Consumer complaint received 2026-04-14 00:00:00
Product: Money transfer, virtual currency, or money service — Mobile or digital wallet
Issue: Unauthorized transactions or other transaction problem — 
Company: Dave Operating, LLC
State: OH

Complaint narrative:
On XX/XX/XXXX, I created a Dave account solely to explore a cash advance loan application. I provided my bank account information exclusively for the purpose of potentially borrowing funds. I never borrowed any money, never used any Dave service, and never explicitly agreed to enroll in any paid membership or authorized any recurring charge against my bank account. The only communication I received from Dave at account creation was a security login notification email dated XX/XX/XXXX. That email contained absolutely no disclosure of any membership enrollment, no mention of a {$3.00} monthly fee, no terms of service acknowledgment, and no notice of any recurring charge. No membership enrollment confirmation was ever sent to me. Despite this complete absence of disclosure and consent, Dave began debiting {$3.00} per month from my personal bank account beginning XX/XX/XXXX the day after account creation and continued every month through XX/XX/XXXX, totaling XXXX unauthorized debits of {$3.00} each for a total of {$27.00}. Most critically, Dave engaged in deliberate obfuscation of these charges. The initial XX/XX/XXXX charge appeared under the recognizable descriptor Dave XXXX. All XXXX subsequent monthly charges from XX/XX/XXXX through XX/XX/XXXX appeared under the obscure alphanumeric descriptor XXXX a description no reasonable consumer would recognize as a recurring Dave membership fee. This deliberate descriptor switch after the first month was a calculated tactic designed to prevent consumers from identifying and disputing these unauthorized charges. I sent a formal pre-suit demand letter on XX/XX/XXXX citing violations of the Electronic Fund Transfer Act ( EFTA ) 15 U.S.C. 1693 et seq., the Restore Online Shoppers Confidence Act ( ROSCA ) 15 U.S.C. 8403, the FTC Act 15 U.S.C. 45, and the Ohio Consumer Sales Practices Act Ohio Rev. Code 1345.01 et seq. I demanded a full refund of all XXXX unauthorized charges totaling {$27.00}, cancellation of the membership, data deletion confirmation, and a written explanation of the enrollment mechanism and descriptor change. Daves supervisor XXXX XXXX responded by issuing a refund to a Dave Checking account not to my personal bank account where the unauthorized charges occurred. He characterized the refund as a one time courtesy rather than acknowledging the charges were unauthorized. My formal demand for {$1500.00} in settlement of all claims was completely ignored. No explanation of the enrollment mechanism was provided. No explanation of the descriptor change was provided. No data deletion confirmation was provided. I am an active pro se federal plaintiff currently litigating Case No. XXXX in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Ohio before XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX I am fully familiar with the complaint and litigation process and filed this CFPB complaint to ensure this matter is properly documented and investigated at the federal regulatory level. The conduct described unauthorized enrollment, absence of disclosure, deliberate transaction descriptor obfuscation, and refusal to properly refund represents a pattern of deceptive practices that likely affects thousands of Dave consumers who never noticed the obscure alphanumeric charge on their bank statements

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation