Philly woman struggled for months to recover stolen identity, bank accounts until KYW stepped in

PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Imagine walking into a bank to change your address, only to discover all your money is gone.

Claudia Qeisi, of Philadelphia, had thousands of dollars in two PNC Bank accounts for her children. After her family moved, she went to a branch to change her address, but they couldn’t find the account.

Eventually, they were able to locate it and told her the account had been closed for a year … and the money, wiped out.

She learned someone made a fake driver’s license in her name and took the money.

“I said to them, ‘Ya know, I would be to blame if I had the money under my mattress and someone came to my house and stole it, but it was under your care, and I am trusting that you are protecting my money.”

Qeisi called every two weeks for six months to check on the investigation. She filed a police report, a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission, and spoke with the Credit Bureau — all steps you're supposed to take if someone steals your identity — but for months was told it was not a valid claim.

Then, she called KYW. We contacted PNC with her story, and within a week she got a call.

“She contacted me and said she was going to be sending me a check for the total amount in both accounts,” Qeisi said.

She says this experience has made her more vigilant of everything.

A spokesperson for the bank said, in part, they “take these matters very seriously and review and investigate allegations of fraud in line with company policies.”

For information on what to do if your identity has been stolen, click here .