Lagos Entrepreneur’s Dollar Account With Access Bank Continues Suffering Unapproved Debits

Another unauthorised $23.70 debit has impacted the Access Bank domiciliary account belonging to Babalola Martins, a Lagos State-based entrepreneur.

This comes after FIJ had on two previous occasions reported how $13.89 and $23.70 were debited from the same account without his consent.

The previous unauthorised deductions had happened on July 29 and October 5 respectively.

While speaking to FIJ, Martins said the latest unsanctioned debit happened on November 7.

With this, a total of $61.29 has now been debited from the entrepreneur’s Access Bank domiciliary account without his approval.

The Latest Debit Notification Received by Martins on November 7

“Right now, I don’t even know what to do again,” Martins told FIJ on Friday afternoon.

“I just thought to check my phone yesterday to see how much I had left in my dollar account and the next thing I saw was a debit notification of another $23.70.

“This third debit occurred after I had Access Bank block my dollar debit card. The belief was that once the card was blocked, the indiscriminate debits would stop.

“This latest theft has shown that whoever has been stealing my money cannot be stopped by merely blocking my card. This indiscriminate deduction or theft is beginning to affect me and I don’t even know what to do anymore.

“Is this act of stealing ever going to stop? I am tired. I honestly am. Access Bank has refused to do something to bring this matter to an end and I don’t even know what to do anymore.

“I have constantly engaged the bank on when and how the previously deducted sums would be returned to my account and all they had been telling me was that ‘we are working on it’. While they have continued to endlessly work on a possible refund, this has happened again. I am tired.”

When FIJ last reached out to Access Bank on the matter on November 1, one of the financial institution’s officials, who did not name themselves, issued the following response on November 2:

Kindly be informed that the account owner has been contacted for further assistance regarding his complaint. I sincerely apologise for the inconvenience this debit may have caused.

Martins would later confirm to FIJ that Access Bank only sent him a complaint form to fill.

“Seven days after filling the form, another $23.70 has been stolen from my account. Quite unfortunate,” Martins said on Friday.