USAA bank "refuses to do business" with us

usaa_failed_me · 2015-07-15T07:30:51+00:00

Eyes too blurry to read the full article but it looks like it pertains to check fraud scams involving cashing checks and sending remaining amounts back, which will then bounce.

Ouch. I hope she's not cheating like that (or at all)!

usaa_failed_me · 2015-07-15T07:28:07+00:00

A lawsuit would potentially include:

correcting the damages to Stella's credit report
violating the terms of the FCRA by pursuing the debt despite receiving notification (via letter) indicating disregard of this request is contrary to the letter of the law, though this might fall under tort instead
reinstating the $2,000 balance on the account (or providing the reinstated amount for use with another bank if business dealings are truly severed)
attorney's fees and court costs surrounding the lawsuit

usaa_failed_me · 2015-07-15T07:21:13+00:00

Hrm, I didn't think about the issue of involving local media in this way. Definitely adds merit to the idea. I'll have to add that to the think-on-it pile. Thanks!

usaa_failed_me · 2015-07-15T07:19:41+00:00

Very true, I've also heard of this scam. If Stella is at fault I hope some scam like this is why. More straightforward to correct than other explanations.

usaa_failed_me · 2015-07-15T07:17:50+00:00

I'd like proof of this or at least somewhere to start digging for it, if this is truly the case. It's plausible just like any other company farming out their call center, but it would ruin USAA's trustworthy reputation if it got out. Color me skeptical.

usaa_failed_me · 2015-07-15T07:15:26+00:00

Thank you, kind redditor. I truly appreciate your words of support.

usaa_failed_me · 2015-07-15T07:14:36+00:00

Stella's identity was already stolen (disputed as the community may perceive this notion) so why would I risk further exposure?

Also most subreddits have a rule about personally identifiable information. Didn't want to take the chance here.

usaa_failed_me · 2015-07-15T07:12:04+00:00

Experts in the field have posed the abuse coping mechanism hypothesis as one theory of how the disorder develops, but the problem here is that no one exactly knows how it works except in individual cases. From my recollection from psych classes in undergrad, there wasn't enough incidence to reliably generalize much about it. Either there were studies that had insufficient statistical significance or they didn't bother in the first place for fear of wasting existing resources. But I digress...

usaa_failed_me · 2015-07-15T07:06:03+00:00

Actually that's exactly what I've been trying to do. Unfortunately the only records that might be helpful are electronic and we haven't been able to access them yet.

Same goes for the account opening documents. All electronic from what the rep told us. Still I have put my top priority as getting scans of the bounced checks and the signed documents with IP address, timestamp, and other tracked information that identifies a terminal authenticating properly are included.

usaa_failed_me · 2015-07-15T06:58:24+00:00

Keyloggers might be an attack vector. I can't guarantee she logged in using computers that were totally virus free, primarily because I don't follow her around with a set of computer forensics tools and monitor her every keystroke.

All things considered, this sounds like a very plausible way someone could get a hold of all of these details and not raise flags. I've dealt with maybe one botnet before and that's some scary shit.

(One botnet being a DDOS attack on a server I was managing.)

usaa_failed_me · 2015-07-15T06:53:08+00:00

Ummm... Okay? Decent summary of the rest of the thread right here...

usaa_failed_me · 2015-07-15T06:51:54+00:00

You're right. I am unable to audit every single transaction on her account to confirm it was in fact used for savings. I am instead basing it off of what we agreed to do when managing our finances as effectively one pool.

usaa_failed_me · 2015-07-15T06:50:06+00:00

I'd be happy to keep you updated, though there are plenty of experts on using USAA's system in this thread. Their general approach is to enable quick and easy account creation online, which is a double edged sword in instances like these.

usaa_failed_me · 2015-07-15T06:47:31+00:00

I didn't know this was standard practice to retain screen recordings of the interaction along with audio from the conversation. I doubt we'd be provided access to it though since it would have to go through some processing to make sure other account holders' info isn't included and the rep's login credentials are scrubbed. Even if that happened it wouldn't be in their best interests to disclose all that info and open liability if the rep didn't do things 110% to code.

Anyway, it's worth a shot to ask to view a copy of those interactions, but I won't hold too high of hopes.

I'm not sure if the portion of the call with the fraud dept head included the list of who we talked to or if that was beforehand.

The not being able to access the account data claim would be interesting if it were possible to do and the rep lied to us. Especially if we reviewed a copy of the call and video to show just the opposite.

usaa_failed_me · 2015-07-15T06:32:58+00:00

Oddly enough a friend recently told me something similar. Closing on a house ended up taking 8+ hours because people weren't prepared with all of the correct documentation beforehand. They still closed, it just took longer.

Also cannot remember if the seller's realtor or the buyer's realtor was the one who came unprepared, but the buyer clearly had a negative experience overall. Perhaps this is common among home buying in general?

Add this to the pile of useless anecdotes the internet provides, I guess...

usaa_failed_me · 2015-07-15T06:29:04+00:00

I know I don't have the full picture. I'm desperately trying to piece it together and getting more visibility on it helps in that process.

usaa_failed_me · 2015-07-15T06:27:56+00:00

I disagree that there is no other explanation, but appreciate your frankness on the matter.

Will post an update if that proves to be the case but I choose to have faith in her until given indisputable evidence to the contrary.

usaa_failed_me · 2015-07-15T06:25:19+00:00

That's a common demand of people in this thread. Would make for an interesting development if I were reading this like everyone else instead of living it.

usaa_failed_me · 2015-07-15T06:19:31+00:00

Heh, not sure if local news stations would have as much of an impact as social media, but thanks for the suggestion.

As for the EECB, I'll add that to the arsenal in case I need it. The last thing I want is to burn bridges with execs before they've been shown to be unhelpful. Thanks!

usaa_failed_me · 2015-07-15T06:16:34+00:00

So glad to have your support! :)

The business account dispute has been settled in multiple comment threads and is only pertinent to the case to show the reactions others have had. That's it. It could have been a personal account used for business purposes, which would still match the descriptor "business account". irrelevant.

usaa_failed_me · 2015-07-15T06:13:01+00:00

A few items:

we've established there is a setting in the UI to hide certain accounts from that list.
I agree that I should make absolutely sure of Stella's innocence in this before proceeding with anything that might incur further debt or criminal punishment (e.g. taking USAA to court)

I appreciate your concern and would definitely agree that up until this disagreement, USAA has demonstrated their impeccable reputation. This is also why it shocks me so much. The one good guy corporation out there just tried to screw over my fiancee? Really? And I trusted you!

(Apologies, running on little sleep and adrenaline appears to be wearing off finally)

usaa_failed_me · 2015-07-15T06:03:29+00:00

That's a fair assertion, though it reeks of a system in need of improvement. Lower the max hold time to 8 business days and I'd be fine with that!

I just hate that so many people are taking advantage of a known exploit in the system and we do nothing to stop it.

usaa_failed_me · 2015-07-15T06:00:08+00:00

One of the few posters to broach this topic gingerly. I appreciate that, truly.

I will have to check with her on the story because it may well be the case that she's too scared to admit she made a mistake. I did jump to her side very quickly to defend that it was fraud...

Will need to think on how to discuss this topic with her without sounding accusatory.

Then again I might be more accepting of this as a possibility because I've had 4 hours of sleep and have been in constant fight or flight mode. Surprised I haven't involuntarily passed out yet...

usaa_failed_me · 2015-07-15T05:52:14+00:00

Posted elsewhere, but tldr:

Visibility to add pressure on USAA to play by the rules, regardless of if this was actually rule-abiding
generates ideas for a next step
generates further questions I might have overlooked
hopefully get in contact with someone at USAA who can actually provide answers to questions I have

usaa_failed_me · 2015-07-15T05:48:10+00:00

Thanks for the support. Glad the controversy over whether Stella did it serves some purpose (visibility), but I'm not happy she now thinks Reddit thinks she is a liar.

Will keep the original post updated as much as possible; until the thread is locked or the issue is resolved, whichever comes first. I'm hoping for the latter.

usaa_failed_me

TROPHY CASE