Consumer complaint received 2023-08-26
Company: BANK OF AMERICA, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION
State: NY
Product: Money transfer, virtual currency, or money service
Sub-product: International money transfer
Issue: Fraud or scam

Complaint:
I am writing to file a formal complaint against Bank of America regarding a series of wire transfers that transpired in XXXX, XX/XX/2023, which I believe have exposed significant lapses in their security and customer protection protocols. These events have had a profoundly negative impact on my financial well-being and emotional state. 

In late May, I received a scam call from XXXX informing me about a phone number under my name that had been sending fraudulent messages. To address this issue, I was connected to an individual who claimed to be a XXXX police officer. This individual manipulated me into believing that I was involved in a secret international money laundering case and that my personal information had been compromised. I was fraud which I totally have no idea and sent totally XXXX international wire transfers to XXXX and totally around $ XXXX. 

The events that followed are deeply troubling : XXXX. Failure to Protect Customer : Bank of America facilitated multiple wire transfers totaling a substantial amount to a XXXX XXXX bank without any substantial safeguards. It was my first time attempting wire transfers of such magnitude, and I was left vulnerable to financial exploitation without any protective measures in place. 
This is the first time I use my account to do wire transfer, and this is huge amount of money. And this is international wire transfer. 
No one from the bank has been texting me to confirm or remind, No one from the bank has been calling me to confirm or remind, No one from the bank has ask me to go in person to confirm or remind to do wire transfers, all leave me online. 

2. Lack of Fraud Notification : Despite the unusual and suspicious nature of these transactions, Bank of America did not exercise due diligence in notifying me of the potential fraudulent activity. No alerts were issued to caution me against the transfers or to verify their legitimacy. 

3. Inadequate Verification Procedures : Bank of America allowed these transactions to occur solely through online channels without requesting in-person verification, which could have served as an additional layer of security. 

XXXX. Failure to Detect Suspicious Activity : Bank of America 's systems should have detected and flagged these transactions as unusual and potentially fraudulent, given the circumstances and the magnitude of funds involved. 

In this case, I believe Bank of America shares a significant portion of the responsibility for these events. I urge the CFPB to consider the bank 's accountability in this matter and request that Bank of America return 50 % of the fraudulently transferred funds to my account as a demonstration of their acknowledgment of their role in this situation. While I understand that I should have been more vigilant, I also believe that the bank could have taken measures to prevent this incident. 

I AM NOT SAYING THAT THE BANK SHOULD 100 % RETURN MY MONEY BACK. I ONLY WANT THE BANK TO TAKE THEIR PART OF RESPONSIBILITY, WHICH IS 50 % OF THE FRAUD PROTECTION. AND RETURN 50 % OF MY MONEY BACK. 

I kindly request the CFPB 's intervention in this matter to ensure that Bank of America thoroughly investigates and addresses these grave lapses in security and customer protection. Additionally, I request your assistance in any potential efforts to recover 50 % of the funds that were fraudulently transferred from my account. 

Thank you for your prompt attention to this matter. I look forward to your response and assistance in resolving this distressing situation.

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 explanation