Our News 5 Investigation into Huntington Bank customers dealing with money stolen from their accounts have caught the attention of federal authorities.
This is the fourth story we’re doing with Huntington customers who say their accounts were hit with fraud.
“Very frustrating and very hard emotionally,” said Patty Bacisin of Port Clinton.
She told us since fraudsters took so much money out of her Huntington account, her prized possession is in jeopardy.
“I’m late on my car payment. They might take my car,” she said.
Watch previous coverage: Yet even more fraud problems with Huntington Bank accounts
Lisa Lin, from Stow, told us fraud sent her account into the negative, and then the Huntington Hank fees started piling up.
“And they used my pension deposit yesterday to cover the overdraft,” said Lin.
CUSTOMERS SAY HUNTINGTON BLAMED THEM
Some customers said when they asked Huntington for help, the bank blamed them saying they authorized the withdrawals.
Doug Robison, from Castalia, told us he was at a doctor’s appointment in Cleveland at roughly the same time the bank claimed he was in New Jersey taking out money.
“I’m fast, but I’m not that fast,” said Robison.
Late Tuesday afternoon, Robison’s wife told us Huntington just added the $800 back into the account. She thanked News 5 for the coverage.
Don Graber, of Akron, had lost tens-of-thousands of dollars but said after News 5 got involved, Huntington now says he'll get his money back. He still questioned Huntington’s verification policies.
Watch previous coverage: More Huntington Bank customers with fraud problems tied to their accounts
“So, somebody can take $40,000 from me, but if I go to my local bank to cash a check for 100 bucks, they say do you have an ID?” he wondered out loud.
Diana Hannan, of Massillon, said the crooks in her case were very convincing when they stole more than $6,000 from her.
“They said they were from the FDIC, and they’re working with the Department of Justice, the DOJ, and they were going to get these criminals,” said Hannan.
FEDERAL AGENCY NOW INVESTIGATING
Since our previous Huntington bank fraud stories aired, a real, verified federal agency contacted me and is now looking into the missing money cases.
“This is clearly bank robbery,” said Sharon Budin of Euclid. “It’s modern, high-tech bank robbery, but it’s bank robbery.”
At the state level, of the fraud complaints against Huntington Bank filed in the last year-and-a-half at the Ohio Attorney General’s Office, they included one person wrote that Huntington: “…believed [she] authorized the [$10,000] transaction” that took place “at a location which [she doesn’t know].” Another stated “Huntington’s staff actively failed their operational duty to help mitigate [her] losses….” And another claimed Huntington “[failed] to reasonably investigate a documented impersonation scam….”
Watch previous coverage: $12K gone! Woman caught in middle of financial nightmare; she's not alone
IMPACT OF THE FRAUD, TREATMENT
Meanwhile, the customers in our studio said the toll their cases have taken on them is immense.
“I have a bone marrow disease that’s incurable but treatable. My numbers are down. My health is down,” said Bacisin.
“And things are late and people are calling me,” said Lin. “I have an 839 credit score, and I have people calling me.”
We, of course, asked Huntington Bank again for a sit-down conversation, but, so far, no interview.
CUSTOMERS HAVE A MESSAGE FOR HUNTINGTON
The customers we did interview want answers, and they had a message for Huntington Bank.
“I really think it’s sad that their customer service is like this and they need a complete rehaul,” said Hannan.
“I want Huntington to fix the problems so that this doesn’t happen to other people who maybe can afford it even less,” said Budin.
“Thank you for messing up my life," said Bacisin. "Thank you.”
