Uduak Udo-Umo, a Lagos State resident, was about to withdraw from an Access bank ATM gallery on Bode Thomas street in the Surulere area of Lagos on October 30 when her debit card got stuck in the machine.

Udo-Umo told FIJ that the ATM showed ‘system failure’ and refused to dispense cash before seizing her card.

She approached the security officer manning the bank’s entrance, but the man claimed that there was no one inside the bank to help her retrieve her card.

This was around 10:10 am on a Sunday, so she left for church when it became apparent there was nothing she could do.

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Surprisingly, she received a series of debit alerts amounting to N140,000 from her Ecobank account when she got to church about 20 minutes later.

“N100,000 was taken from a POS machine and N40,000 from Ecobank at Adeniran Ogunsanya Mall, Bode Thomas,” she said.

This information was derived from the debit alerts she received on her phone.

“I went to both banks to lodge a complaint the following day. After retrieving the footage and seeing the culprits, Ecobank assured me that the N40,000 taken from their ATM would be refunded, but I have not received a reversal.”

ACCESS BANK ACCUSED OF INDIFFERENCE

The Lagos resident told FIJ that she was not taken seriously when she got to Access Bank to report the incident on October 31.

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Udo-Umo alleged that the customer care representative at Access Bank made some side remarks which insinuated that she was exaggerating the issue.

While noting that Access Bank refused to provide the CCTV footage, Udo-Umo said the bank has neither returned her ATM card nor offered additional information on the identity of the security man who was on duty.

“It took a bit of shouting in the banking hall for the behaviour of the staff to change. The branch manager, who later attended to me, said she was actually in the bank that fateful Sunday and if she had been told, she could have been of assistance.

“I was surprised to hear this because the security man had said no one was available on that Sunday. I was further shocked when the manager said the security man had been suspended prior to my report. This only shows that the security man was part of the fraudulent transactions that took place.”

The Lagos resident’s several visits and reminders to Access Bank and Ecobank have not been fruitful as she is yet to get a reversal.

“I have followed due process with the writing of reports, follow-up calls and weekly visits, but there is nothing to show for it,” she told FIJ.

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When Access Bank was contacted on Saturday, Hanna Badejo, the bank’s customer care representative, said, “I acknowledge receipt of your email on unauthorised ATM withdrawal debits. I am sorry to hear about the experience encountered by Mrs Uduak.

“This complaint is currently being investigated, and feedback will be communicated to the customer upon conclusion. However, to aid prompt resolution, kindly assist with Mrs Uduak’s contact (phone number/email address). Once again, I apologise for any inconvenience caused.”

At press time, Ecobank had not responded to messages sent to them at press time.