Consumer complaint received 2025-04-28 00:00:00
Product: Checking or savings account — Checking account
Issue: Problem with a lender or other company charging your account — Can't stop withdrawals from your account
Company: WEBSTER BANK, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION
State: CT

Complaint narrative:
Written XXXX I am the victim of a scam which began on Monday morning, XX/XX/year>, with a phone call I made to XXXX Customer Service XXXX. I trusted I was speaking with a representative from XXXX. Had no reason to think otherwise. My Iphone wasnt working properly and I wanted to get it fixed. The person who I spoke to referred to herself as XXXX from XXXX. She asked me what she could help me with. I told her I thought perhaps my phone was hacked. She paused a few moments and then said she could see that my phone had been hacked by hackers in XXXX places in the XXXX Delaware, Alabama and California and XXXX Internationally - XXXX, XXXX and XXXX. That scared me. Then she said not to worry she could help me by blocking these hackers. She said XXXX needed to put money upfront for me so she could place the blocks on the hackers. XXXX not sure how it came about but she sent me XXXX text messages indicating that money was sent to my credit card. Copies of these will be attached. Then she inquired about stores in my neighborhood listing XXXX XXXX XXXX, XXXX, XXXX XXXX XXXXXXXX and XXXX. I told her all of them were near by. She instructed me to go to XXXX and when I got to the parking lot let her know. She held on the line and I let her know I was there. She told me to go in and get XXXX gift cards - XXXX {$500.00} XXXX XXXX card and XXXX {$500.00} XXXX XXXX cards and have them rung up separately, so I did. Then she asked me to scratch off the back and tell her the number. Then she had me take a picture of the card number and the receipts and text them to her. If these hackers could be stopped I was willing to do what I was told. All day Monday these types of transactions and procedures took place XXXX XXXX  XXXX, XXXX XXXX XXXX and XXXX I was exhausted, hadnt eaten all day. XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX, I have XXXX and I hate driving in the rain especially at night. I wanted the phone fixed so when she instructed me to go to Target a XXXX XXXX XXXX away, I went, I drove from XXXX, CT to XXXX, CT ( its very dark ) in the dark in the rain. She said the transactions had to be finished on Monday it couldnt wait until Tuesday. 
On Tuesday besides XXXX, I went to XXXX, XXXX, XXXX XXXX  XXXX XXXX XXXX and XXXX. At XXXX she asked me to buy XXXX - {$200.00} cards. My credit limit was only {$1000.00} but the charge was approved. After XXXX I went to XXXX for the last time. I crashed. Told this person I was done, didnt care anymore if my phone was hacked I was finished with her and all this nonsense and it probably is a scam. When I got home I called a different number I found for XXXX, called them and asked for their fraud department.. I was told XXXX doesnt have a fraud department and Id been scammed. XXXX would never ask anyone to buy XXXX gift cards. She suggested to me that I call the police so I did. The policeman came to my house and helped me sort through all the cards and paperwork so I could report this scam on my debit card. I called Webster bank and reported as many transactions as I could come up with. The policeman stayed with me until that was done. It was also suggested that I call the Federal Trade Commission and report this so I did. The lady there checked all the XXXX cards numbers to see if there was any value left on any of them but they had already been redeemed. She wrote up a report and gave me a reference number. She also suggested that I file a claim with the FBI. Since my computer has also been acting up, when I first tried to file a claim the transaction wouldnt go through. I finally got it to go through so thats been filed but I havent gotten an acknowledgment that they received it. I did send an addendum to the FBI to report that XXXX claims I had submitted to Webster Bank as fraud were denied. 
Wednesday morning, XX/XX/year>, I went to Webster Bank to close my accounts and open new ones. My checking account was {$0.00} and my savings account was {$160.00}. So everything was gone. My Savings account had {$8100.00}. and checking {$2700.00} before this scam. 
While I was sitting with the bank representative, XXXX XXXX, my phone rang and it was the scammer XXXX. XXXX told me to answer it so I did and put it on speaker phone. XXXX did her little how are you I interrupted her to tell her once again I was done with her and I wasnt interested in anything she had to say. She said wait, I will close this case and you will get all your money back but first I need you to get XXXX more {$500.00} XXXX gift cards. XXXX took the phone and told her not to call this number anymore. We know you are a scam and she is at the bank. XXXX hung up. So the bank heard the scam. 



Dear XXXX user,, An XXXX XXXX of {$1000.00} has been added to your Credit card ending in XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX  XXXX Please follow our representative for more details. Transaction Id : XXXX Thanks and regards XXXX XXXX. 

Dear XXXX user,, An XXXX XXXX of {$500.00} has been added to your Credit card ending in XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXXXXXX Please follow our representative for more details. Transaction Id : XXXX Thanks and regards XXXX XXXX. 

Dear XXXX user,, An XXXX XXXX of {$1500.00} has been added to your Credit card ending in XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXXXXXX Please follow our representative for more details. Transaction Id : XXXX Thanks and regards XXXX XXXX.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation