My daughter and I have had accounts at Fifth Third for 2 years now with no previous problems. I also have my mortgage with them as well. Since my daughter was a minor when the account was opened I am on her accounts too. A week ago we got an email that there was suspicious activity on her account and her accounts were frozen. Within 45 minutes of the email I called the bank and so did she. She also went to the bank to report the fraud. My daughter has never had much in her accounts, maybe a couple hundred dollars. She's in high school and doesn't work. The biggest deposit ever was maybe $1,000 one time.
When we got the email she went to pull her debit card, which she had not used for a week (she only used the card a couple times a month), and realized she didn't have it. Apparently someone deposited a fake check into her account for over $3,900, then the next morning at 7 they started taking out cash. They took out $800 from the same ATM then went to a grocery store across the street and made a $1,000 purchase, I think a money order. My daughter has followed up with the bank and so have I several times since, and it's not pretty at all.
I called the bank this week to get a follow-up and was transferred several times, finally to someone in the fraud department that told me that my daughter fits the profile as someone that would sell her banking information for $, and that the bank is in the process of terminating the relationship, and that it is their intent to report her and me to a database as high risk, and that she won't be able to have a checking account for 7 years. They told me that I should sit down and talk to her about life choices and that it's wrong to accept deals to do this on social media. I was dumbfounded and in shock at this point.
I do believe that someone that knew her well took her card and the same time this happened she was hacked online with other accounts. She is what we call a victim… But not to Fifth Third! First of all, why would you allow a $3,900 check to be deposited online then allow funds to be taken out of the account the next morning when the check hasn't cleared in an account that has never had that much $ in it? I'm still baffled that they were able to take $1,800 out in 3 transactions as well since the average activity was maybe $40 a month. She filed a police report – maybe that will help. I guess fraud protection means nothing to this bank. Oh and during all of this they sent her a new debit card!!! Beyond frustrating…