By DON DARE
6 On Your Side Reporter
PIGEON FORGE (WATE) - What if you didn't apply for a loan, but someone was fooling around with your checking account? A young woman was notified by her bank in Pigeon Forge about unusual activity with her account.
Kelly Hall is a customer at SmartBank. An alert account representative there noticed unusual activity on Kelly's statement a few days ago.
"She said on the same day they took out the 13 cents in increments of six cents, four cents and three cents, and the bank was concerned someone was messing with my account and wanted me to be aware of it," Kelly said.
She also says neither she nor her husband had applied for an online loan.
Kelly was told the company's name was Cash Loan Today. There's a phone number for the company on her statement.
Kelly talked with a service rep there. "She advised me that I had been approved for an $800 loan. When I asked how they got my information, she wasn't able to tell me how they got this information to my bank."
SmartBank President Billy Carroll said, "We were fortunate we saw it, happened to be doing some work on the account. We noticed it."
He says when the service rep noticed the transactions, she contacted Kelly immediately.
"Sometimes those are legitimate transactions. In this case, they weren't. In this case, they were unusual. That's why our financial service rep asked," Carroll said.
Kelly says she's grateful the bank called her. "I have an IRS check that's going to be deposited into that account, and it could be a large sum of money taken out without me knowing about it."
Hoping to get information from the loan company, we called the toll free number on Kelly's statement. A customer service rep said, "I apologize, even my supervisor cannot answer your questions."
When 6 On Your Side checked the company's website, we found it's under construction.
We also found complaints online about the company. One said, "...went into my account and took $30 out without my permission. How did they get access to my account?"
"They told me once that they deposited the $800, they were going to take out the $30," Kelly said.
There are steps you can take to protect your account. "If you're online banking, log onto your account, look through your transaction history on a regular basis," Carroll advised. "If you're getting paper statements, open that statement every month and look through every transaction to make sure there is nothing unusual there."
From now on, Kelly will check her account frequently. "Keep a close eye on it because you never know who is pulling money in and out of that account," she advised.
Also, stay away from online loan companies. Dealing long distance can be troublesome. Doing business locally is easier and safer.
If you have a consumer issue, call the 6 On Your Side Hotline at 865-633-5974 or email ddare@wate.com.
"Keep a close eye on it because you never know who is pulling money in and out of that account," Kelly Hall advised.
