On 6/7/2024 2:27 AM, useapen wrote:
> 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

This is what happens when retired lifers are in charge of an
organization. Nothing but crime and corruption.