STONE MOUNTAIN, Ga. — Frustrated consumers often turn to Channel 2 Consumer Investigator Justin Gray when they can’t get help after fraud on their bank accounts.
But Gray spoke to a Stone Mountain couple who wanted to share the steps they took to fight fraud themselves.
“I said, Jim, we have got to get online and look at this,” said Debbie Stanhouse.
She says she is meticulous about regularly watching the family checking account and noticed something out of the ordinary: “(I) noticed two transactions totaling $5,040 less in our checking account that we had not done.”
Those transactions were at an art gallery in Naples, Florida. The Stanhouses later learned they were in-person purchases, but they were in Stone Mountain at the time, a more than eight-hour drive away.
“We even called the gallery in Naples, and they said that didn’t happen here,” Debbie Stanhouse said.
After an investigation, their bank, Wells Fargo, told the Stanhouses their claim was denied, that there were no irregularities.
“We were really shocked when that came back and we thought, you know, what are we going to do now?” Debbie Stanhouse
That’s the point where many people turn to Channel 2 Action News.
The Stanhouses have watched some of those stories.
They saw Gail Bass’s fight with Truist over StubHub tickets she didn’t purchase.
“I have enough money in my account that if I wanted to buy concert tickets, I don’t have to get Truist to pay for them,” she said.
Police even told Trevis Scott to call Gray over a fraudulent Best Buy purchase.
“The detective was telling me there was a similar story on WSB a couple of weeks ago you may want to reach out to them so I’m here today,” Scott said.
But Jim Stanhouse is a financial planner himself, and they went through some of the steps Gray suggests on their own.
They requested the investigative file and filed a complaint with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.
The Stanhouses also placed spending limits and set purchase alerts for their debit card.
“Who has time to do this? You know, in this everyday life, this is a lot,” Jim Stanhouse said.
But after what they estimate to be more than 40 hours of work, the Stanhouses did get the decision reversed and their money back:
We are pleased we were able to resolve this issue for our customer. We conducted a thorough review and completed our investigation and claim decision after reviewing additional information.
— Wells Fargo
“I’ve told all my clients about my adventure to help them, you know hopefully avoid it in the future,” Jim Stanhouse said.
“A lot of people, you know, if this happens to them, they’re gonna give up along the way,” he said.
Jim Stanhouse even typed up lessons learned he wanted to share, including setting up withdraw limits and, most importantly, don’t ever give up until your bank does the right thing.
Tips:
- Monitor account activity and consider using your bank’s mobile app.
- Report suspicious transactions or activity immediately.
- If you’re waiting for a new card in the mail, track its delivery and contact your bank immediately if it’s delayed, lost or stolen.
- Activate account alerts including transaction and limit notifications
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