Consumer complaint received 2024-03-18 00:00:00
Product: Checking or savings account — Savings account
Issue: Problem with a lender or other company charging your account — Transaction was not authorized
Company: NAVY FEDERAL CREDIT UNION
State: MD

Complaint narrative:
On XX/XX/XXXX, I opened a Navy Federal checking account and saving account for myself. Approximately a year later on XX/XX/XXXX I opened savings accounts for my three children all of which were XXXX at the time. On XX/XX/XXXX I opened a checking account for my XXXX XXXX XXXX daughter and on XX/XX/XXXX I opened a checking account for my XXXX XXXX XXXX daughter. In XXXX my adult son opened a checking account on his own. During my tenure with Navy Federal I have been granted an auto loan and a credit card both of which were closed/paid in full and remained in good standing and a personal loan that I am currently paying which is in good standing. 

On XX/XX/XXXX, while performing the daily task of checking my Navy Federal bank accounts I was shocked to discover that my checking account balance of {$730.00} and my savings account balance of {$5000.00} were both totally depleted, and the savings account for my son had a balance of - {$37000.00}. I immediately contacted Navy Federal thinking it was a glitch or terrible mistake only to begin what was turn out to be weeks of stress, frustration, and confusion. 

XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX Status : Call Disconnected by Rep During my initial call and in a panicked state I tried to explain what was going on to the representative. She told me that there was a check deposited and cashed against my sons checking account that was returned and our accounts are joint, so the funds were taken from my account. I was confused because I know I dont have a joint checking account with my son and never authorized such an account. During this call I alerted my son ( who was home at the time ) of what was going on. During this call of back-and-forth dialogue between myself and the representative with me attempting to explain what I saw in my accounts and her telling me my money would not be returned there was an abrupt ending to the call when the representative disconnected the call while I was still speaking. 

XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX Call Disconnected by Rep After the first failed attempt I immediately called back. Instantly upon the representative answering the call I was asked the reason for my call. When I told the representative I had just spoken with someone and they disconnected the call and I was calling back regarding a fraud incident he immediately said, Youre not getting your money back. I then stated, No, this is about a fraudulent check that was deposited into my sons account and you all took the money from my account. He then said again, Youre not getting your money back. I then said to him that he didnt let me explain and I referred him back to my last call and what I was trying to explain to her before she hung up and he said to me, Yes, I see her notes she said you were talking over her. I then told him that I was trying to explain what was going on and he proceeded to tell me why she hung up on me. This led to dialogue between him and I in which I stated that was rude and shouldnt happen in customer service. This became the topic of the dialogue as he continually gave me reasons of why she was valid in hanging up on me and he then disconnected my call. After these two unsuccessful attempts of speaking to someone to gain clarity in this matter I had to stop work, and my son and I went to the XXXX location to speak with someone in person. 

XX/XX/XXXX Branch Visit : Approximately 2 hours In speaking with the representative at this location we were able to get more information. He gave us some details of the situation including a copy of the check that was submitted, the location the check was deposited ( Navy Federal XXXX XXXX XXXX, a printout of the transactions on my sons account that contained withdrawals, as well as an appeal form for my son to complete and submit. He also suggested we file a police report which we did the same day. He told us the only thing we could do thereafter was call and check the status and when we reach a representative have them to transfer us directly to the Security Department because this is where the case is, and no other department would be able to assist. He stated there was no time frame for the investigation, but it could take 10 days or longer. 

XX/XX/XXXX Branch Visit : Approximately 1 hour On the morning of XX/XX/XXXX I went back to the XXXX branch to submit the appeal form and provide a copy of the police report so it could be sent to the Security Department at Navy Federal. The representative faxed the information during my visit, but when I called customer service later that day to check if it was received, I was told the branch had no record of the fax or my visit to the branch. After some time on the call the representative I was speaking with was able to locate someone that stated they did have the information and it would be sent to security. 

XX/XX/XXXXXXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX Hold/Call Time : 2 hours 03 minutes Status : Call Disconnected by Rep My next interaction was on XX/XX/XXXX when I called to check the status. After reaching a representative and explaining the reason for my call we spoke very briefly before I was told she couldnt speak to me any further without my son on the line because the incident happened on his account. I then asked her the question of why she couldnt speak to me any further because its his checking account that the incident occurred, but Navy Federal took the funds from my accounts. I then asked her why are we separate when speaking about the incident, but considered joint when the funds were confiscated even though Im not a joint holder on his checking account. I wanted to know this information because I am a joint holder on my XXXX daughters checking and savings accounts. She didnt answer me only saying repeatedly she couldnt speak to me any further and I need to have my son call directly. My son was home at the time and when I called his name for him to come and speak to the representative she disconnected the call. 

XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX Hold/Call Time : 28 minutes Status : Rep threatened to disconnect and subsequently requested to speak with a supervisor My next interaction was on XX/XX/XXXX when I called to check the status. When the representative answered I explained I was calling about a fraud case and needed to speak with the Security Department. She proceeds to tell me several times without explanation that I cant speak to that department and to tell her what my issue is. I was confused as to why I couldnt be transferred, but proceeded to give her a summary of the issue. I told her that my son and I had called several times before and only spoke with the Security Department and was advised to only speak to that department because no one else would be able to assist us. This dialogue went on for a few minutes as she repeatedly stated, Im advising you you cant speak to that department. She then tells me that I need my son on the line. I get my son on the phone and he confirms his identity. He informs her that I will be on the call as well and tells her that everything I stated was correct and he would be repeating the same information that I had already stated. As hes explaining the situation the representative responds again stating she cant transfer him to the Security Department. Again, with no explanation. I interjected to again ask why and the representative then threatened to disconnect the call. I then requested we be transferred to a supervisor. She obliged and a supervisor eventually got on the line. Once the supervisor was on the line he was pleasant and professional and explained that we couldnt be transferred to the Security Department because the case was being reviewed, there were no updates, and there was nothing we could do unless Navy Federal contacted us. He said to give it a few more days. In speaking with him I thanked him for providing the information that we had been trying to get from the previous representative. 

XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX Hold/Call Time : 1 hour 26 minutes Status : Call Disconnected by Rep The next interaction with Navy Federal was on XX/XX/XXXX. I called the bank after noticing over the weekend that the savings account that I opened for my son was no longer visible on the mobile app when I checked my accounts. The representative then proceeds to tell me its because this account has been closed. I then asked her why it was closed and she tells me its because of a fraud case. I then asked the status of the case and she says the claim was denied. I asked her why it was denied and she said the decision was based on their information. I proceeded to ask her questions regarding the investigation such as why werent we contacted for information/financial records, etc. even though we were told several times that someone would contact us? Did they speak with the persons whom the check was issued to? Because I had spoken with the woman on XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXXXXXX to ask her if she knew anything about the check. She stated she did, said the situation was a nightmare, and told me that Navy Federal could contact her. ( I informed Navy Federal of this conversation during one of the calls. ) Did they pull the video from the bank where the check was deposited? Did they pull video of the ATM withdrawals? All my questions were answered with the same response of, I dont have that information. The representative just repeated to me the claim was denied and theres nothing else she could do. I then asked her if there is someone I could speak with. Her response was no. I asked her if I could speak with a supervisor. Her response was no theres no supervisor for the Security Department. I asked her if I could speak to someone over her. Her response was no. I then stated, So theres no one other than you that I can speak with? Her response was no. I was then told that she could no longer help me and was disconnecting the call. While I was still speaking the representative then disconnected the call. 

XX/XX/XXXX Branch Visit : Approximately 2 hours After the call was disconnected by the representative and I still had several questions and no answers of what to do next, my son and I went immediately again to the XXXX branch location. There we spoke with the Assistant Manager who relayed the notes that were left by the Security Department. As we asked her the same questions as the previous representative, she couldnt provide any details just that the Security Department based their decision on the information they had. We then asked again about the video footage, financial records, phone records etc. that were used and she stated that she didnt know if the Security Department used any of this information in their decision and if we wanted any of the electronical evidence for our records we would have to contact Navy Federals Digital Department . ( We contacted the Navy Federal Digital Department immediately after leaving the branch and was told they dont have that information. We would have to go through the police and have those records subpoenaed. ) We asked her why neither of us were contacted even after I submitted a separate inbox message via the mobile app on XX/XX/XXXX requesting Navy Federal to please contact me if they cant reach my son. I was told they would not contact me for any reason only my son and the only way they would contact me is if I sent them a message directly requesting for them to do so. I asked her why I wasnt contacted when they closed the savings account. She stated Navy Federal doesnt have to say why an account is closed. We asked the Assistant Manager if there was anything else we could do and she stated there isnt anything else other than my son filing another appeal. When I asked for a copy of the appeal that my son submitted on XX/XX/XXXX, the Assistant Manager said the banks dont keep that information on file and they shred it after its sent to security. ( We were told previously by the Security Department to contact the bank where the appeal was submitted for a copy. ) I then proceeded to tell her about all the unprofessional calls and being hesitant of filing another appeal in which she stated, Its our policy for customer service to disconnect a call if they see fit. 

My checking account was used for direct deposit of my pay checks and bill payment and there was a sole purpose for the funds in my savings account. In XXXX, I received a check from the US Treasury Department for a Student Loan Refund. After using a portion of those funds to get caught up on my bills, I put the remaining {$5000.00} aside in my savings account for use for my XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX. These funds remained untouched for months until they were confiscated by Navy Federal. 

This situation that took place on XX/XX/XXXX, has caused me stress, frustration, and sleepless nights trying to figure out what happened, what to do, and worrying about how I would pay my pending bills after my checking account was reduced to {$0.00} and how I will pay other expenses with my saving account reduced to {$0.00} all without notification. 

Through the repeated phone calls speaking with numerous customer service representatives and supervisors, in-person visits to the branch speaking to customer service representatives and an assistant supervisor, I still have yet to receive ONE form of communication from Navy Federal . No communication regarding the incident, the withdrawal of my funds, the current status of my accounts, etc. has been conveyed. I have not been contacted at all! I havent received any communication via email, phone, mail, nor text regarding this matter. I was only provided information after I discovered action on my accounts on XX/XX/XXXX. I have only been told repeatedly that my funds were confiscated because the accounts of my son and I are joint. I was never informed by Navy Federal that I am joined to any additional account that is/was opened by another adult. Navy Federals policy is to consider the accounts of my son and I joint yet they never sent me any correspondence when the incident ( s ) occurred. Ive only been told repeatedly that Navy Federal can not speak to me directly about this situation and will only correspond with my son because the check was presented against his account even though they took the funds from my account. 

My almost 11 year tenue with Navy Federal has been a very favorable one until this experience. My seeking guidance and clarity has proved very unpleasant. Although there has been a small number of representatives that were professional and helpful during this time, the majority that has not has greatly effected how I view Navy Federal. The continuous hang ups, misinformation, lack of information, and unprofessionalism has left me feeling that in a company that has more than XXXX XXXX customers and approximately XXXX XXXX in assets my business is not valued. Navy Federal has taken a loss with the criminal actions of the person or persons involved, but I have taken a greater loss being victimized by those persons as well as being punished by Navy Federal whom I have entrusted for years. 

My son is currently working on submitting a second appeal and we are awaiting follow up from the police report that was filed. We were told from the police department that they have no information at this time and Navy Federal has stated there is nothing else they can do.

Company public response: Company believes it acted appropriately as authorized by contract or law
Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation