$13.89, $23.70 Vanish From Lagos Entrepreneur’s Access Bank Account 3 Weeks Apart
Babalola Martins, a Lagos State-based entrepreneur, has narrated how $23.70 was debited from his company’s Access Bank domiciliary account without his authorisation.
This came after FIJ had reported how $13.89 was debited from the same account without his consent on September 20.
While speaking to FIJ on Friday morning, Martins said the latest unauthorised deduction impacted his account on October 5.
“What do we call this? Is this not another case of fraud? Why should my hard-earned money keep disappearing from my Access Bank USD account?” Martins asked during the telephone interview.
“I received a notification that $23.70 had been debited from the account on October 5, and it was without my authorisation.
“This came as a shock because I am currently still in the middle of getting Access Bank to refund the first $13.89 that had been deducted from the same account without my approval and knowledge on July 29.”
Martins also told FIJ that he subsequently sent emails and paid physical visits to Access Bank branches so that both sums could be reversed.
“All Access Bank officials keep telling me is that they are working on my complaint and would provide me with feedback as soon as possible,” said Martins.
“These deductions are no longer making any sense to me. First, it was $13.89 and now this? No! Both sums have to be reversed to my account.
“I have also never been careless with my USD debit card. I suspect the fraud to be an inside job. To clear all doubts, I have also requested that the debit card be blocked.
“However, my monies must still be reversed to my account. One should be able to trust one’s bank with one’s money.”
When FIJ sent an email to Access Bank for a reaction to Martins’ complaint on Friday morning, one of the financial institution’s officials, who did not mention their name, issued the following response on Saturday morning:
Kindly be informed that the account owner has been contacted for further assistance regarding his complaint. I sincerely apologise for the inconvenience this debit may have caused.
When FIJ placed a call to Martins on Saturday to find out if the issue had been resolved through the “assistance that was claimed to have been rendered to him by the bank”, he responded by saying:
“I was only sent a complaint form to fill by the bank this morning. I guess they only decided to do that after you (FIJ) contacted them.
“It is not as if I have never filled this kind of form in the past. I filled out the same form when the first $13.89 was debited from my account, and nothing was done to reverse it.
“I hope they do the needful on this second form. I am hopeful.”
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