A 22-year-old South Florida woman says she was robbed at gunpoint around 3 a.m. a few weeks ago while sitting in a friend’s car at the front of her aunt’s property. The thieves took jewelry, watches and her unlocked phone, then drove away, according to the account 7News published through its Help Me Howard consumer series.
Elizabeth, whose last name was not used, reported the robbery to police, who stayed on scene for several hours. While she was filing a report on a computer to have her phone shut down, she began getting emails about transactions. She said she saw that $7,200 she had been saving through a mobile financial platform had been sent out. The money was meant to help her move out of her parents’ home.
Consumer reporter Brandon Beyer asked Howard, the series’ consumer expert, whether a stolen phone could mean a stolen bank balance. Howard said the federal Electronic Funds Transfer Act limits liability based on how quickly a victim reports unauthorized transactions. Elizabeth reported the charges the same day, which Howard said entitled her to most of the money back.
The company told 7News it would escalate the matter to its customer support team. Two hours after an email from the company, Elizabeth said she received another message confirming the full amount had been refunded.
Howard said victims who report within two days are liable for no more than $50. Reporting within 60 days caps liability at $500, and after 60 days, the law’s protections no longer apply.
