Consumer complaint received 2023-01-02
Company: BANK OF AMERICA, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION
State: IL
Product: Money transfer, virtual currency, or money service
Sub-product: Domestic (US) money transfer
Issue: Fraud or scam

Complaint:
On XX/XX/22, I received an automated text from Bank of America asking if I had used to my debit card for a {$0.00} transaction to which I replied NO. Then, I received a text back stating that my card was restricted. Then on XX/XX/22 at XXXX, I received another text which I thought was automated and from Bank of America Fraud Department asking if I had made a {$3500.00} transfer via XXXX to which I immediately replied NO. Then immediately at XXXX, I received a call. It was a gentleman who said was an employee of and calling from Bank of America. The purpose of his call was to help me transfer my funds from my savings account to a new account then close my compromised account. That day, he had me try transferring {$3000.00} through XXXX and told me not to access my bank app for XXXX hours and he would call me the next day. Next day came, XX/XX/22, and the same gentleman called me. According to my XXXX activity, the {$3000.00} did not go through and was cancelled. So he had me try transferring {$500.00} and {$2500.00} which did go through according to my XXXX activity and again, told me not to access my bank app for XXXX hours and he would call me again the next day. Next day came, XX/XX/22, and the same gentleman called me and he had me transfer {$500.00} and {$3000.00} which also went through according to my XXXX activity and again, told me not to access my bank app for XXXX hours and he would call me again the next day. Next day came, XX/XX/22, and the same gentleman called me and he had me transfer {$3000.00} and {$500.00} which also went through according to my XXXX activity and again, told me not to access my bank app for XXXX hours. He told me he would call me the next day on XX/XX/22 at XXXX. That was the last time I heard from him. The next day came and he never called. At this time, I had to flown to XXXX, XXXX  for the XXXX weekend. I called Bank of America via its mobile app on XX/XX/22 on the status of this new account the supposed male bank employer was helping me open. After almost an hour of holding, I finally got a hold of a separate gentleman and explained to him my situation. He was seeing no records on his end and eventually asks me if I was sure that the gentleman I spoke to was an employer of Bank of America. I began to reply yes but then made a realization- I asked him, " If you're telling me that I just got scammed.. '' - and started to cry over the phone. The gentleman expressed his apologies and transfers me to the XXXX department immediately. I am still on hold and have been on the phone for over an hour and my XXXX died and my phone was on low battery and I knew I couldn't resolve this issue in XXXX miles away from home. On XX/XX/22, I arrived home late and past bank hours. The next day on XX/XX/22, I went to my local bank, explained my situation and was guided through to get a hold of someone from the XXXX Department over the phone which I finally did after more than an hour of holding. I filed my claim and I was told it'd be expedited and I'd receive a credit within XXXX business days and to call again on XX/XX/22 to check on the status of my claim. That same day, I went to my local police department and filed a police/fraud report. On XX/XX/22, I called the recall request team phone number that was provided to me by my bank for a status on my claim and I was told the initial bank representative that took down my information initially didn't write down a monetary value of the funds I lost ( which was {$9500.00} ) so a new claim had to be filed and also expedited. So I was starting from Day XXXX again. XXXX days to receive a credit should've already happened on XX/XX/22 based on the initial claim then again on XX/XX/22 since I had to file my claim again and start anew. This made me call the recall request team number again on XX/XX/22. I was told my claim was still pending and my claim was on XXXX XXXX. XXXX days to receive a credit turned into XXXX days. I've been calling since and am still waiting for my credit. On XX/XX/22, I called for a status on my claim and was told to reach out to the recipient of the funds aka the scammer. I don't know his name. I don't know his whereabouts. I don't even know if the number he used is actually his or that of a burner phone. It's silly for me to do the bank 's job and have me reach out to this person and fight for my money. Who's to say he won't block me if the number he used is real? Or a dead end if it was a burner phone or he used a fake number? The female representative also said that she wasn't authorized to tell me more which I thought was absurd. This is my money that I have long worked hard for. How couldn't she tell me details of my own claim/investigation? She acted like she didn't know which bank the funds were transferred to which I know was a lie because the first female representative I spoke to over the phone on XX/XX/22 who initially transferred me to the XXXX department seemed like she found the bank with no problem and made it seem it'd be easy to get my money back. Before XX/XX/22, I called the recall request team number again and was told that a letter was sent out and the representative read verbatim the extent of the letter that the bank itself couldn't refund me, which I was told from the very beginning, but that the claim/investigation was still ongoing.

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