A TikToker claimed money was getting taken out of her bank account for student loans without her knowledge, shedding light on some of the deceptive practices surrounding the student loan industry.
In a video that’s been viewed more than a million times, TikToker Bel (@khaibellamy) said she’d noticed that her bank account had dropped to -$44.50, despite not having used her debit card in weeks.
@khaibellamy This month has been vile #rant #storytime #foryou #banking #fyp ♬ original sound – Bel
“I don’t care if God is real,” Bel said in the video. “I’m not worshiping him. That hoe took my bank account balance of 25 ripe dollars and drained it to -$44.50. … If my father ever found out I was down to 25 ripe dollars, I would wave in the wind like a Canadian flag. I would not be allowed to live after that. Let alone being in -$44.50.”
“Your bank is like your ex,” Bel said. “You don’t want to hear from them.”
A couple of weeks went by, and Bel said she got an email from her bank that says she withdrew -$119. She said she then investigated more but later got locked out of her bank account. Fast forward, she said she got on the phone with a bank employee, who she said had a thick Spanish accent that was hard for her to decipher.
“I was this close to speaking my high school Spanish to this man just to see if I could get it done faster, …but this little Spanish bank man is my God. This man gave me $50 back,” she said.
After regaining access to her account, she said she discovered money was being taken out to pay her student loans.
“And I find out the person who’s been robbing me—my student loans, which I’m not even supposed to be paying off until two years from now,” Bel said. “And they’ve secretly been withdrawing money from my bank account this whole time.”
“I thought it was because I kept buying sushi and that was only about 50% of the reason. In conclusion, I don’t believe in God. I believe in the Spanish man from the bank,” she said.
Bel has not responded to the Daily Dot’s request for comment. Some people also pointed out that some student loans require people to start paying interest on the loan right away. According to Investopedia, it’s necessary to check if interest payments on a student loan are suspended or deferred while a person is still in school.
“Sadly some loans will start right after you get them which is horrible, others wait until you’re out of school,” a commenter said.
Overall though, people seemed largely sympathetic to her video, highlighting their own financial troubles.
“Banks are my worst nightmare,” one person said.
“The secondhand panic I feel when someone else goes into the negatives,” another person said.
