Consumer complaint received 2024-07-22 00:00:00
Product: Checking or savings account — Checking account
Issue: Managing an account — Deposits and withdrawals
Company: Branch Messenger, Inc.
State: SC

Complaint narrative:
I am a driver for XXXX which is the delivery service for XXXX. We use an app to receive offers and this is where the scam started. The pay period is MoXXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX the pay from the previous week is deposited into XXXX bank which is an online banking app. 
XX/XX/XXXX, I received a shopping order for a kiwi and a banana. Upon completing the shopping I put in the address to go to deliver these 2 items and realized that this was a non existent address, I immediately sent a chat to spark support and started a chat, while I was starting that chat, a call came into my wifes phone ( XXXX ) from XXXX, I did not answer the call, but listened to the voicemail and the person on the line stated that they were from XXXX and needed to speak to me regarding the order that I had just shopped. ( note : when I do a shop order the customer is given a telephone number to be able to get in touch with us, it shouldnt be our real number but should be filtered through another number so the customer does not have my actual telephone number ). 
I returned this call to XXXX and that is where the scam started. The person on the phone said I am calling from XXXX to let you know the customer called in about the order you just shopped and they gave the wrong address, this was their work address and need to cancel the order. OK that is fine I was more than happy to do that, but they started wanting to confirm some of my information. They actually knew that we had XXXX phones registered to my spark account ( which is not allowed, which I learned ) he knew my last XXXX of my social and everything. My wife actually said to me this makes me nervous doing this but I thought it should be fine. 
After the phone call on XX/XX/XXXX, my XXXX went in and changed the password on the account and transferred the money in the account to an external bank account. 
Fast forward to XXXX  XX/XX/XXXX, we knew our pay of {$240.00} should have been deposited into the account, my wife checked the account but was unable to access the account, the XXXX app was down all day that XXXX so we assumed that app was down also. On Wednesday, my XXXX  called the XXXX number to check the balance on the card and it said there was no money in the account. My XXXX tried to go into the account and it said the phone number was incorrect and I was locked out of the account. 
We spent a good bit of time on the phone with Branch that morning and eventually was able to get into the app and found out the telephone number had been changed and the money transferred out. 
At that point I opened a dispute with Branch trying to get my money back. 
I still had access to the account and XXXX or 4 times that week my password was changed. 
Fast forward XX/XX/year> someone sent an email to Branch support requesting the phone number be changed to XXXX. I sent an email to Branch support and told them this person was a scammer and the number did not need to be changed. 
On the morning of XX/XX/XXXX, I received a text that the telephone number had been changed on the branch account again, I immediately started calling Branch, I spoke with one man who didnt understand that they didnt use the debit card and they got in under my app on my phone, I asked for a supervisor who was no help and finally, I hung up the phone. 
I then called back and spoke with a gentlemen named XXXX who got me back into the account, I begged him to put a block on the account so no one could come in and change it back and take the money, he assured me that, it was impossible for that to happen. 
At XXXX pm on XX/XX/XXXX, I went online to check the account and see if the deposit and went in and found out that at XXXX pm the money came in and at XXXX pm the money went out to an external debit card. 
I called and was on the phone for 45 minutes with a Branch employee who escalated my dispute and assured me she was sending everything to Branch fraud team, which I later Found out she did not I can not get into the account at this point, it says illegal activity. 
Branch denied my dispute.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation