Date Received: 2023-11-03
Issue: Trouble using the card
Subissue: Problem with direct deposit
Consumer Complaint: I am a SSI recipent. I use my government debit card to pay bills, buy food, etc. I was to receive a payment on XX/XX/XXXX of this year and another payment today, XX/XX/23. I verified the money was deposited onto my government issued debit card. The debit card denies my accessing any money from my debit card. I have been calling the debit card company since XX/XX/XXXX every day with an average of wait time of 4 1/2 hours. I have not been able to talk with anyone about my lack of funds. 4 1/2 hours is a long time to wait and then not get an answer. Today is the 4th day that I have called. I have been calling since XXXX XXXX and am unable to get a anyone on the phone. I now have bills that are late, they were due today. My phone will be turned off at XXXX XXXX today. The card is called Direct Express and the bank is Comerica. Can you help me? Thanks so much, XXXX XXXX
Company Response:
State: CA
Zip: 94591
Submitted Via: Web
Date Sent: 2023-11-03
Company Response to Consumer: Closed with non-monetary relief
Timely Response: Yes
Consumer Disputed: N/A
Date Received: 2023-11-03
Issue: Trouble using the card
Subissue: Problem with direct deposit
Consumer Complaint: They~ allowed a 3rd party to steal my SSI benefits for my children. Who are XXXX! I caught it in time on the XXXX of XXXX! After trying to pay for something, card was declined! Told them to stop the fraud transaction, because I caught it in enough time! They refused to block the transaction! The company already has a class action lawsuit for stealing benefits from the federal government! The company in question who they must be dealing with is out of New York. This company has been in business only 9 months! No one would spend {$1900.00} dollars and another {$690.00}, on a company who has not been around longer than that! I even called this company to tell them XXXX XXXX in New York to stop this transaction because it was fraud. Was not my transaction. They too, allowed it still to go through! So Cormerica Bank Direct Express are working togther! Knew it was an inside job! There is no way it can not be an inside job. Especially since I told both parties to deny these 2 transactions, worth {$2400.00} dollars! Suffrring hardship because of their theft! Filing my own lawsuit against both of these thieves! They both refused` to stop these transactions. So they can share the money! Did my research and found out through the XXXX complaints, that their stealing milluons of federal benefits! Need my money back asap ' for my children. Can not buy them anyrhing! Cried all night on XX/XX/2023! They had me begging ' for my money! Asked for a provisional credit '' they denied me of this credit! Been with them for at least XXXX or so years! At risk of losing a lot because of the fraud! These transactions were in pending, so they could have stopped these 2 transactions, totaling {$2400.00}, they refused! Cause they needed my money more than me! Pathetic!
Company Response:
State: AL
Zip: 361XX
Submitted Via: Web
Date Sent: 2023-11-08
Company Response to Consumer: Closed with monetary relief
Timely Response: Yes
Consumer Disputed: N/A
Date Received: 2023-10-30
Issue: Problem caused by your funds being low
Subissue: Overdrafts and overdraft fees
Consumer Complaint: I've been transferring over from an old Comerica checking account, to another Comerica checking account. I've been suspicious of OD fee practices on the old account. and now i have proof that they are abusing the account Overdraft fees. Relating Facts : 1- I have overdraft protection turned OFF on my account. 2- Supporting the transition to the new account, I leave very few dollars in the old account. So, when a payment appeared, I used Comerica 's transfer own online app to transfer the outstanding amount to my other account. I transferred {$300.00}. Then decided that I wanted the available balance closer to XXXX, so transferred another {$20.00} ; leaving just a few dollars in the account. It is worth noting, that it is my experience that this application will NOT allow you to make transfers to into a negative balance. This should support my statement of there still being a positive balance. And, indeed, there would be no reason for me to do another transfer to put myself into a negative amount - especially not when I would get a {$34.00} charge to transfer {$20.00}. 3- Then, checking my account the next day, I saw that there was a {$34.00} account was charged. The last transaction listed was from XXXX for XXXX. 4- They have confirmed that 'pending " transactions are updated in my balance total. 5- Other companies authorized for charging my account with my debit, have reported to me that they can't realize the payment if sufficient funds are unavailable. ( For this, I've paid them from my new account ). 6 - In discussing this with the bank, they tried to lie and state that I was NOT out of overdraft, until I pressed them on this and had them review notes and talk to the agent from my previous call. - As I've called and confirmed previously that I was opted out. -- -Now they admit that I was indeed opted out, but that the XXXX charge was pending and not yet posted. However, ( according to them ) my account balance would reflect this transaction even in its pending ( not fully posted ) stated. Summary - They allowed a charge that OD my account ( even though I was opted out of this service ) and then charged me further for the privilege. And they did this costing me fee totals greater than the amount of either transaction ( I would not and could not have put my account into a negative amount from my actions ). Either my total is not truly updated to reflect the pending transactions ( despite this being displayed as the rule on their own page ). Or, they are allowing OD charges when I was opted out, and then adding fees.
Company Response:
State: MI
Zip: 490XX
Submitted Via: Web
Date Sent: 2023-10-30
Company Response to Consumer: Closed with monetary relief
Timely Response: Yes
Consumer Disputed: N/A
Date Received: 2023-10-25
Issue: Unexpected or other fees
Subissue:
Consumer Complaint: On XXXX to XXXX there had been numerous charges from XXXX that I didnt make. I made a police report and still have not had a resolution nor a credit.
Company Response:
State: CA
Zip: 92020
Submitted Via: Web
Date Sent: 2023-10-25
Company Response to Consumer: Closed with monetary relief
Timely Response: Yes
Consumer Disputed: N/A
Date Received: 2023-10-23
Issue: Unexpected or other fees
Subissue:
Consumer Complaint: I have been lied to several times about why my acct has a {$0.00} balance again, they gave the fees back to me, ( {$88.00} ) then took it back away from me 3 days later, when i called several times to ask why, they tell me that XXXX took it back out of my acct, i called XXXX more than once & they tell me they cant & dont do that,,, i want to know who is lying to me??? is this legal to treat elderly this way????
Company Response:
State: MO
Zip: XXXXX
Submitted Via: Web
Date Sent: 2023-10-23
Company Response to Consumer: Closed with monetary relief
Timely Response: Yes
Consumer Disputed: N/A
Date Received: 2023-10-22
Issue: Unexpected or other fees
Subissue:
Consumer Complaint: I had a former roommate steal my Direct Express card, call the # on the back and change my pin #, and charge XXXX XXXX XXXX of purchases then take out XXXX at the atm. Direct Express verified this themselves as they showed it was her cell # that called to change the pin and not mine. In fact it was their fraud dept that contacted me about it then sent me a statement to issue the dispute. I also filed charged with yhe police. I filled out all paperwork plus provided Direct Express with the police report but I got back the same standard letter everyone else has gotten saying my claim is denied because I authorized the charges - even though it was them that caught it in the first place!
Company Response:
State: PA
Zip: 171XX
Submitted Via: Web
Date Sent: 2023-10-22
Company Response to Consumer: Closed with explanation
Timely Response: Yes
Consumer Disputed: N/A
Date Received: 2023-10-23
Issue: Trouble using the card
Subissue: Problem using the card to withdraw money from an ATM
Consumer Complaint: I was supposed to get my money on the XXXX they won't give it to me cause I don't have a picture ID or birth certificate all my bills are past due fixing to get kicked out of my apartment utilities are getting cut off XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX and I'm on XXXX no transportation.help me get my money please thanks alot.direct express is the company
Company Response:
State: GA
Zip: 307XX
Submitted Via: Web
Date Sent: 2023-10-23
Company Response to Consumer: Closed with monetary relief
Timely Response: Yes
Consumer Disputed: N/A
Date Received: 2023-10-18
Issue: Trouble accessing funds in your mobile or digital wallet
Subissue:
Consumer Complaint: I am trying to transfer my XXXX funds from Direct Express to my financial institution. Direct Express requires that you send your confidential information by standard unencrypted email. I asked if they would take a fax ( they said No - photo ID must be in XXXX ). I tried to send this info using secure email ( XXXX and XXXX Mail ) but they said if the information requires a passphrase or is not standard email attachment, then they will not process it. I sent the information on Monday XX/XX/XXXX. Their reply email says it will be processed in XXXX business hours. I called today and they said they could not process the faxes or the secure emails that I sent on Monday ( XXXX faxes and XXXX emails ) because I did not send the information as standard email attachments. They denied my request to ACH transfer my benefit funds to my bank. A banker friend helped me write the following : XX/XX/XXXX Dear Sirs : It has come to my attention that the service provider for the XXXX Direct Express MasterCard program may be exposing the confidential non-public information ( NPI ) ) of cardholders and government benefit recipients unnecessarily in violation of federal and state information security guidelines, regulations, statutes, and possibly XXXX PCI DSS standards. It is unclear at this point who operates these cardholder services ; it may be Comerica Bank, N.A. or their money service business vendor, possibly i2c, Inc., or Conduent Corporation. The Direct Express program appears to be managed by the Fiscal Bureau of the Department of The Treasury. Comerica Bank is regulated by the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas , Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, and the Texas Department of Banking. Additionally, your organization, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, along with the Federal Trade Commission, MasterCard International, and Office of the Inspector General for the Department of the Treasury may have jurisdiction or oversight responsibilities depending on the specific operations of this program. My concern is Direct Expresss method of communicating and exchanging information with consumers for facilitating transactions and authenticating its customers. The website http : //web.usdirectexpress.com/ does not provide for any means of contact other than by telephone. For example, to initiate an ACH transfer from a cardholders account to a demand deposit account with another financial institution, the account holder is instructed to attach to a standard email, unredacted copies of the cardholders state photograph identification card ( such as a drivers license ) and a copy of their statement that includes their name, address, institution routing and account number information. The account information must include the full account number and routing number, unredacted. Direct Express prohibits this information from being faxed as their internal policies require a XXXX photo ID. They do not offer a secure portal for uploading information. My friend attempted to share information with them using an encryption service ( like XXXX, XXXX, etc. ) and they stated that if a password was required to access the file, then it would not be processed. Only standard email attachments are acceptable. They document some of their policies on their website at XXXX XXXX XXXX. Their website is cobranded with Comerica and their terms of use and privacy policy reference Comerica Banks policies ( XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX ). Federal laws, regulations, and standards would appear to prohibit a financial institution from requiring consumers to send non-public information like their state issued photo ID card and financial institutional account information by standard unencrypted email. In fact, Comerica Banks consumer E-Mail Practices page ( XXXX XXXX XXXX ) states that " Comerica is committed to safeguarding the privacy of your personal information. Comerica will never request personal information ( e.g., Social Security number, account numbers, user IDs or passwords ) via e-mail. '' It would seem that financial institutions and their service providers are required to safeguard customer information, limit access & usage of customer information, and develop policies and procedures to safeguard such information ( Section 501 ( b ) of the Gramm Leach Bliley Act, also known as the Financial Services Modernization Act of 1999 ( P.L. 106-102, 113 Stat.1338 and codified as 15 USC 6801 ( b ) ) ). Several regulatory agencies have promulgated information security regulations, and the Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council has published interagency guidelines for information security standards. Applicable federal guidelines that may apply include the FFIECs Interagency Guidelines Establishing Information Security Standards, 16 CFR 314 ( Federal Trade Commission ), 12 CFR 208.61 and Appendices D-1 & D-2 to Part 208, as supplemented ( FRS ). 12 CFR 1016 ( CFPB ), and Parts 364 & 332 of CFR Title 12 ( FDIC ). Additionally, XXXX requires its merchants and service providers to safeguard cardholder confidential information and comply with Payment Card Industry Data Security Standards. These standards may include requirements to protect cardholder data with strong cryptography during transmission over open public networks as well as develop organizational policies and programs supporting cardholder information security. They may also restrict access to cardholder confidential non-public information on a need-to-know basis. Open unencrypted email sent to a general email address would not appear to limit access to such information on such a basis. Texas banking and business laws require businesses to protect against data breaches via electronic information systems and financial institutions to adhere with federal information security standards. I believe that it would be in the best interest of federal benefit recipients and Direct Express consumers if this program either allowed consumers to upload confidential information through a secure site or developed an encrypted email system that would allow cardholders to securely share their XXXX information with Direct Express.
Company Response:
State: TX
Zip: XXXXX
Submitted Via: Web
Date Sent: 2023-10-25
Company Response to Consumer: Closed with explanation
Timely Response: Yes
Consumer Disputed: N/A
Date Received: 2023-10-17
Issue: Trouble using the card
Subissue: Problem using the card to withdraw money from an ATM
Consumer Complaint: I am writing to you directly now to seek your assistance. The initial complaint was submitted in XX/XX/XXXX, and even after eight months, you have only partially resolved my problems. Now I do not even have access to my money as the card is blocked. It has now been close to 19 months this is getting ridiculous. Please find a chronological overview of what was done so far : XX/XX/XXXX : A replacement debit card was sent as her current one was about to expire. XXXX XXXX was unable to activate the card, resulting in the account being locked. XX/XX/XXXX : I attempted to call the cards customer service with XXXX sitting in my office to resume the service on the card. XX/XX/XXXX : We called once again and were told to fax or email XXXX identifying documents. XX/XX/XXXX : Given XXXXXXXX XXXX age of XXXX and her primary language being XXXX, she brought her niece to my office to see if this would improve the results. XX/XX/XXXX : I sent XXXX XXXX passport, but it seems that there was a miscommunication as two pieces of ID were expected. XX/XX/XXXX : For unknown reasons, the second piece of ID was not accepted by the fraud department, and we did not receive feedback about it. XX/XX/XXXX : I tried sending more documents, but they were still not accepted. XX/XX/XXXX : I assisted her in submitting a claim to allow her to access her money on her Direct Express debit card, as she was never able to activate the card. Since we were unable to get results from Comerica 's customer service to activate her card, we pursued assistance via the CFPB. XX/XX/XXXX : You attempted to reach out to me. XX/XX/XXXX : You sent an email, and we were able to partially resolve the issue. I say partially because the card ending in XXXX was activated, but it did not allow XXXX to withdraw cash from ATMs. This issue is particularly problematic as each transaction incurs foreign charges. You advised the issuance of a new card. XX/XX/XXXX : XXXX received the new card ending in XXXX, which still acted like a credit card, not a debit card. During transactions, no PIN was requested, and ATMs did not allow for cash withdrawal. Customer service informed us that it was faulty and reissued a new card. XX/XX/XXXX : XXXX received another new card ending in XXXX, but it still did not work. Customer service requested her to try another ATM within 24 hours of calling support. XX/XX/XXXX : She tried withdrawing cash but was once again unsuccessful. Finally, we spoke to another agent who mentioned that the card needed to be Whitelisted, have the Ban lifted, or be International OPT enabled. We were hopeful that this would resolve the issue, but XXXX still could not use the card. XX/XX/XXXX : We called again to have the card Whitelisted, Ban lifted, or International OPT enabled and were told to send XXXX identity once again to XXXX under ID Verification - XXXX XXXX. Unfortunately, XXXX passport had expired on XX/XX/XXXX, and she is currently waiting for a replacement. She has no other ID except for her birth certificate. XX/XX/XXXX : We called customer service, and the lady informed us that the card is locked and we need to contact Social Security to unlock it. De : XXXX XXXX XXXX Date : XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX : XXXX XXXX : Rp. : OTHER XXXX XXXX *********** ________________________________________ Select Inquiry Reason All Other Requests Primary Number Holder* First Name XXXX XXXX Name XXXX Date of Birth XX/XX/XXXX Last XXXX digits of Social Security Number : XXXX Beneficiary Notice Control ( BNC ) Number : XXXX Claimant or Beneficiary ( optional ) First Name XXXX XXXX Name XXXX Contact Information : Email Address : XXXX Telephone Country Code XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX Primary Telephone Number : XXXX Address XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX United States Map It Issue : The address above is the mailing address. The residence address is XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX, XXXX XXXX. Direct Express has requested me to contact you to verify my identity to reactivate the usage of my direct express debit card which has been disactivated since yesterday. { XXXX } XX/XX/XXXX I tried calling XXXX XXXX XXXX Vice President Corporate Quality Process Department Comerica Incorporated XXXX XXXX and left a message on her voicemail. XX/XX/XXXX She returned my call but I was on another call. XX/XX/XXXX Up until today, I tried calling XXXX a total of 6 times and was never able to reach her. As you can see, SSA has referred me back to you. This case is becoming increasingly dramatic, and I am desperate for a final resolution to this nonsensical ordeal in banking services that has now persisted for 19 months and involved four debit card issuances. It is highly unfair to treat me like this and not letting me access my Social Security benefits. I urgently request your immediate and comprehensive assistance in resolving this issue.
Company Response:
State:
Zip: XXXXX
Submitted Via: Web
Date Sent: 2023-10-18
Company Response to Consumer: Closed with non-monetary relief
Timely Response: Yes
Consumer Disputed: N/A
Date Received: 2023-10-16
Issue: Managing an account
Subissue: Deposits and withdrawals
Consumer Complaint: On XX/XX/2023 Direct Express let XXXX take XXXX from my account for a year and half while i had no XXXX XXXX to use the XXXX account. i was homeless and on XXXX. i called to find out where the money was going and was asked to provide proof to the bank that i had no way of using the service i was being charged for. i explained imXX/XX/XXXXhomeless and dont even have a place to plug a video console in. I asked XXXX through a call and email to immediatly stop taking the money from my account. they continued to do so for XXXX months in XXXX of 2023 i furnished proof of the emails to the bank showing that XXXX stated they would stop despite still taking money. Direct express uses a joke of a dispute process for thier customers to go through because they profit off sending out new cards. XXXX recently took XXXX from my account unauthorized. I immediatley called on a recorded line so they say. They specifically asked if i wanted my card cancelled i said no and they cancelled it anyway. i was not able to be refunded the money then. they asked if i wanted time to get my last XXXX out then they would cancel it i said yes for sure and they cancelled it anyway. i was told i would be charged XXXX for a new card i was charged XXXX total. i furnished copy of a police report id and an affidavit as they had asked for spoke to numerous supervisors. this happend on the XXXX of the month and i still do not have my money back. how is money federally insured by and through federal benefits and this company gets away with letting people steal from XXXX individuals so they profit.. i would like to know how many new cards they send out a month due to their own purposeful negligent " mistakes ''. THEY then had my card declined while trying to get gas on the XXXX with money in there. that is now conveniently on a hold and my account is XXXX i have to wait for that is well. why do i have to suffer because of their purposeful negligence? When does it end. where is money?
Company Response:
State: PA
Zip: 170XX
Submitted Via: Web
Date Sent: 2023-10-16
Company Response to Consumer: Closed with monetary relief
Timely Response: Yes
Consumer Disputed: N/A