Consumer complaint received 2024-12-26 00:00:00
Product: Checking or savings account — Checking account
Issue: Problem with a lender or other company charging your account — Transaction was not authorized
Company: ALLY FINANCIAL INC.
State: KS

Complaint narrative:
On XX/XX/year>, I was the victim of an over-the-phone money scam where I was convinced to pre-pay a local Sheriff 's bond at a XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX It was incredibly embarrassing, and despite being deeply familiar with most scams, this one was able to pull the wool over my eyes. Every test, every question, every verification test that I did to check the validity of the call came back plausible, and led me to believe that it was legitimate. The man on the other side of the call had a local accent, knowledge of our local departments and officials, and was even a little charismatic. This is darn-near NEVER the case with what has to be maybe 95 % of scammers. 

Long story short, this man had me scan two bar codes from a text at a XXXX XXXX XXXX on XX/XX/year>, one charge for {$840.00}, and another for {$860.00}. It pulled the amounts out of my account, the man hung up, and I realized that I had been scammed just a moment later. 

I immediately drove to our local XXXX, Kansas Police Department. Filed a police report ( case number XXXX XXXX XXXX ) with XXXX XXXX XXXX ( badge number XXXX ). He informed me that there had been a recent uptick in these scams and that I wasn't the only person that fell for it. Gave me some advice on what to look out for in the future ( nothing that I shouldn't have already known to be honest ). And then I immediately called my bank to see what was possible.

My bank apologized to me that it happened, asked for all of the information that I just provided to you here previously in the last few paragraphs, and told me that they would be sending two mailers for a deeper investigation in about 10 business days. Then two days later, on XX/XX/year>, the full amount of both transactions was refunded to my account.

When I did eventually get the investigation letters in the mail, to the best of my knowledge, I believe that I sent them my police report, and transaction receipts. There wasn't much for " evidence ''. Because it was just a call, some texts, two receipts, and a police report. 

CUT TO A FEW DAYS AGO. XX/XX/year>. I get two large withdrawals from my checking account. Believe it or not, one charge for {$840.00}, and another for {$860.00}. I found out about the charges when I got a push notification informing me that my checking account had been overdrawn.

So naturally, I call up my bank to see if I had been hacked or stolen from or something, and the representative of my bank, Ally, informs me that it was actually ALLY that made those two withdrawals because their investigation was now complete and they had decided to take back the full amounts credited on XX/XX/XXXX. They decided on the conclusion that it wasn't a legitimate charge dispute, because I took part personally in the transaction. Yeah, no duh, I was scammed. I stated that at every step of this process. 

Anyway, these withdrawals were obviously done without any notification to me whatsoever ( I went back and checked my email and Ally app, nothing ). In fact, the person on the phone said that I should have received notification digitally AND in the mail, because the decision was made on XX/XX/year>. 

I was never notified. I was told over the phone that I was able to request my investigation report to see how they came to that finding. I officially requested that report but have yet to have any further communication in regards to that report. I engaged another Ally representative over Ally 's chat service today, XX/XX/year>, who encouraged me to dispute the transactions AGAIN and to do it over the phone... why he wouldn't do that for me, I have no idea. 

I just want my money back. I was scammed out of {$1600.00} in XXXX, and now, two days before XXXX I feel like I'm being scammed all over again. I've already had two bills bounce because my account was overdrafted by Ally.

Look, times are tougher now than ever before. I'm not an enormous national bank. I'm just a single-income dad of XXXX kids at XXXX time. I can't afford to lose {$1600.00}. 

Please help me.

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