CLEVELAND — The Federal Communications Commission issued a warning just this month about how rampant banking fraud is right now nationwide. In our own backyard, News 5 viewers contacted our investigators saying they have been dealing with missing money that’s not their fault.
Carol Stelnicki just wanted to help her daughter buy a car, but found herself in the middle of finger-pointing and a financial nightmare. “Incredibly frustrated and saddened because this should never have happened,” said Stelnicki.
THE TRANSFER
She said it all started when she tried to transfer money from her Huntington Bank account to her Chase account. She showed us a dropdown menu that she said she clicked like she normally does.
“I chose Chase. I put $12,000 in moving from Huntington to Chase and hit send,” said Stelnicki. “I’ve done it a thousand times.”
She said she wrote a letter to Huntington’s CEO explaining the account Huntington sent her money to “does not exist” and she did not “create or authorize this bogus account.”
Stelnicki said Huntington wrote her saying “the funds were successfully sent” and they “were routed through (financial company) Robinhood …”
“I don’t have an account at Robinhood bank,” said Stelnicki. “I don’t even know who Robinhood is, and I’m like what are you talking about?”
THE OTHER FRAUD
And how about this, just two days before the big money transfer, Stelnicki said she had a problem with a nearly $1,600 charge and filed “a second fraud dispute…”
Stelnicki said Huntington then wrote to her acknowledging it gave “a final credit” on that charge.
“But for some reason, this $12,000 can’t possibly be fraud even though I’m not the one who set up a Robinhood account,” said Stelnicki.
ANOTHER UNHAPPY CUSTOMER
She isn’t the only unhappy Huntington customer recently. “I feel so stressed out because, how did this happen?” asked Glenda Smith, 82, from Streetsboro. She filed a report with police claiming fraud on her bank card. She said the unauthorized charges included Netflix, a bunch from Tik Tok and from PlayStation.
“PlayStation? Are you a big gamer?” we asked Smith.
“I know nothing about PlayStation. For real, I don’t,” said Smith.
After we contacted Huntington about Smith's case, Smith's daughter Sabrina Miller wrote us saying the bank just contacted her, refunded all of the charges except one, and they're waiting to hear back from that one merchant.
According to police, Smith's case is under investigation.
“I was shocked, upset and clearly she was hacked,” said Miller.
Meanwhile, Stelnicki also filed a police report in her case and filed complaints with government agencies, too.
THE SEARCH FOR ANSWERS
We contacted Huntington asking for an interview. It emailed saying it can’t comment on people’s personal accounts, but it takes this “very seriously.”
After our follow-up emails went unanswered, we called Huntington trying to get more information.
“You can’t even tell me you’re investigating the claims that she’s making?” we asked.
The spokesperson reiterated no comment on individual accounts and customers having problems should reach out to their local banks. Which both Stelnicki and Miller said they’ve done.
THE FINGER POINTING
Huntington’s letter also stated Stelnicki should “work directly with Robinhood going forward….”
Robinhood called us saying its investigation is wrapped up and that Stelnicki should go back to Huntington for answers.
“What more are you doing to help find a resolution to this?” we asked the Robinhood representative. “I’m asking have you reached out to the person who took the $12,000 and closed the account?”
In a statement, Robinhood told us in part “all customers (should) double-check account and routing details….” [see full statement below]
Meanwhile, Stelnicki, who told us she’s been working in the banking industry for 30 years, is trying to figure out how all this happened.
“I’ve spent my career auditing banks and financial institutions,” said Stelnicki. “And I’ve never, ever seen anything even close to something like this.”
In a late development, Stelnicki just called us after she said Huntington contacted her. She said the $12,000 has been refunded and put back into her account.
Stelnicki suggested that all banks should have customers verify the routing number where the funds are going before any money is sent.
Robinhood statement:
“As with any case, our team conducts a thorough investigation and, as applicable, cooperates with law enforcement when they pursue an investigation. Upon review, we found this transfer was not initiated by or through Robinhood. The originating bank is best positioned to look into how the transfer was misdirected. Financial scams are on the rise, and we encourage all customers to double-check account and routing details before confirming any transfers.” - Robinhood Spokesperson”
Huntington Bank statement:
“Thanks for reaching out about the customer concerns relating to Carol Stelnicki. I also placed a call to you and left a voicemail. While we cannot discuss the details of individual customer accounts, Huntington takes matters such as these very seriously. If you have any future questions about this situation or any other for Huntington Bank, you can reach out to me directly to assist.”
Additional Huntington Bank statement:
“We have a Privacy and Security Center on our website, featuring content on many different types of fraud and scams, which can be found here:
