to this lady was on XX/XX/XXXX, when she called me, after I kept responding to the false acknowledgements designed to satisfy the XXXX  Good Faith Effort to Resolve. 

In this call, she again claimed two investigations were conducted. She refused to provide details and basically reiterated what XXXX said previously. However, she implied there was a phone call with me that cinched their investigation but would not elaborate when I pressed her. This call could not have involved me. My tone wasnt always nice, but I did nothing criminal or dishonest. Truist is either accusing me of attempting to defraud them or hoping I would go away and eat the cost of their negligence. I would be more than happy to be provided with a recording of that conversation and welcome them to pass it along to the law enforcement agencies conducting the criminal investigation into this matter as well. 

To add insult, Truist sent me an email on XX/XX/XXXX that my replacement card was on the way. Multiple times since XX/XX/XXXX, I was adamant that I did not want a replacement card. I have since received this unrequested card. By contrast, I did not receive an email notification that my replacement card ( later used at XXXX XXXX ) was on the way. What is clear to me is that something prompted Truist to change it activation procedure since XX/XX/XXXX. The Truist XXXX now prominently features a menu reminding customers that they shouldve received new cards by now and its time to activate. In XXXX this menu was not there, and my card was activated and used with no action from me. 

Rather than admit to a flaw in their process, Truist has chosen to victimize a victim of fraud. I would like the respective agencies to investigate this practice. I am also interested to know if it generally accepted banking practice withhold crucial information from customers that was used against them because thats exactly what Truist Bank has done even as my claim of fraud is being validated by multiple law enforcement agencies. At this point there has also been an arrest of a person in XXXX stealing mail under circumstances similar to mine. 

I do not accept Truists conclusion, and I have sent a demand to Truist Error Resolution Department, the address on my statement, to correct this issue and I will patiently wait for the XXXX period for them to appropriately respond by conducting a real investigation that includes the merchant and law enforcement.