Consumer complaint received 2025-07-17 00:00:00
Product: Money transfer, virtual currency, or money service — Virtual currency
Issue: Fraud or scam — 
Company: NAVY FEDERAL CREDIT UNION
State: MD

Complaint narrative:
I was looking for an apartment and found one cross listed on XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX  I contacted the seller, and was informed that I could have the lease and I would pay a deposit of XXXX via XXXX because the owner of the property was unavailable. I was only able to complete XXXX of the XXXX  on XX/XX/year>. I was told prior to completing this, when I called and spoke with a XXXX agent from NFCU that if I had a police report in case this was a scam, they would be able to assist me. I was completely ghosted by the landlord after fulfilling my obligations set forth by the lease we both signed and I found out the landlord was scamming people in conjunction with four other people employed by the property as a rental scam to get people who were looking to secure housing into paying deposit fees for condominiums that were already subleased which resulted in me calling the cops ; the cops informed me this was the fourth time they've come to this property over this situation and were aware of the property owner who spent the entire afternoon harassing me. They provided me with a police report number ( XXXX ). 

I found out about the scam because I knocked on the door of the apartment I was supposed to be renting and there was a legitimate family, all of their belongings, and their friends there. When I spoke with them they informed me that not only was the listing I had stolen, but the property hadn't looked like that since before they took ownership of the apartment they're subleasing. This couple informed me that I was the fourth person that came to their apartment for this issue and told me their landlord 's name and showed their paperwork and that's when I realized none of the information from the person I was speaking to was real and instead they faked a lot of the same information this couple had possession of. XXXX was pretending to be the son/assistant of the lady who owned the property, XXXX who XXXX the actual owner of this place. However, after speaking to XXXX XXXX, she's aware her identity has been stolen and filed her own report, also where I sent the XXXX of XXXX was not even to the right recipient, upon checking with NFCU and my own records in the mobile app 's history, there's a XXXX XXXX and a XXXX XXXX who's received my payment at XXXX. However, I do not know this person, never spoke with them, and never had any contact with them. But this person was able to receive a XXXX from my account without him being the same recipient I sent it to earlier that day, which indicated my XXXX  was compromised. 

The police told me that I needed to contact my bank and XXXX and ask them to refund my money since I am currently homeless with no place to go. However, XXXX told me they're unable to assist me and transferred me over to my bank who informed me that they do not have ANY protections for their consumers using XXXX. They also informed me that even though it was proven I was scammed out of my money there's nothing they can and will do and where as they were sorry for the circumstances I am supposed to just figure it out. I've called this bank from XX/XX/XXXX, XXXX XX/XX/year>. I spoke with three managers who made it their mission to argue with me and provide hindsight information, yet no real information on what I am supposed to do. I've attached a copy of the lease I received and compared it to the lease the couple had along with the police and it's the same as their lease, someone actually mimicked this entire apartment listing and is scamming people.

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