Consumer complaint received 2025-03-17 00:00:00
Product: Checking or savings account — Checking account
Issue: Managing an account — Problem using a debit or ATM card
Company: TRUIST FINANCIAL CORPORATION
State: TX

Complaint narrative:
I am filing this complaint against Truist Bank regarding their denial of my dispute for fraudulent transactions on my account. Despite providing evidence that I did not authorize these charges, the bank has refused to acknowledge them as fraudulent. 

Summary of the Issue : On Thursday, XX/XX/XXXX, I requested a new debit card from Truist Bank because my previous one had expired. 
The bank issued and mailed me a new debit card, but I never received it. The card was stolen from the mail, activated without my authorization, and used for in-person transactions without my consent. 
o I want to emphazise on the fact that I never received the card and I never authorized any of the transactions or the activation of the card. According to Truist bank, there are 4 ways to activate the new debit card : Online : I did not activate my card online.

Phone : I did not activate my card a phone call.

ATM : I did not activate my card at a Truist ATM. 
In-Person : I did not activate my card in-person at a Truist branch.

On Wednesday, XX/XX/2024, I identified unauthorized transactions made in person using the stolen card through a fraud alert from Truist bank stating fraudulent activity on my debit card.

There is a sequence of irregularites : a. The first, I want to emphasize on the fact that I never received the card. The card, while in the delivery process by the Postal Service, was stolen by someone and managed to be activated. We do not know how they did it, as the banks designated activation steps were breached. I did not activate my card through any of these methods : online, Customer Service, ATM or in person, since I never had it on my possession, and did call the bank to report it. That can be easily revised under your security features. 
b. A second irregularity happened when, within hours, on the fact that I received a Suspicious Activity Alert from your debit card for {$800.00}, with transaction ID : XXXXXXXX XXXX, sent on Wednesday, XX/XX/2024 which I responded that I did not recognize or authorize the charge, using the same debit card. The notification confirmed that it was indeed a fraudulent transaction. 
XXXX A third irregularity was on the day of the fraudulent transactions, there was a Truist ATM Mixed Deposit with transaction ID : TRUIST ATM MIXED DEPOSIT XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX for {$4500.00}. Truist Bank did not recognize this transaction as mine ; this should be a great indicator that the other debit card transactions were fraudulent. In this transaction Truist Bank should be able to check the ATM camera to verify that the transaction was not authorized or performed by me. Truist Bank has not provided to me the check that was deposited, I would like to have a receipt of this transaction. This Mixed Deposit is crucial to understand this fraudulent incident that took place with my account. 
d. Another irregularity was that, in the same period, 18 transactions were carried out - all fraudulent - for a total amount of {$2500.00}, all of them in XXXX Texas area. No alerts were received for any of these transactions. That being said, if we look at the disputed transactions there is XXXX at the Truist ATM with ID : TRUIST ATM CASH WITHDRAWAL XXXXXXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX BRANCH for {$40.00}. In this transaction the bank should be able to check the ATM camera to verify that the transaction was not authorized or performed by me. 
It is important to emphasize, at the time of these events I was in XXXX, Illinois. I have my bank statements from my XXXX XXXX XXXX, flight tickets and other receipts to proof that I was not in Texas when the fraudulent transactions were taken place. 
I promptly reported these transactions to the bank and filed a dispute under Regulation E ( Electronic Fund Transfer Act ), which protects consumers against unauthorized transactions. 
On Tuesday, XX/XX/XXXX, I requested a new card since the previous one was stolen and used for fraudulent transactions. 
A police report with the XXXX Police Department was filled since I was in XXXX in the day of the incident. The XXXX Police Report has the following Report XXXX : XXXX. 
A police report with the XXXX Police Department was filled since some of the fraudulent transactions were taken place in XXXX, Texas. The XXXX Police Report has the following XXXX XXXX XXXX : XXXX. 
A police report with the XXXX XXXX Police Department was filled since some of the fraudulent transactions were taken place in XXXX XXXX, Texas. The XXXX XXXX  Police Report has the following Official Case Number : XXXX. 
A Federal Trade Commission Identity Theft Report was filled since I was a victim of identity theft. The FTC Identity Theft Report has the following FTC Report Number : XXXX. 
I do not have a USPS Theft Report since Truist bank never gave me the USPS Tracking number to track the package with the debit card. Therefore, Truist bank does not have any way to assure that the card was ever received.

Despite clear evidence that my card was stolen, activated fraudulently, and used without my permission, Truist Bank denied my dispute, holding me financially responsible.

I have provided any supporting documentation that can proof what I am stating, including : debit card request, debit card activation alert, suspicious activity alert ( fraud alert ), Truist Bank statements, non-presence printed receipts and airline tickets, XXXX XXXX statements, three police reports, identity theft report, emails with Truist Bankers.

The most alarming aspect of all this problem is that the bank security features were compromised from the moment : The card was activated by a stranger or thief.

Suspicious Activity FRAUD ALERT for {$800.00} was received To the moment the {$4500.00} mixed deposit made in the TRUIST ATM XXXX XXXX Branch To all 18 Fraudulent Transactions permitted.

Truist Bank Investigation Department, can and its their duty to protect my money and savings as the fundamental purpose of a bank. Instead, I was called a liar, a thief and that I was benefited from the fraudulent transactions.

Truist Bank Fraud Department did not perform the adequate investigation to proof that I did not authorize or perform these fraudulent transactions, without providing a detailed explanation of why my dispute was denied, including the evidence used in making this determination. 
Approximately six months have passed, and I am still without a positive resolution for the theft and identity theft occurred.

Since I am convinced that I am being victim of an injustice. I can not just sit idly by.

Company public response: Company has responded to the consumer and the CFPB and chooses not to provide a public response
Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation