(NewsNation) — Thousands of members of USAA, the financial services company exclusively serving military members and veterans, say they’ve been the victims of theft from their accounts, and that USAA has done little to help.
“I want my money back, that’s what I want,” USAA customer Roberto Rangel told KABB-TV in San Antonio, Texas. He says he lost thousands of dollars from his USAA retirement savings account before he noticed the unauthorized transactions. He ended up selling some possessions to pay back $2,800 so his credit rating wouldn’t be damaged.
Another customer reported seeing deposits, then sudden withdrawals of the same amount, from his account.
“It was like they were playing mind games,” Currtis Murrah told WOAI-TV in San Antonio. “They would deposit $9,800 then turn right around and withdraw $9,800. They would deposit $4,000, turn right around and withdrew it.”
Murrah says, when he reported it, USAA told him there was no evidence of fraud, despite a $14,174 loss from two of his accounts. Then, he says the bank unexpectedly closed his account.
“The transactions were taking place in totally different states, they could see everything,” Murrah said. “They knew it wasn’t me, but for some reason they said it wasn’t fraud.”
Thousands of other USAA members have reported similar thefts, and similar troubles when reporting their issues to USAA. At least 2,900 of them have joined a Facebook group called “USAA Fraud and Victims.”
The Better Business Bureau says it fielded more than 4,000 complaints against USAA in the past three years.
In April, a federal grand jury in Louisiana indicted 21 people accused of stealing nearly $7 million from USAA members. Three of those people worked at a USAA call center.
USAA is far from the only financial institution registering a spike in imposter fraud cases. It says people pose as USAA employees to call and text members, then ask them for login information.
USAA says it never asks members for personal details, to delete the USAA app or to download a new app. The company says the best defense against fraud is to regularly monitor all of your financial accounts for suspicious or unusual transactions.
In a statement to WOAI, USAA said “bank fraud is an unfortunate reality for financial institutions around the world,” and “USAA remains committed to fighting fraud and protecting our members.”