'Disabled' Woman's Bank Account Pays a Stranger's Bill but She Doesn't Even Know What Money Is

When a woman was notified that her 'disabled' mother's bank account had made a payment to an unknown recipient, she was confused and tried to get answers.

In Tampa, Florida, a woman received an unexpected notification from her mother's banking account. This month, Lynn Frasche checked the account and realized a payment had been made to a company she didn't recognize.

There was a debit for $232.14. The name that accompanied this payment was "Duke Energy." Frasche knew it had to be a mistake because her mother had never been one of their customers.

SHE HANDLES HER MOTHER'S FINANCES

Her mother became disabled after she suffered a head injury and now lives in an assisted living facility. As a result, Frasche has power of attorney over her mother's finances.

The unexpected electric bill was unwelcomed because the older woman relied on every cent of her money. Frasche expressed: “There’s no explanation. I want an explanation, and she needs her money.”

COULD NOT COVER HER MOTHER'S EXPENSES

The upset woman continued to explain that her mother used her social security money to pay for her assisted care. She said: “I think it’s pretty bad. This is all the money she has ... and we came up short."

Frasche could not get past the customer service helpline until an outsider stepped in to help her get to the bottom of things.

Frasche indicated that she had to make a plan to ensure her mother was taken care of for the month. She shared that she had to borrow money to cover all of her mother's expenses in the assisted living facility.

DID NOT GET MUCH ASSISTANCE

Frasche said her interaction with the energy company was not very productive, and they suggested that her mother might have paid the bill on someone else's behalf. She found this suggestion comical and stated:

"[It] was quite funny since she can’t answer a telephone or dial it so I don’t know how she would give permission to do that.”

THE CASE WAS ESCALATED

Frasche could not get past the customer service helpline until an outsider stepped in to help her get to the bottom of things. Consumer Investigator Shannon Behnken jumped onto the case.

Behnken managed to reach the corporate office of Duke Energy. The company informed her that Frasche's case would be escalated soon and said they would investigate the suspected faulty bill payment.

THE ONLINE REACTION

Behnken has shared that she will remain on this story until the woman gets the necessary answers and a resolution. Commenters also weighed in and shared their opinions about the money, which was taken without apparent reason.

A user hoped they would be kept up to date on how the case progressed. Another person expressed: "Good job. Makes me wonder how many other times they've done this to others & gotten away with it..."