Finally got my fraud case settled… What a nightmare

General Forum Discussions
1

Hey everyone, just wanted to share my experience in case it helps anyone in the same situation.

Back in December 2024, I lost my phone and wallet while traveling—probably stolen. Within a day, over 75 charges were made, totaling around $21,000, moving in and out of my accounts.

I contacted USAA immediately, canceled everything, changed my PINs and passwords, froze my credit, and filed reports with the police and FDIC.

USAA gave me provisional funds while they investigated.

Then in January 2025, they hit me with a message saying the charges weren’t fraudulent, which was insane. They reversed the provisional funds, leaving my account massively negative.

I filed complaints with the CFPB and my state’s attorney general. I also requested all investigation documents, but USAA couldn’t provide them.

I called the CEO’s office (800-245-9362) and got direct extensions for the people handling my case. Called every day, repeating my points over and over.

A week later, they called me in for what felt like an interrogation. They straight-up accused me of stealing the money and claimed they could prove it wasn’t fraud. I told them to show me the proof—I’d be happy to see it in court. They insisted there was no way they’d reverse their decision.

I didn’t back down. Kept calling, kept pushing. Eventually, I got escalated to a senior manager in the CEO’s office. He said he’d follow up in 48 hours. Took a week, but one morning I woke up locked out of all my accounts.

Called customer service, and they told me security measures had been reset, my fraud claim was approved, and my money would be back in my account within 3-5 days.

What I learned:

  • Write everything down. Names, dates, conversations—keep records of it all.
  • File a CFPB complaint and one with your state’s attorney general.
  • Report it to the police and make sure it’s on record.
  • Skip customer service—call the CEO’s office instead.
  • Don’t stop fighting. They told me at least a dozen times that it was over and nothing could be done. They were wrong.

After this, I closed every account with USAA—checking, savings, credit cards, insurance. Never again.

Good luck to anyone dealing with this. Stay persistent.

2

CFPB… Good luck with that going forward.

3

Sky said:
CFPB… Good luck with that going forward.

Yeah, I wasn’t up to date on the situation. Sucks because I feel like their complaint process is what pressured USAA to take a second look.

4

Big thanks to everyone who helped out in this thread. When I first posted, I was completely lost and got so much great advice. This was one of the most stressful things I’ve ever dealt with, especially with a newborn and living on a tight budget—this was basically all our savings. Appreciate you all :muscle:

5

@Leith
Props to you for not giving up. Thanks for sharing the steps you took—this could really help someone else. Wishing you better financial luck ahead!

6

CFPB is pretty much useless now. Doesn’t fit the agenda anymore.

7

Davin said:
CFPB is pretty much useless now. Doesn’t fit the agenda anymore.

Not yet, they’re still running.

8

Mason said:

Davin said:
CFPB is pretty much useless now. Doesn’t fit the agenda anymore.

Not yet, they’re still running.

I heard they were told to stop investigating new claims.

9

@Kingsley
Yeah, I remember that too. Funny how they were the ones who caught Wells Fargo creating fake accounts. Guess no one’s watching for that stuff anymore.

10

@Kingsley
The news says that, but they’re still working.

11

Davin said:
CFPB is pretty much useless now. Doesn’t fit the agenda anymore.

60 Minutes just did a segment about how CFPB is being shut down (Feb 23, 2025). We’re screwed.

12

MysteryMaverick said:

Davin said:
CFPB is pretty much useless now. Doesn’t fit the agenda anymore.

60 Minutes just did a segment about how CFPB is being shut down (Feb 23, 2025). We’re screwed.

Yeah… we really are.

13

Had almost the same thing happen three years ago—same amount of money too. Filed police, FBI, and state reports, but my bank also claimed it wasn’t fraud. CEO’s office let it slip that the transactions happened over the phone, but they couldn’t provide call recordings or transcripts. Took three months before they finally reversed it. Definitely agree—being loud and persistent is key. I ended up staying with USAA because, overall, my experience had been good before this mess.

14

@Ellery
Glad you got your money back. This was a dealbreaker for me, though—I don’t trust them at all anymore.

15

USAA screws people over every chance they get. Suckers.

16

Quincy said:
USAA screws people over every chance they get. Suckers.

I was shocked by how they talked to me. Basically called me a criminal and an idiot—just without saying those exact words.

17

Calling the CEO’s office should be a last resort. What kind of advice is this? Anyway, glad you got your money back.

18

Orion said:
Calling the CEO’s office should be a last resort. What kind of advice is this? Anyway, glad you got your money back.

I completely disagree. If customer service is useless, you should call as soon as you feel it’s necessary.

19

FYI, the ‘CEO’s office’ is just another call center team. They won’t share investigation details with anyone. Threatening to go to the media gets results. Police reports don’t help unless you lost $5K+ with a suspect or $25K+ without one.

20

@Finley
Not what I experienced. The CEO’s office actually knew things and moved faster than regular customer service. A police report is worth filing—it at least shows you took every step possible.