Consumer complaint received 2025-04-23 00:00:00
Product: Checking or savings account — Savings account
Issue: Managing an account — Deposits and withdrawals
Company: GOLDMAN SACHS BANK USA
State: SC

Complaint narrative:
XX/XX/year>XXXX  my cell number with XXXX was illegally ported out and my personal information was compromised. I immediately called all my credit card companies and financial institutions and ask them to put a freeze on all my accounts. Despite doing this credit cards were opened and purchases made in my name. I filed a police report. 

My issue now is with Marcus Goldman Sachs. I had a high yield savings account and 6 CD 's with them with a total of over {$280000.00}. I called them on XX/XX/XXXX, to remove the hold and get back into my accounts and they could not verify me so they would not remove the hold and allow me access to my money. They said I had to go through their verification process and complete an AOI ( affidavit of Identity ). They couldn't email or fax me the form and said it would take 8-10 business days for me to get it. It took 2 weeks. I filled out the form, had it notarized and mailed back the next day. It then took two weeks for them to get it. When I called to follow up they said i left something blank but would not tell me what and said they would have to mail me another form. It took two weeks to get the second one. I completed it, had it notarized and called them to see if I could email, text or fax a copy of this one to make sure it met their requirements before mailing and was told no. After speaking with a specialist for a few minutes I ask if he would at least look at the first one and tell me what was wrong with it, He put me on hold, came back a few minutes later and said the first one was fine and that was all they needed and he would remove the hold on my accounts. This was XX/XX/XXXX. He told me that if i had any problems logging in to call them back. I then tried logging in, was unable to so I called them back and another rep helped me reset my password. Once I was able to log in I got a message that I " had no active accounts ''. I was still on the phone with XXXX and asked her what was going on. She put me on hold then came back and said my accounts had been closed on XX/XX/XXXX. I ask why because the CD 's were not up to renew until XXXX, XXXX, XXXX and XXXX. She was unsure so she connected me to someone else who then said that the first rep that day ( I think his name was XXXX XXXX should not have unlocked my accounts for me. She said I had to fill out another affidavit and mail in. When I asked why they closed my accounts she said they had a right to do that. I ask about the CD 's that were closed earlier because they were earning between 4.9-5.25 % interest. I was told that I would not be earning any interest on my HYSA or my CD 's until their " investigation '' was over. I tried explaining that I was the victim of fraud/identity theft that I was NOT the one who committed it and I did not think it fair that I be penalized and lose earned interest because of this. I'm a single XXXX XXXX XXXX female and this is a large part of my retirement. I can not afford to lose any money. She was not helpful at all and just kept saying that I would need to send in a second affidavit. I had it already filled out and notarized so I wen to the post office and mailed it. 

I waited a few days, called them back and they said they had not received the second one. I kept calling every couple of days and was told they had not received and that I would need to send a third one in. Fortunately I kept a blank copy and filled it out, got it notarized, had the notary and the manager at my bank look over it to make sure it was complete, that every i was dotted and every t was crossed. I sent this one back certified mail so that someone would have to sign for it. I felt that way they couldn't deny getting it. Once they admitted to receiving it they then told me that it did not have the notary stamp. I know that it did. I kept a copy but they said the only thing I could do was send in a fourth one. I have ask multiple times of they could send them back to me or make a copy for me the affidavits I sent because I know for a fact that all three were completely filled out with the notary stamp but they refused. They have the absolute worst customer service that I have ever seen.

I have made multiple phone calls ( over 25 ) and spent over 30 hours on the phone talking or on hold with them since this started and have got absolutely no where. All that they tell me is that " my account is under review '' and that I " have to send in another affidavit ''. XX/XX/XXXX I called and the rep was actually sympathetic to my cause saying she did not understand why this was taking so long and that it should have been settled within a couple of weeks. She also agreed that it was unfair that my accounts were closed and that I was no longer earning interest. She told me there was a form that I would need to fill out called a " Written statement of electronic transfer dispute ''. She said that I could print that form off their website, to go ahead and do that and mail it in. She led me to believe that this would help me to get the money they owed me in interest since inactivating my accounts without my permission. XX/XX/XXXX I get an overnight envelope from XXXX  that was mailed XX/XX/XXXX with the Written Statement for Electronic Funds Transfer dispute that was already filled out with a note telling me to sign and mail back in ASAP. 

I filled out a fourth affidavit, got notarized and stamped, made a copy of my drivers license, police report, the Written statement for electronic funds transfer dispute, copies of my XX/XX/XXXX and XX/XX/XXXX statements and sent back to them XXXX overnight express. The reasons that I sent the statements was because on my XX/XX/XXXX statement my total balance was {$280000.00} and on the XX/XX/XXXX statement where they showed closing my accounts on XX/XX/XXXX the total balance was {$280000.00}. That's # XXXX less. HOW? Is it legal for them to this? During one of my numerous phone calls when I ask where my money was I was told that they moved it to their " unclaimed funds '' account. You know they are earning interest. That is a significant amount of money to me and it is now almost 3 months that I have not had access to it. My reason for transferring this money to XXXX was because the interest rate was good and it would be easily accessible, or so I thought it would. I have had several expenses that I have needed some of this money for but because I can't get to it I have had to use my credit cards and pay a high interest rate on the balances. 

Back to the timeline. I called on XX/XX/XXXX because I knew that they had received the overnight packet with the fourth affidavit and everything I listed in the paragraph above on XX/XX/XXXX. The rep I spoke to verified that they had received everything, he called it all out to me ( affidavit, police report, etc ). I asked if it looked complete and he put me on hold reviewed it, came back and said that it did and he could unlock my funds, He then put be on hold to do that, came back a few minutes later saying he was so sorry but was told that he could not. No reason why, he said he didn't understand what the problem was and that everything looked complete to him. We hung up and the more I thought about it the more angry I got. I am literally losing thousands of dollars in interest that I shuld be earning besides that fact that I need some of this money now for unexpected expenses. I keep getting told different things by different reps. It is just excuses and no one will help me nor will they connect me with someone who can. So I called back again and spoke to a rep who said they would ask for this to be expedited and someone would call me back on Monday XX/XX/XXXX. I didn't get a call back on Monday so I called them at XXXX. After being transferred to several different people I finally get someone in records who says that the reasons my affidavits were getting denied is because they could not verify my notary. OK so first of all I know this is not true because the first one I used was a business that does copies, mailing etc, the other three were employees at my bank. The fourth one was the customer service manager at my bank. I know they are legit notaries. Not to mention that XXXX had already told me different reasons like I left something blank, no stamp, etc. Sounds like a bunch of lies to me. At this point I don't know what to do. I truly feel there is no reason for me to send in a fifth affidavit because I'm sure they won't accept it either. I've even asked if there was somewhere that I could drive or fly to take my driver 's license, passport, birth certificate whatever they wanted in person to get this settled but was told no.

As a side note I have started looking at the reviews online and they have a lot of negative reviews from people saying they had simiiar experiences with XXXX  where XXXX locked their accounts, would not give them access to their money and it took months for them to get their money. 

Is there anything that you can do to help me get my money as well as the interest I should have been earning on my HYSA and CD 's? They had no right to close my accounts, I signed a contract with them for the 12 month CD 's and because they decided to close them I should not be penalized.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation