Phoenix man locked out of account with $ 1,200 | 3 On your side

By Randall Perry On Jul 26, 2021

A Phoenix man reached out to 3 On Your Side after trying to access his money with a debit card but found the money frozen

PHOENIX (3TV / CBS 5) – Joseph Cowden is a 65-year-old US Air Force veteran who deposits his social security checks directly onto a debit card called Netspend. Cowden says he likes Netspend because, unlike some banks, Netspend offers perks like free overdraft protection.

“When you have a steady income, you can run out of cash every now and then, and they’ve been good at it,” Cowden told 3 On Your Side.

But Cowden says he has a big problem with Netspend because they’re holding nearly $ 1,200 hostage. It is money that he has to access but cannot. Here is the problem. Cowden and his dog Lucy recently left their apartment and drove briefly to Food City, where he was trying to do some grocery shopping. But while he was standing in line, he noticed that he had misplaced his Netspend card. So he contacted Netspend and reported that his card was lost.

“So I called and we went through 64 questions. I’ve never been grilled like this by them before, ”he said. Cowden says he answered numerous security questions correctly. But the last security question he says he just can’t answer. “And then they asked me the name of my favorite animal. I only have two pets. Lucy and Merlin. “

But Lucy or Merlin didn’t seem to be the right answers. As a result, Netspend has banned Cowden from his account for the past two months, leaving him in a bind.

“How annoying was that?” 3 On your side, Gary asked Harper. “Well, I used pretty colorful language with them,” he replied.

So 3 On Your Side got involved and I asked Netspend to look into the problem. When they found out Cowden was the legitimate account holder, they sent him another netspend card overnight, which means he can now access his $ 1,100. Cowden says he’s been trying for two months but it took 3 On your side to get it done.

“Gary Harper, you are great man!” said Cowden. “I have bills to pay, and now I can.”

Working with Netspend has been great and I appreciate their quick resolution. Netspend sent 3 On Your Side the following statement:

“Our customer service team contacted our cardholder regarding this request and found a solution. Protecting the integrity of our customers’ accounts and access to their funds is our top priority. Whenever a customer reports the loss of a card or stolen, they may need to prove their identity using standard documents or verify personal information in order to obtain a new card or regain access to their account. We encourage all of our customers to report any suspicious activity or difficulty accessing their funds our customer service department. We will do everything we can to help you access your funds as quickly as possible. “