useapen
2024-06-07 09:27:56 UTC
There's comfort in keeping your money in a bank or financial institution.
The thought is, your money's safer there.
Now a growing number of USAA members are having second thoughts; after
losing thousands of dollars to bank fraud.
After our initial Problem Solver Report shedding light on what's become a
nation-wide crime trend, more USAA members have come forward.
Darian Trotter has tonight's Fox Follow-Up.
"USAA is no longer what they use to be," said Rachel Howard.
"I just don't have very much trust in them anymore," said Roberto Rangel.
USAA members are fed up and not mincing words about their disappointment.
"it's just a nightmare that you'd be treated that way and disrespected,"
said Tiffany Tienda.
We're sharing more of our conversations with USAA members who say they not
only lost thousands of dollars to bank fraud, they lost trust in the
financial institution they say blamed them for their loss.
"They didn't even look at it they all said it's my fault," said Mike Hand.
Curtis Murrah asked, "How do you not see fraud?"
Curtis Murrah lives in Georgia, where for the past 28-years he's been
pleased with USAA and had been a staunch supporter of the company that
provides financial services exclusively to military members and their
families.
"I got my homeowners insurance with them, life insurance , car insurance.
Everything with them," Murrah explained.
Admittedly he was a loyal member. Things changed, when out of the blue....
"My wife called me and she said she couldn't pay the mortgage," Murrah
recounted. "It wasn't money in the account."
Curtis zeroed in on his accounts and watched fraudulent activity play out
in real time.
Someone was making deposits in and out of his accounts. Someone who was
apparently able to stay under the radar of bank fraud investigators.
"It was like they was playing mind games," Murrah said. "They would
deposit $9,800 then turn right around and withdraw $9,800. They would
deposit $4,000, turn right around and withdrew it."
Reports of similar experiences are being made by more than a dozen USAA
members, who at wits end reached out to the Problem Solver, after our
initial report on bank fraud.
"It seems everybody is afraid to go against USAA," said Charles Kidwell.
We organized a video call with those willing to share their story on
camera.
Some are among the 2,700 followers of the Facebook page dedicated to USAA
Fraud and Victims; where stories of disappointment are shared among
members.
"It's emotionally and mentally draining and offensive that they're so
dismissive of the whole situation," Tienda said.
"I called USAA and I told them there was fraud on the account," Murrah
said.
Curtis says he was able to convince USAA to launch an investigation; but
he says the outcome threw him for a loop.
"At the end, they said they didn't see any fraud," Murrah said. "The
transactions was taking place in totally different states, they could see
everything. They knew it wasn't me, but for some reason they said it
wasn't fraud."
Between his two accounts, Curtis says he was out of $14,173. 89.
The others....
"$9,100," Rangel said.
Tienda said, "It was about $3,700.
Hand said, "Uh I believe it was $2,700.
Howard said, "$7,000 plus other fees, late fees."
Unexpectedly, some members we talked to say USAA asked them to fork over
cash to cover negative balances on their accounts, after their money was
stolen.
"Come on now," said Cruzita Barron. "Like how does that make sense. "This
is stupid honestly, I'm sorry."
Kidwell said, "I've paid back, paid back almost $6,000."
Roberto Rangel sold off prized possessions to raise money.
"Because I didn't want it to impact my credit score," Rangel said.
USAA has a well documented history of security breaches; including an
alleged check scheme three years ago that lead to 21 people indicted on
conspiracy to commit bank fraud.
Prosecutors said several of the defendants used their position as call-
center employees handling inbound calls from USAA members to access bank
customer account information, for nearly two years.
An intended $7 million loss to USAA and its customers, according to
prosecutors.
In response, the company said "The small amount of members affected were
notified and provided additional safeguards."
An unrelated data breach was reported by USAA in October of 2022.
The same year the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network slapped USAA with a
combined $140 million penalty for failing to establish and maintain an
effective Bank Secrecy Act Program; which federal investigators say
"resulted in millions of dollars in suspicious transactions flowing
through the U.S. financial system without appropriate reporting."
Months later, in December 2022, two Louisiana women were arrested in
connection with the theft of more than $1 millionfrom USAA customers.
The financial services company "worked with law enforcement back then to
settle" criminal cases.
A quick search, and you'll see there's the long list of complaints with
the Better Business Bureau.
USAA has received and closed 5,856 customer complaints within the past
three years.
"They failed in their responsibility to take care of service members and
their families," Tienda said.
USAA declined our request for a camera interview.
When asked about past problems, a spokesman said bank fraud is an
unfortunate reality for financial institutions around the world.
He went on to say in a statement, "USAA has sophisticated fraud monitoring
detection processes, along with a multitude of security and education
measures in place to protect our members."
When asked about the growing list of members who've recently reached out
to the Problem Solver, USAA says in a statement, "At times, based on the
facts, we conclude we need to stand by our initial findings. If we find a
mistake has been made, we're committed to resolving the issue for our
members." USAA remains committed to fighting fraud and protecting our
members. Fraud cases are unique and can be complex. When assessing a case,
we take all available information into account. If the investigation
uncovers an opportunity for a different outcome, we strive to provide a
quick resolution for the member.
Not good enough for these members.
"They're blaming us for, not our mistakes," Hand said.
Howard said, "For them to fail so badly, there are no words."
Back to Curtis Murrah. He says his loss hit him and his wife hard.
"Oh man, it's got us in a bind," Murrah said.
He says the money he lost was his emergency savings. And as luck would
have it, he needed it after becoming a victim of fraud.
"I had to take out a loan to make ends meet," Murrah said.
In a surprise, and disappointing move, Curtis says USAA closed his
account.
"They just closed it," Murrah said.
Investigative Reporter Darian Trotter asked, "How'd that make you feel
after all of those years of dedication? It hurt me because been telling
people for years, USAA, they was good," Murrah replied.
The Problem Solver was able to get USAA to revisit a total of seven cases.
So far five have been resolved; with each member getting back all the
money they'd lost.
Cruzita Barron was refunded $8,500, Roberto Rangel $9,100, Charles Kidwell
got $5,100, Tiffany Tienda was refunded $3,600, while Mike Hand got
$2,700.
Finally, Murrah got $14,173 dollars and .89 cents.
Here's his reaction when we shared the good news at the end of his
interview.
"Ohh... This is a blessing," Murrah said. God a'mighty! "Y'all don't know
how much you helped me. I really, really appreciate it."
Problem Solved. The Fox SA Problem Solver, Darian Trotter has been able to
help USAA members recover more than $43,000.
You can get in touch with Darian on social media call our tip line at
(210) 476-1099.
Unfortunately, bank fraud is fact of life these days and it's not limited
to any one bank.
USAA went on to say in a statement, We urge members to remain vigilant
and report any unusual activity or issues as quickly as possible.
Remember, we will never call or text you and ask for your one-time
verification code, USAA personal identification number (PIN), password or
any other personal identification details and will NOT ask you to download
software in an email or while you are on the phone with us. If you receive
a suspicious call hang up immediately.
https://foxsanantonio.com/news/local/how-do-you-not-see-fraud-more-usaa-
members-share-their-experiences-with-bank-fraud
The thought is, your money's safer there.
Now a growing number of USAA members are having second thoughts; after
losing thousands of dollars to bank fraud.
After our initial Problem Solver Report shedding light on what's become a
nation-wide crime trend, more USAA members have come forward.
Darian Trotter has tonight's Fox Follow-Up.
"USAA is no longer what they use to be," said Rachel Howard.
"I just don't have very much trust in them anymore," said Roberto Rangel.
USAA members are fed up and not mincing words about their disappointment.
"it's just a nightmare that you'd be treated that way and disrespected,"
said Tiffany Tienda.
We're sharing more of our conversations with USAA members who say they not
only lost thousands of dollars to bank fraud, they lost trust in the
financial institution they say blamed them for their loss.
"They didn't even look at it they all said it's my fault," said Mike Hand.
Curtis Murrah asked, "How do you not see fraud?"
Curtis Murrah lives in Georgia, where for the past 28-years he's been
pleased with USAA and had been a staunch supporter of the company that
provides financial services exclusively to military members and their
families.
"I got my homeowners insurance with them, life insurance , car insurance.
Everything with them," Murrah explained.
Admittedly he was a loyal member. Things changed, when out of the blue....
"My wife called me and she said she couldn't pay the mortgage," Murrah
recounted. "It wasn't money in the account."
Curtis zeroed in on his accounts and watched fraudulent activity play out
in real time.
Someone was making deposits in and out of his accounts. Someone who was
apparently able to stay under the radar of bank fraud investigators.
"It was like they was playing mind games," Murrah said. "They would
deposit $9,800 then turn right around and withdraw $9,800. They would
deposit $4,000, turn right around and withdrew it."
Reports of similar experiences are being made by more than a dozen USAA
members, who at wits end reached out to the Problem Solver, after our
initial report on bank fraud.
"It seems everybody is afraid to go against USAA," said Charles Kidwell.
We organized a video call with those willing to share their story on
camera.
Some are among the 2,700 followers of the Facebook page dedicated to USAA
Fraud and Victims; where stories of disappointment are shared among
members.
"It's emotionally and mentally draining and offensive that they're so
dismissive of the whole situation," Tienda said.
"I called USAA and I told them there was fraud on the account," Murrah
said.
Curtis says he was able to convince USAA to launch an investigation; but
he says the outcome threw him for a loop.
"At the end, they said they didn't see any fraud," Murrah said. "The
transactions was taking place in totally different states, they could see
everything. They knew it wasn't me, but for some reason they said it
wasn't fraud."
Between his two accounts, Curtis says he was out of $14,173. 89.
The others....
"$9,100," Rangel said.
Tienda said, "It was about $3,700.
Hand said, "Uh I believe it was $2,700.
Howard said, "$7,000 plus other fees, late fees."
Unexpectedly, some members we talked to say USAA asked them to fork over
cash to cover negative balances on their accounts, after their money was
stolen.
"Come on now," said Cruzita Barron. "Like how does that make sense. "This
is stupid honestly, I'm sorry."
Kidwell said, "I've paid back, paid back almost $6,000."
Roberto Rangel sold off prized possessions to raise money.
"Because I didn't want it to impact my credit score," Rangel said.
USAA has a well documented history of security breaches; including an
alleged check scheme three years ago that lead to 21 people indicted on
conspiracy to commit bank fraud.
Prosecutors said several of the defendants used their position as call-
center employees handling inbound calls from USAA members to access bank
customer account information, for nearly two years.
An intended $7 million loss to USAA and its customers, according to
prosecutors.
In response, the company said "The small amount of members affected were
notified and provided additional safeguards."
An unrelated data breach was reported by USAA in October of 2022.
The same year the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network slapped USAA with a
combined $140 million penalty for failing to establish and maintain an
effective Bank Secrecy Act Program; which federal investigators say
"resulted in millions of dollars in suspicious transactions flowing
through the U.S. financial system without appropriate reporting."
Months later, in December 2022, two Louisiana women were arrested in
connection with the theft of more than $1 millionfrom USAA customers.
The financial services company "worked with law enforcement back then to
settle" criminal cases.
A quick search, and you'll see there's the long list of complaints with
the Better Business Bureau.
USAA has received and closed 5,856 customer complaints within the past
three years.
"They failed in their responsibility to take care of service members and
their families," Tienda said.
USAA declined our request for a camera interview.
When asked about past problems, a spokesman said bank fraud is an
unfortunate reality for financial institutions around the world.
He went on to say in a statement, "USAA has sophisticated fraud monitoring
detection processes, along with a multitude of security and education
measures in place to protect our members."
When asked about the growing list of members who've recently reached out
to the Problem Solver, USAA says in a statement, "At times, based on the
facts, we conclude we need to stand by our initial findings. If we find a
mistake has been made, we're committed to resolving the issue for our
members." USAA remains committed to fighting fraud and protecting our
members. Fraud cases are unique and can be complex. When assessing a case,
we take all available information into account. If the investigation
uncovers an opportunity for a different outcome, we strive to provide a
quick resolution for the member.
Not good enough for these members.
"They're blaming us for, not our mistakes," Hand said.
Howard said, "For them to fail so badly, there are no words."
Back to Curtis Murrah. He says his loss hit him and his wife hard.
"Oh man, it's got us in a bind," Murrah said.
He says the money he lost was his emergency savings. And as luck would
have it, he needed it after becoming a victim of fraud.
"I had to take out a loan to make ends meet," Murrah said.
In a surprise, and disappointing move, Curtis says USAA closed his
account.
"They just closed it," Murrah said.
Investigative Reporter Darian Trotter asked, "How'd that make you feel
after all of those years of dedication? It hurt me because been telling
people for years, USAA, they was good," Murrah replied.
The Problem Solver was able to get USAA to revisit a total of seven cases.
So far five have been resolved; with each member getting back all the
money they'd lost.
Cruzita Barron was refunded $8,500, Roberto Rangel $9,100, Charles Kidwell
got $5,100, Tiffany Tienda was refunded $3,600, while Mike Hand got
$2,700.
Finally, Murrah got $14,173 dollars and .89 cents.
Here's his reaction when we shared the good news at the end of his
interview.
"Ohh... This is a blessing," Murrah said. God a'mighty! "Y'all don't know
how much you helped me. I really, really appreciate it."
Problem Solved. The Fox SA Problem Solver, Darian Trotter has been able to
help USAA members recover more than $43,000.
You can get in touch with Darian on social media call our tip line at
(210) 476-1099.
Unfortunately, bank fraud is fact of life these days and it's not limited
to any one bank.
USAA went on to say in a statement, We urge members to remain vigilant
and report any unusual activity or issues as quickly as possible.
Remember, we will never call or text you and ask for your one-time
verification code, USAA personal identification number (PIN), password or
any other personal identification details and will NOT ask you to download
software in an email or while you are on the phone with us. If you receive
a suspicious call hang up immediately.
https://foxsanantonio.com/news/local/how-do-you-not-see-fraud-more-usaa-
members-share-their-experiences-with-bank-fraud