On Wednesday this week (Valentine's day) I experienced wickedness in it's purest or should i say unpurest form

A client I've been doing some work for since January this year finally paid me my wages ( about 50k). I kept thanking God because that was the only money in my account i swear. I was DEAD broke

The greatest shock of my life came when i checked my balance after receiving the credit alert.

What i saw startled me to my bone marows.

The sum of 18000 ( eighteen thousand naira) was removed from my account without any debit alert. I immediately called the customer care around 11 PM that same day after transferring the remaining balance to my Opay

Luckily i was able to connect with one. He told me that the reason for the withdrawal was because i was debited all the cost of sms alert charges since 2021 that amounted to the 18k.

I wasn't having any of that. The next day (yesterday) i went very early to the bank and made the same complaint. The cashier there directed me to the customer care.
The customer care also said the same thing and confirmed it from her system that the 18k withdrawal was from the accumulated sms charge since 2021 and showed me my history which corroborated with what they were saying.

I now asked them why they had to wait for three years before debiting me in bulk, they didn't give any reasonable answer.

I almost ran mad. I didn't know when i raised my voice out loud till the security ushered me out.

Right now I'm devastated and broken. Because most of the money i was to use to service some loans and feeding.

Right now i really don't know what to do.

How can i recover my money please. I have almost lost my mind.

Someone help me out with suggestions please. I take God beg you.

Edit: some of the debit recorded in the app. First Bank doesn't allow screenshot

You should have stripped nàked and created a major scene. All banks I know make their deductions immediately or same day, it's not your fault First Bank shirked on its responsibility and decided to put you in a tight spot. Do craze and your money will come out
Alternatively, contact the consumer protection council in your state while copying the central Bank.

Since you have calculated the SMS Charges from the period of 2021 to present and you are aware of the cost of SMS alert for each transaction there is nothing anyone can do again.

saintopus:
Since you have calculated the SMS Charges from the period of 2021 to present and you are aware of the cost of SMS alert for each transaction there is nothing anyone can do again.

I'm not aware of such.

Even if I'm aware, why did they bulk it up and debit all at once to the tune of 18k this hard times. Does that make any sense?

I guess you use USSD frequently...Each time you use USSD to check your balance or perform any other transaction, you are charged #7 naira (not sure).
I will advise you to download their app on your phone.

MASTAkiLLAh:
You should have stripped nàked and created a major scene. All banks I know make their deductions immediately or same day, it's not your fault First Bank shirked on its responsibility and decided to put you in a tight spot. Do craze and your money will come out
Alternatively, contact the consumer protection council in your state while copying the central Bank.

Thanks alot for the info. I was asking the same question only for them to lie that I normally don't have money in the account to debit on each transaction reason they decided to debit all at once. How do i contact them pls.

I am in Abakaliki Ebonyi state

Jogs1900:
I guess you use USSD frequently...Each time you use USSD to check your balance or perform any other transaction, you are charged #7 naira (not sure).
I will advise you to download their app on your phone.

I don't use USSD. All my transactions are done in the firstbank App.

Front page please

COMRADES, this guy can't do nothing, you said; account statement corresponded with transaction, what else can you do? Nothing, just lay course on them and move on

Melagros:
COMRADES, this guy can't do nothing, you said; account statement corresponded with transaction, what else can you do? Nothing, just lay course on them and move on

Why debit all at once and not per sms sent?

I have once told them to cancel the Sms alert but they did nothing about it

Thugnificent:
Why debit all at once and not per sms sent?

I have once told them to cancel the Sms alert but they did nothing about it

Then go back to them and make the cancellation official. I wish you good luck

Melagros:

Then go back to them and make the cancellation official. I wish you good luck

Not only cancellation pls

I need a full refund of my money.

I don't have to suffer because of their incompetence.

Mods please FP 🥺

I don't think anything can be done by you in this situation to reverse the funds, you may end up wasting time and more money. Count your loss and move ahead.

callmemakaveli:
I don't think anything can be done by you in this situation to reverse the funds, you may end up wasting time and more money. Count your loss and move ahead.

count my loss?

So i should forget about 18k just like that.

Do you know how many sleepless nights in hunger i had to go thru to earn that money?

Thugnificent:
Thanks alot for the info. I was asking the same question only for them to lie that I normally don't have money in the account to debit on each transaction reason they decided to debit all at once. How do i contact them pls.

I am in Abakaliki Ebonyi state

just run a Google search on consumer protection council, you'll see their contact details. You can also search r their Ebonyi state address

MASTAkiLLAh:
just run a Google search on consumer protection council, you'll see their contact details. You can also search r their Ebonyi state address

Thanks alot. Will do that ASAP.

Thugnificent:
Thanks alot. Will do that ASAP.

that money has been debited and can't be reversed again. Another thing is you weren't making use of this account for a long time, why then where the bank charges accumulating

AnawallsE:
that money has been debited and can't be reversed again. Another thing is you weren't making use of this account for a long time, why then where the bank charges accumulating

I really don't understand why it was accumulating.

They used that as an excuse for the huge sms alert debit not knowing it has backfired against them.

Just posted about it on X

Hope it goes viral

Thugnificent:
count my loss?

So i should forget about 18k just like that.

Do you know how many sleepless nights in hunger i had to go thru to earn that money?

Sorry man.

Good day Nairalanders,

On the 16th of this month, I created this thread about First Bank criminality of stealing 18k from my account

Currently, i have been admitted to the psychiatric hospital because of this bank and the emotional stress they put me thru.

I was acting irrationally and abnormally which my family noticed and had to rush me to the hospital.

Let it be known that if anything happens to me, First Bank MUST be held responsible.

Thanks and God bless