Grieving Queens mother says money went missing from her son's account years after his death
NEW YORK -- Jackson Heights resident Lillian Wong says withdrawals are being made from her son Brion's bank account years after his death.
Brion Wong was in the midst of moving home to Queens in 2020 when he died from COVID-19. Years later, she got the unexpected update from Webster Bank -- a string of transfers at varying intervals from his account, an account she says the bank agreed to freeze upon his death four years ago.
"Each debit was $100 exactly," she said. "If the account was frozen, who authorized all these deductions?"
She says the bank declined to reimburse $700 of the $800 missing, claiming too much time had passed. Without account access, Wong wonders how she could have known sooner.
Webster Bank did not respond to CBS New York's questions about policy but said in a statement in part, "We are confident we will be able to address and remedy the issue promptly."
Experts say banks can impose a time limit for reporting fraudulent charges. Customers who feel an issue was resolved unfairly can file a complaint with the United States Consumer Financial Protection Bureau or locally with the New York State Department of Financial Services.
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