Consumer complaint received 2021-03-26
Product: Checking or savings account — Checking account
Issue: Managing an account — Cashing a check
Company: PNC Bank N.A. (PA)

Incident happened on XX/XX/2021. I saw that my account was negative XXXX dollars. 

I had been contacted about a company offering to pay me for advertising their brand on my truck and I would be paid to advertise the product. I looked into it briefly and saw that company 's do indeed pay clients for advertising. Although I was hesitant at first I actually did receive a check and I was talking this same man everyday about how to do the process it seemed very legit. He had a business card. I thought I struck gold with this deal.. I needed the extra cash because I have 3 small children and work pay check to pay check so I figured fast cash, awesome. I was obviously wrong! I received the check on Saturday XXXX after work at XXXX it looked just like a payroll check from a real bank. The check was for {$2900.00} dollars.I took the check to the ATM because the bank was closed it said the check would need to take 3 days. I knew it needed to be cleared so I thought that was fine and Normal to make sure it was legit.. The check was pending for 3 days and on the 3rd day the check was made available to my account.I still thought wow it was real because my bank had approved the check. The bank never called me to question the check or to say it wasn't cleared knowing I have never used this bank before from this check. My bank PNC usually always calls me when the smallest thing is off so I thought awesome I was in the clear and the company was legit if there was any regarding flags my bank would notify me. 
The deal with the advertising company was that I needed to send this man a professional sticker man who need to put this huge sticker on my truck his fee of XXXX dollars and I would keep XXXX of that check and I would receive XXXX dollars a week for 8 weeks for advertising the sticker but with the first check I needed to pay for the sticker to be put on my truck. After receiving the check on the 3rd day which was a Tuesday XX/XX/2021. I had not touched the money still hesitant so I waited the following day which the bank had still not called me to say anything was wrong or off in the slightest way and so I thought it was a Legitimate business paying me to do advertising. On Wednesday XX/XX/XXXX, evening time after work about XXXX which is now the 4th day I had this check in my account the funds showing made available I never touched this money until the 4th day after hours is when I sent this suppose " sticker man '' the first payment I was told to send to get the process of this sticker going. I sent from my bank account to a XXXX account which I thought was still legit because PNC Bank recommends XXXX on my bank app.. So I felt this had to be very much real to send through my account to a XXXX account. I could only send {$500.00} at a time. I sent XXXX dollars from the check to this XXXX account I have never sent money to before.. My bank never once contacted me to say anything was off or to check if this was me or to say it seemed off. So I thought I'm protected if this was a scam my bank would keep me their client safe and contact me if this was not real. Not the case! The next night after work I still hadn't been notified by my bank about this check. So I sent the last of the payment to the man I thought was the sticker man for my truck. The payments both went through on the XXXX after having the check in my account at XXXX it went through two transactions of {$500.00} dollar transactions. I went to send the last {$100.00} and my bank app account said that my account was in the negative at already sending 2 payments prior to this. I instantly started to panic. I called the banks XXXX number the bank had said everything was fine there was a mistake in my name on the check and that I just needed to wait for the check in the mail and then take it to my bank and they would fix it. Not the case at all. I soon realized after trying to contact the man I had been talking to he would not answer me. So I felt then it was a scam. I never ever thought I could get scammed its 2021 I felt using bank accounts and how banks protect their clients that something like this could not happen to me. I tried to have my bank reverse the payments from the XXXX account back to my account since the was not real and the funds were taken back from the bank. The bank said they could not do that. I was overdraft XXXX dollars. 

My confusion is that when I went to the bank the next day the 6th day the bank manger informed me that this happens all the time to their customer and that sadly we can not get our money back. As you can imagine I was devastated as a single hard working father of 3 small children living pay check to pay check. I just lost my children XXXX dollars of our money. I felt like the worst parent in the world how could I fall for this scam I felt how could my bank let this happen. But again I felt through my bank a huge corporation I was protected from things like this. Why hadn't the bank blocked the payments of the 5th day why did they wait til the sent two XXXX dollar transactions then overdraft me that same day.. I'm so confused. Why would my bank make me wait 3 days for a check to seem like it cleared and then make the funds available for me to think it was a real thing when they have been seeing this scamming happening to theor clients all the time? As my bank how could they not have contacted or reached out to me seeing that I have never gotten a check from this bank before and saying to wait a few more days to make sure the check was fine so I was in the clear. I felt tricked not only by the scammer but also by my bank that I have had for years. Even after the 4th day of having this check then seeing that I was sending a random person money multiple times after receiving a random check I never received a call from anyone from my bank to check to see if this matter was legal and to protect me as their customer from any scammer. How this whole situation was handled by my bank I feel is wrong, yes I made the mistake of trusting someone that lied to me because I was trying to make extra money for my family. But for my big corporate PNC bank to watch the whole process and never once warn me. Is mind blowing to me and I feel is not right. I feel there is wrong doing on my banks part in this matter as well. Any other time when I try to make large charges over XXXX dollars my bank always blocks it so that I have to call in and they ask me if it's me and their just checking making sure everything is okay. Why this time my bank couldn't block that first XXXX dollar through XXXX so that I could call the bank and they could say hey that check is still not all the way cleared to protect your funds you should wait a few more days I would have been so grateful and not out of XXXX dollars right now. As my bank how is it not their duty to better protect their clients from things like this. I thought that after the three day hold on the check that it was cleared and I was free to use it but was I wrong! I feel tricked my bank claims they gave the funds as a courtesy and then after the bank had seen that I had never cashed this type of check before they felt it was a good courtesy to me to give me these funds, how? Then in just a few days later let me send multiple charges to an account I never sent money to before they just let ever transaction go through never once emailing me, alerting me, or blocking the transactions. Knowing that this check hasn't cleared that I should wait afew days to use the funds. I have went to the police and I have filed a claim with the police on the scammed. I hope the person is caught and charged but as for my bank they claim no wrong doing on their part at all for making the funds available for me to think I had that money from a random place. I understand it is my fault but if my bank could have handled and helped me prior to all this lile they should have knowing scammers are out there maybe I could have not been out of so much money right now.. If one person from my bank could have reached out to me and said hey sir something doesn't seem right about this check it hasn't all the way cleared I would have never touched any of that money until I knew the bank had cleared it or even after seeingme send money the 4th day if I could have gotten a call saying to hold off until the checked clears to be safe. I thought it was cleared after the first 3 they held it and the 4 day of me waiting to use it. Still no alert saying it wasn't cleared. 
Please if you can help me get my XXXX dollars back I would appreciate it. I don't see how my money isn't insured with this issue. Why was those funds made available for me to think the check was real? Why when I sent multiple transactions the first time to an account I never used before was I not alerted then about the situation of the check not being cleared. I don't understand why my bank did this to me then turned their backs sayingthey did no wrong there's nohing they can do to help me. I am completely distressed in this matter. I do not have a college education and I am clearly not the smartest person but these people in these banks are educated and isn't it their job to protect their clients and their money? Why do I feel like my bank helped me into getting scammed? One simple courtesy phone call from my bank one email explaining scams happen could have helped me and protected me and I could see and understand the scam I was now in. I learned my lesson and will never trust another person again I never thought a person could be so low into taking a hard working person 's money. Please help me into resolving this issue with my bank they allowed these funds available just to take them back after I sent them to an account that I couldn't resolve this issue with. If they would have just kept that check until it was completely and fully cleared never giving me the funds and when it wasn't cleared I would have known this was a scam. 

My email is XXXX XXXX