Jerry Joshua Audu, an Enugu State-based corps member, has revealed how Zenith Bank has refused to help him recover his N200,000 after it suddenly disappeared from his account.

Audu told FIJ that he obtained two court orders to process the reversal of the money after it ‘vanished’ from his account in July, but the bank has not done anything to help him get it back.

“I opened the Zenith Bank account in Taraba State. Before the incident happened, my mom transferred a sum of N1,000,000 to me and I have been withdrawing from the account till I was left with N600,000,” Audu said.

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“On the morning of July 6, I needed to transfer N100,000 to my mother back home. I could however not make the transaction because it was not going through.

“Around 2 pm, I suddenly received a debit alert of N100,000 with a narration that showed that Paystack was the payment gateway.

“Before I could recover from the shock of receiving a debit alert for the first unauthorised transaction, I received a second debit alert of N100,000. The second unauthorised debit alert was a direct transfer to a Zenith Bank account with the name, Thomas Onome.”

Audu said he visited a Zenith Bank branch in Enugu city and was told by the customer care representative he met “to forget about getting a debit reversal”.

“When it happened, I used the bank’s code to block my account to prevent further unauthorised transactions,” the corps member said.

“The next day, which was July 7, I travelled to the state capital because my place of primary assignment is a village in Enugu. I went to a Zenith Bank branch at Okpara square around the Old Park.

“After I lodged my complaint, a female customer care representative was able to help me withdraw the remaining N400,000 from the account. But when I asked how to get a refund for the unauthorised transaction, she told me I’m not the only one who has reported that kind of case.

“She said it always happens, and that my money had gone. She said I did not have the strength to push it forward and that I would have to go to a court to obtain an order.”

THE JOURNEY TO TARABA STATE

Unimpressed by the branch official’s discouraging feedback, Jerry travelled to his hometown in Taraba State to lodge the complaint a second time.

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“I went to Zenith bank at Hamaruwa Way in Jalingo on Monday, July 18, because I did not have the phone number of my account officer. I explained what happened to him and he asked me some questions to confirm that I was not lying about the transaction,” Audu said.

“According to the account officer, people do report cases that could not be classified as fraud.

“He then told me that someone had accessed my bank app and made the first transaction through it. I was surprised because when I tried to register another mobile banking app account on a new phone after, I could not. The way the bank’s mobile app is designed, it can only be registered on just one phone, and with the way I handle my phone, I am not sure anyone could have had access to the bank app I have on it.”

THE COURT ORDERS

“I later obtained two court orders and addressed them two receiving banks. The Paystack transaction was sent to a Wema Bank account, and the other one to Zenith Bank,” Audu said.

“After getting the court order, my account officer said I would take them to the banks. That was when I discovered that there is no Wema Bank in Jalingo. I tried to check Adamawa and Gombe States, but they do not have Wema Bank branches too. Even the branch in Enugu is not functioning because I confirmed from their customer care in Lagos. So, I have not been able to submit the order to Wema Bank.

“The head of operations lodged my complaint at Zenith Bank. But I expect Zenith Bank to be the one to give Wema Bank the order because I bank with them. As it is now, even the court order I gave them at Zenith Bank has not been worked on. Anytime I call my account officer, he tells me that the legal court is still investigating it. That is all I have been hearing.”

When FIJ contacted Augustine Omale, Audu’s account officer, he said a restriction had been placed on the Zenith Bank account that received the fraudulent transfer.

“Normally, when a court order is brought to us for fraudulent activities, we send it to the legal team for investigation. When the court order was brought to the bank, there was only N52,000 in Thomas Onome’s account. That is the customer’s account where the money was moved to. Since we cannot reverse half, it has been placed on hold,” Omale said.

“Once Onome has up to N100,000 in his account, the affected customer, Jerry (Audu), will be refunded because the court has asked us to reverse N100,000, and what is in the account is not up to that amount. That is what is causing the delay.

“Concerning Wema Bank, we have no control over them, but I am sure that once they receive the court order, his money will also be refunded.”