Consumer complaint received 2025-12-08 00:00:00
Product: Money transfer, virtual currency, or money service — Domestic (US) money transfer
Issue: Fraud or scam — 
Company: PNC Bank N.A.
State: MO

Complaint narrative:
In XXXX of 2025 I was challenged to a game onXX/XX/XXXXbuy a player named XXXX XXXX Who was claiming to be XXXX XXXX XXXX I accepted the challenge and immediately he started to message me on words with friends. I told him I cant believe Im talking to XXXX XXXX and he said you really are talking to XXXX XXXX. He said he likes playing words with friends because it takes some of the stress off of him after being on a movie set all day. He asked that I download the appXX/XX/XXXX so we could talk privately. I downloaded the app and our chat began. 
We continued to talk and he sent the most beautiful messages to me every morning and every evening and throughout the day and being a recent widow, it felt good to think I was loved again especially by him! 
It wasn't until XX/XX/year> He said he needed XXXX which he wanted me to XXXX to XXXX XXXX, XXXX to purchase equipment to produce a movie. I asked him why he of all people would need to ask for money and he said his management team had all his funds and properties frozen and he was not able to access any of them. So yes I sent the money but Little did I know that I was being fraudulently induced by a romance scammer. 
He continued messaging me sweet words of love and asked for {$1000.00} 5 more times via XXXX to XXXX XXXX XXXX. Which I sent and it was all for equipment to produce his own movie to avoid his management company. 
From XX/XX/year> through XX/XX/year> I had sent him a total of {$6000.00}. All the while he was asking me for my PNC bank info so he could pay me back which I DID NOT give him! Just told him we could settle up later in XXXX when he said he was coming to see me. He made excuses that he wasnt going to be able to come because of being tied up in court because of trying to get his money and properties freed up. 
In the meantime he explained he had an account in XXXX he started when filming there that his management team knew nothing about and he actually gave me his login and password to that account so I could verify what he was telling me was true! It was with XX/XX/XXXX and his account showed to have XX/XX/XXXX} in it. He also told me he wanted to cancel his contract with his management team but in order to do that the reason to cancel had to be getting married or had family issues. He told XXXX XX/XX/XXXX we were married because he needed XXXX XXXX to cancel his contract but couldnt access the funds in the the XXXX account because he lost his XXXX code while on vacation in XXXX, XXXX. Which is needed in order to transfer the money to his account in the XXXX. 
He then told me to contact XXXX XXXX via XX/XX/XXXX who handled all his bank accounts and tell her I was there to obtain my husbands funds and gave me reference code to give her. In the meantime she had me get ahold ofXX/XX/XXXXand find out how much the XXXX code was going to cost to obtain it. It was {$14000.00} based on the amount he was going to transfer into my bank account now jnstead of his XXXX accounts. 
Thats when XXXX told me to XXXX in three separate amounts of {$2000.00}, {$2500.00} and {$1500.00} all on XX/XX/year> totaling {$6000.00} to XXXX XXXX who handled all XXXX transfers for XXXX bank. 
So after a fraud lawyer from PNC Bank contacted me on XX/XX/year> and told me she stopped a domestic wire they were having me also send out was declined because she knew I was being scammed then told me to go to my local PNC bank to inform them of the scam along with all the amounts that were sent to the scammer. 
PNC did return a XXXX ACH wire I was told to sent to fund the Kraken account they had me set up to send XXXX XXXX instead of XXXX dollars to them because they said it was easier to deal with in XXXX in order to purchase the XXXX XXXX. 
It is all the XXXX amounts that was disputed the bank claimed they were unable to give me back XXXX also said my XXXX amounts were slower to be available which was needed to get the XXXX code. 
It is all the XXXX amounts that totals {$12000.00} ( {$6000.00} to XXXX XXXX and {$6000.00} to XXXX XXXX ) that I disputed with PNC that has been denied that I believe I am entitled to. Ive disputed three times thus far and each time Im told XXXX transactions are not refundable!! I get that!! But I was scammed and regardless if they were authorized XXXX transactions or unauthorized XXXX transactions it was still all part of the fraudulent induced scam I had happen to me!

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation