Ufuoma Okonye, a Delta-based businesswoman, has narrated how N450,000 was deducted from her United Bank for African (UBA) account for a transaction she never initiated.
The bereaved businesswoman told THE WHISTLER that it was when she saw a credit alert of N49,000 that she noticed that her money had left her account.
“On July 20th, I was actually at home when I saw a credit alert of N49,000 but I wasn’t expecting money. So, I quickly checked my app and saw that N450,000 has been withdrawn from my account”, she told THE WHISTLER.
Okonye further said that her daily transfer limit is N200,000, adding that she was surprised how the money left her account.
“I quickly rushed to the bank to lodge a complaint. Immediately, I went there, and they asked me whether the fault came from my end. But my ATM was with me”.
“Funny enough, a week before that, I didn’t go out because I lost my dad. I lost my dad on 24 of June. I have been at home all day”.
The bank asked me to give them time. Before then, I lodged a complaint that I do not receive debit alerts on my account. I had complained for years that I do not receive debit alerts but they didn’t do anything about it,” the bereaved businesswoman lamented.
Okonye narrated that she had gone to the bank countless times to change her name but the bank officials told her that her signature didn’t tally with the one she signed.
“I was urged to get an affidavit,” she decried. “I have gone to the bank but I was told to give them 10 working days. After the said days expired, I went there and also called their customer care. But they kept telling me that they were doing an investigation about it until I later blocked the account”.
The business-woman would later have to visit the bank after expiration of the given day but the problem remained unresolved.
“Somebody from the bank told me that it was not my fault. A number was added to my number as they misquoted one of my numbers. It was from there, they opened another app to withdraw my money”.
My account officer at that time was no longer working with the bank in Sapele. They refused to give me a refund.
She further lamented that the bank has been giving her many excuses, saying further that she also involved her lawyer and police to charge the matter to the court.
“The floor manager in the bank, Mr Shola, who has been attending to the case, has not been coming to the station whenever he is called. He would say that the headquarters is reporting to the police (but) they have not done anything about it,” Okonye added.
When contacted, a UBA customer care representative who identified herself as Aisha, told THE WHISTLER that she would not speak to a third party on the issue.
“I can’t talk to you unless the person is with you now. We don’t disclose customer’s information like that.”, she said before dropping the call. Also, a text message sent to the line was not responded to.
Similarly, THE WHISTLER sent a text to the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC), an agency of the Federal Ministry of Trade and Investment, requesting comment.
However, the agency which is responsible for protecting market competition and promoting consumer protection has yet to respond to the inquiry.
Five Months After N450,000 Left Businesswoman’s Bank Account, UBA Could Not Help is first published on The Whistler Newspaper