Consumer complaint received 2023-05-10
Company: BANK OF AMERICA, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION
State: CA
Product: Credit card or prepaid card
Sub-product: Government benefit card
Issue: Problem with a purchase or transfer
Sub-issue: Charged for a purchase or transfer you did not make with the card

Complaint:
I filed for pandemic unemployment assistance around XX/XX/2020. I received my debit card in the mail on XX/XX/2020. I made several charges using the card on the day of XXXX, but was hospitalized for a XXXX in my XXXX XXXX XXXX on XXXX. My house was burglarized while I was admitted  to the hospital. My personal belongings ( cell phone, wallet, ID, SSN card, car keys, tools etc. and identifying information were stolen. I filed a police report to document the burglary. My XXXX account was hacked and compromised, presumably by the burglar. I was unable to verify my ID or regain access to my cell phone service ( and consequently, 2 factor authentication for my XXXX account, XXXX and related accounts ). I assumed incorrectly that the burglar would be unable to certify for benefits and that my money would be safe, until I received tax documentation showing that almost {$30000.00} was disbursed to my account over the course of the pandemic, for which I am legally liable, despite having never received them. I have filed identity theft affidavits with the IRS, FTC, and all three credit agencies. I have several accounts on my credit report that were opened fraudulently, and disputes are ongoing. I attempted to contact Bank of America in order to dispute the fraudulent charges made to my account. The customer service agents I spoke to ( over half a dozen calls, at least an hour long each ) incorrectly filed my dispute as two separate disputes, and for the wrong amount, omitting almost {$10000.00} of transactions I told them explicitly were fraudulent. The claims, which were defective in the first place, were ultimately denied despite the preponderance of evidence showing the charges were fraudulent. I have also attempted to have a new debit card mailed to me so that I can access the remaining balance on the card, and despite receiving emails showing that my card had been mailed, i never received it. I called two weeks later and was informed that there is a block on my account and that I would have to verify my ID in person at a local branch. However, I was able to verify my ID multiple times ( 10+ ) while filing the disputes, answering security questions, etc. Suddenly they are unable to verify my ID. My attempts to escalate my calls have been answered by customer service reps hanging up the phone on me multiple times, requiring me to completely start over the process of filing the claim multiple times. I have spent a ridiculous amount of time on the phone with bank of America for nothing. I have a valid ID.me account that they refuse to accept as valid identification despite having used the service in the course of verification for XXXX in the first place. Bank of America has, in effect, allowed fraudulent charges to be made by another individual, which I am explicitly protected from by the terms and conditions of my account.

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