“It’s unbelievable. GTBank just reversed the money. I just received the credit alert. I’m deeply grateful, FIJ. Thank you so much. I can’t thank you enough.”
Those were the words of Thomas Anu (not real name), the Makurdi resident whose N1.056 million, deducted from his Guaranty Trust Bank (GTB) account in November, failed to reach its destination for over a month.
He revealed that the money was reversed to his account on Wednesday, the day after FIJ published a report on the delayed transaction.
READ MORE: GTBank Customer’s N1m Yet to Reach Destination 40 Days Later
FIJ’s initial report detailed how the customer had tried funding his account on Bangbet, an online sports betting platform, on November 29 via his GTBank mobile app.
He initiated three transactions of N300,000, N698,800 and N57,000 respectively on that day, and his bank account was debited.
Though receipts he obtained via his GTBank mobile app showed that the three transactions were ‘successful’, his Bangbet wallet was not credited with the amount.
When Anu contacted the betting platform, he was told that the transactions were not yet on their end. Bangbet then advised him to contact GTBank to request a refund.
That was the beginning of a journey of futile efforts for Anu. He said he spent over N20,000 on transportation, visiting GTBank branches to complain about the missing funds.
He also contacted the bank via email, tagged them on X and called several times, yet he got no positive response.
Even when GTBank finally responded to his email, the bank told him that his inquiry would be resolved on or before December 16. He did not get the desired resolution.
READ ALSO: GTBank Returns Gas Retailer’s N629,122 After FIJ’s Intervention
Devastated by the lack of positive response on how he would recoup his N1.056 million, Anu contacted FIJ. FIJ contacted GTBank and Bangbet before publishing a report on the customer’s experience.
While Bangbet told FIJ that Anu’s bank was in the rightful position to run a trace and possibly salvage the funds, the bank told our reporter that the complaint was getting required attention.
The news report went live on Tuesday, and Anu got his money the next day.
The post After FIJ’s Story, GTBank Returns Customer’s N1m Stuck for Weeks appeared first on Foundation For Investigative Journalism.