Consumer complaint received 2020-06-12
Company: BANK OF AMERICA, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION
State: CA
Product: Money transfer, virtual currency, or money service
Sub-product: Domestic (US) money transfer
Issue: Fraud or scam

Complaint:
On XX/XX/2020 I attempted to resolve an issue I had with XXXX about some merchandise I had not received. I searched for a number to contact at XXXX on XXXX to file a claim and I reached who I first believed was from XXXX. I quickly realized that person that I had been dealing with over the phone ( who claimed to be from XXXX ) did not seem credible because of the information that he was attempting to get from me asking for my banking information but I became suspicious I refused to provide him any information except for my XXXX account information and I immediately ended the call. 

( I later confirmed the person claiming to be from XXXX was not from XXXXl ) I immediately opened my Bank of America mobile app and checked both my checking and my savings accounts to ensure there were no unusual banking transactions my wife and I had not made. I checked our credit card accounts and there were no unusual transactions. I clicked on the XXXX page and went to the XXXX Activity page and there was a pending transaction listed for {$990.00} that I knew nothing about, a transaction that my wife and I had NOT initiated or approved. I noticed that the XXXX transaction I had called about was currently on hold for Security Reasons and I inquired why XXXX showed the transaction on a Security hold and I was told that Bank of Americas Security Department determined that there was something suspicious about the transaction and they had placed it on hold to check it out. 
I reminded the Bank of America operator that the reason I had called Bank of America was because I had seen the transaction and that there was no question that it was fraudulent. I told her since Bank of America had the transaction on hold and I knew it was not a transaction that I had initiated or approved and that I did not know the person the money was expected to go to and that Bank of America and XXXX should not NOT to release the money. I was told that unless Bank of Americas Security Department had already contacted me to verify if it was a valid transaction or had contacted her department telling them not to release the money, they had to release the money because of XXXX promise to its customers for immediate money transfers. I told the Bank of America operator that the transaction was definitely fraudulent and NOT to release my money. 


After contacting Bank of America Customer Service to advise them about this fraudulent claim, she transferred me to the Bank of Americas Fraud Department but I got transferred from one department to another between their Fraud Department to their Scam Department several times because no one wanted to accept if my claim was fraud or a scam. Eventually a person with the Scam Department  agreed to file a fraud claim for me. 

The following day XX/XX/2020, my money ( {$990.00} ) was released through XXXX to the person who I do not know even though I had already advised Bank of America that the transaction was fraudulent and even their own Security Department had suspected something was suspicious and had placed the transaction on hold and after I had told them not to release the money. 

About a week later, I received a letter from Bank of America dated XX/XX/2020 advising me that they had denied my claim recommending that I directly contact the person the money was sent to ( a person I do not know ) for further assistance. Again I called the Bank of America Scam Department again and having to listen to the person tell me about XXXX marketing promises to their customers about quick money transfers, I advised them that I wanted my claim reinvestigated. The Bank of America Scam operator advised me that they would reinvestigate my claim but the investigation probably would not change and unless I was able to determine who got my money, I probably would never get my money back. Its now been 4 weeks since that call and I have not heard anything more from Bank of America or XXXX. 

Bank of America and its affiliate XXXX, dont seem to be taking me serious that they knowingly released {$990.00} of my money from my Savings Account after they had been made aware my money was currently On Hold.By them For Security Reasons. 

Now Bank of America and XXXX expect me to contact the fraudulent person who received the money to resolve the matter even though I have no idea who this person is or how to get in hold of him/her. 

Bank of America and XXXX seem to believe that they are not compensable and with exception of the actions of a fraudulent person, I believe that Bank of America and XXXX by releasing my money without any written or verbal authorization from me to release it, are culpable and should refund my {$990.00} to me. I feel Bank of America and XXXX should identify the fraudulent person that they knowingly released the money to so they can recuperate the money from him/her. 

I did nothing wrong and I was the one who discovered the fraud and obviously Bank of Americas Security Department saw that there was something suspicious about the transaction and placed it on a Security hold but Bank of America and XXXX released the money and pretty much are telling me bless I can find the fraudulent person and get the money from him, I will never get my {$990.00} back. 

Im at wits end here and I dont really know how to proceed. My wife and I are both retired and Im XXXX and we are not able and can not afford to loose this money. 

Is there anything you can do to assist us in this matter and provide us with direction on how to get our money back from Bank of America and XXXX?

Company public response: Company has responded to the consumer and the CFPB and chooses not to provide a public response
Company response to consumer: Closed with monetary relief