Bank Fraud, Wire Fraud, and Credit Reporting Lawyer for DC, Maryland, and Virginia
PRACTICE AREAS · DC · MARYLAND · VIRGINIA
When a bank, payment app, or credit bureau gets it wrong,
the law gives you a way to fight back.
The Consumer Law Lab handles three kinds of cases in Washington, DC, Maryland, and Virginia: fraud on personal bank and payment accounts, fraud on business accounts, and credit reporting errors and identity theft.
FOR INDIVIDUALS
Bank fraud and electronic transfers
Scams, stolen logins, Zelle and Cash App fraud, and fraud claims the bank denied.
FOR BUSINESSES
Business payment fraud
Wire and ACH fraud, business email compromise, and forged or altered checks.
FOR INDIVIDUALS
Credit reporting and identity theft
Errors that stay after you dispute them, mixed credit files, and accounts opened in your name.
Read more below
PAYMENT FRAUD
Money left your account without your permission
When a bank or payment app refuses to return money taken from your account, federal law may require it to. The Electronic Fund Transfer Act and Regulation E cover debit cards, online and mobile transfers, ACH payments, ATM withdrawals, prepaid accounts, and payments through Zelle, Cash App, Venmo, and similar apps. Other rules cover wire transfers and international money transfers.
BUSINESS PAYMENT FRAUD
Your business lost money to wire, ACH, or check fraud
Business accounts fall under the Uniform Commercial Code rather than the consumer rules. Article 4A governs wire transfers and ACH payments, and Articles 3 and 4 govern checks. Those rules can move the loss back to the bank, but they come with deadlines that can cut off a claim.
CREDIT REPORTING AND IDENTITY THEFT
Credit report errors that won't get fixed
A credit report error can cost you a loan, raise your interest rate, or sink an apartment application. The Fair Credit Reporting Act requires credit bureaus to follow reasonable procedures to keep reports accurate. When you dispute an error, it requires both the bureau and the company that supplied the information to investigate.
30 days
for a credit bureau to finish investigating your dispute in most cases.
4 business days
for a bureau to block information that resulted from identity theft, once you send the required proof.
2 years
to bring a claim after you discover the violation, and no more than five years after it happened.
COMMON PROBLEMS
What people tell me happened
"The bureau verified an error I disputed."
Many disputes get only a quick electronic check: the bureau sends a code to the company that reported the item, and the company confirms its own records. The law requires a reasonable investigation. If you disputed with documents and the error stayed, the bureau or the company may have violated the Fair Credit Reporting Act.
"Accounts I never opened are on my report."
Identity theft often shows up first on a credit report. You have the right to block information that resulted from the theft. A company that keeps reporting a debt you do not owe after you have disputed it, or refuses to treat the account as fraud, may be breaking the law.
"My report shows someone else's information."
Bureaus sometimes merge people with similar names, addresses, or Social Security numbers into one file. A mixed file can put another person's debts, judgments, or late payments on your report. Once you point it out, the bureau has to take reasonable steps to fix it.
WHAT IT COSTS
When you win a case under the Electronic Fund Transfer Act or the Fair Credit Reporting Act, the company that broke the rules can be required to pay your reasonable attorney's fees. That lets me take many consumer cases without charging you a fee unless we recover money for you.
In some cases I may ask a client to cover court costs or other case expenses, and I will explain that before you hire me. Business matters are handled on a fee basis, and I will explain the cost before you hire me.
Talk to me before the deadlines run. I review every inquiry and respond within 2 business days.