South suburban woman says bank wouldn't reverse fraudulent debit charges until I-Team stepped in

SAUK VILLAGE, Ill. (WLS) -- Many of us have disputed fraudulent charges on a credit card or debit card but what happens if you can't get those transactions reversed?

One woman said she reported suspicious charges totaling $1,100 in fraudulent transactions to her bank immediately, but she could not get her money back until she called the I-Team.

"I got a fraud alert on my card," said Renay Smith of south suburban Sauk Village.

Smith filed a fraud report with her GreenDot Bank debit card shortly after she received those fraud alert texts for $1,100 spent on May 7 at grocery stores in Florida.

"I haven't been to Florida in God knows how long, so it wasn't me," she said.

That money is cash that comes out of her account. Smith's paycheck goes directly into her Green Dot debit card.

It's unclear how the fraudsters in Florida may have obtained Smith's card information. She filed a police report in addition to reaching out to her bank and was told she would get the money back shortly after filling out a claim form for fraud. That didn't happen.

"Here it is June, July , August, I still haven't gotten my money. I need my money," Smith said.

Days after the I-Team emailed GreenDot on her behalf, Smith received a refund check.

"You're my angel, you came through for me," Smith said.

GreenDot Bank would only say, "Wanted to follow up and let you know our team has been in touch directly with the customer and resolved their issue."

Like Smith, you should always have push alerts or text alerts activated in case your bank spots fraudulent activity.

Check your account balances regularly. If you're a victim, get new accounts immediately and change your PIN if it's a debit card.