SAN ANTONIO - Bank fraud is an unfortunate fact of life these days. The increase in scams isn't limited to any one bank or region. It's become a global problem.
by SBG San Antonio Staff ReportsBank fraud is an unfortunate fact of life these days. Here at home, after our report focusing on a victim of bank fraud at USAA aired in February, more members have come forward.
SAN ANTONIO - Bank fraud is an unfortunate fact of life these days. The increase in scams isn't limited to any one bank or region. It's become a global problem. Here at home, after our report focusing on a victim of bank fraud at USAA aired in February, more members have come forward. They're frustrated because they weren't able to get their money back.Gasp... It's, it's tough," said Roberto Rangel. Few things can bring a grown man to tears... for Roberto Rangel, losing thousands dollars from his retirement savings to bank fraud is apparently one of them.This military vet's problems with USAA began back in December when he noticed unauthorized transfers both in and out of his accounts. He says it happened even after he alerted USAA's fraud department about suspicious activity before $9,000 dollars was taken. We asked, "No one else has access to your banking, correct? Correct. Trotter asked, "What was it like for you to see that?" I was totally in awe, like what's going on here.""They took about $10,000 dollars," said Cruzita Barron.We asked, "Do you feel like they let you down? I really do," said Barron. Unlike Roberto, she says she didn't realize money was transferred out of her checking account until one week after her money was gone. She says she wasn't notified by the fraud department.Even though Cruzita says she had nothing to do with the fraudulent transfers, she feels USAA didn't believe her.After months of fighting for a refund, she got nowhere with USAA. Instead she says they asked her to pay back the negative balance of $1,500 after $10,000 was taken from her account.Roberto says the same was true for him. He ended up selling off prized possessions to pay back $2,800.In return, he says all he got from USAA was the runaround.Roberto says he logged roughly 8 hours on the phone with USAA over a 2-month period, trying to clear things up.He'd nearly given up until he called us.After our initial report on bank fraud at USAA...More than a dozen members reached out to us with similar stories. "It's like a nightmare that doesn't end and it effects every avenue of your life," said Rachel Howard. We organized a video call with those willing to go on camera. All of them say they lost money to bank fraud, and all say, they weren't able to get USAA to give them their money back. "They failed in their responsibility to take care of service members and their families," said Tiffany Tienda.It has over 2,500 members posting about their misfortune and disappointment with an institution that exclusively provides financial services to military members and their families yet one they say didn't protect them.After we got involved, Cruzita's case was reopened and re-investigated. The end result, USAA refunded her $8,500 dollars. Problem solved.We reached out to USAA about Roberto's case. A spokesman said the company works around the clock to fight fraud and safeguard the financial wellbeing of its members. In a statement the company says," Each case is evaluated individually, taking available information into account. We always strive to come to the right decision on these assessments, which can be complex."When we met up with Roberto, he was still fighting without success to get a refund for the thousands of dollars it'd taken him years to scrimp and save.The Problem Solver unit was able to help get all of Roberto's $9,100 back. USAA went on to explain, "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." As for the other members who've come to us about their loss due to fraud, USAA has agreed to revisit their cases.USAA has provided the following suggestions for bank customers to work with financial institutions in order to help protect customer accounts.In these scams, fraudsters pose as USAA employees and use what looks like a USAA number to call and text members. They may ask you for your password, PIN, one-time code or other logon information. USAA says they'll never contact you and ask for these details. Nor will the company won’t ask you to download software, delete your USAA app or forward your calls to another number. If you've given any information through this type of call or text, call USAA immediately at 800-531-USAA . While we use sophisticated fraud detection processes, we’re most effective in fighting fraud when we work with you. To help safeguard your account USAA recommends, monitoring your account activity on a regular basis, and take advantage of all the tools available to lower your risks when checking your account online. USAA has adopted proven industry standards like multifactor authentication to help protect you. The company says it offers several ways for you to log on online and verify your identity over the phone. Also, be sure to change your password regularly.
Bank Fraud Roberto Rangel Cruzita Barron Fraud Victims Stolen Funds Refund Financial Protection
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