PARMA, Ohio — The News 5 Investigation into stolen money taken from Huntington Bank accounts is getting a lot of attention. Many viewers and readers continue to reach out with their own stories of fraud and lost money. We have important information on preventing fraud and what to do if you’re a victim.
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“It makes you wonder what’s going on over there,” said Eric Pangrace, 38, from Parma.
He can’t figure out why he’s had so many issues with Huntington Bank after a fraudulent charge of more than $800 hit his wife’s debit card in early August.
“I know for a fact we didn’t purchase anything from Best Buy, haven’t been to a Best Buy in many years,” said Pangrace. “We don’t have a brand new $800 TV in our living room.”
BANK CUSTOMER HEARS SIMILAR MESSAGE
He told us that after contacting Huntington repeatedly, he kept getting letters with the same message.
“They had done their research and found that the charges were valid,” said Pangrace.
That’s a similar issue we’ve seen in our coverage of other Huntington customers’ problems.
WATCH MORE ABOUT HUNTINGTON BANK FRAUD COMPLAINTS BELOW:
RELATED: Feds investigate Huntington Bank fraud complaints after News 5 reports
Pangrace said he just had his dispute reopened again. “I don’t see any reason why I should have to. As far as I know, I did everything I should,” he told us.
FRAUD PREVENTION STEPS
“We really have to be careful of all sorts of fraud,” said Eric Chaffee, who is a Law Professor at Case Western Reserve University and a fraud expert.
He said, in general, watch out for social media posts that can give criminals personal info about you. “That includes gaining some idea of what your password might be, but also gaining the tools to trick you,” said Chaffee.
If you get unsolicited calls, emails or texts, he said slow down and verify what’s being said. Contact the bank yourself. “It’s best to start out being skeptical and be proven wrong rather than being too trusting and then being the victim of fraud,” he told us.
WHAT TO DO IF THIS HAPPENS TO YOU
If you are hit with fraud, set up credit alerts, monitor your accounts, and change passwords, especially if they’re shared on other sites.
If you’re having a hard time getting the bank to resolve your problem, he said to talk to a lawyer and file reports with police, the Ohio Attorney General, and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.
“Talking to just one, they’re probably going to tell you who else you should be talking to as well,” said Chaffee.
Meanwhile, we’ve asked Huntington for a sit-down interview. No progress so far.
As Pangrace waits for his response, he pondered the bank’s problems.
“Is there something deeper going on? Is it just poor customer experience?” he questioned. “Because I did not have a great customer experience, let alone their policies when it comes to fraudulent charges.”
We’ve heard from so many of you about Huntington Bank issues. If you have a problem you’d like me to investigate, email me at Jonathan.Walsh@WEWS.com.
