Consumer complaint received 2021-04-27
Company: BANK OF AMERICA, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION
State: PA
Product: Money transfer, virtual currency, or money service
Sub-product: Domestic (US) money transfer
Issue: Fraud or scam

Complaint:
On XX/XX/2021, my husband received an email from XXXX indicating that his account had been compromised and asked that he call a given telephone number for assistance. My husband called the telephone listed on the email and spoke to an agent who gave him several confusing explanations as to what and how his account had been compromised, none of which made sense to him. My husband became suspicious and told them that he was going to contact our bank, Bank of America, but the agent insisted that he not call the bank because they would not help us with his XXXX account. Further, the agent insisted that he transfer money to them to resolve the issue. Not knowing whether to believe this person or not, my husband asked me to help him, thus I took over communications with this agent. I was also given confusing explanations and warnings not to contact our bank and through demands and intimidation was convinced to create an email account thru XXXX to make money transfers to them, to a provided email address. In my confusion and efforts to rectify my husband 's XXXX account, I made three money transfers to the email provided for a total of {$3400.00}. 
I would like to emphasize that both my husband and I are senior citizens who are well educated, with graduate degrees, and have professional employment. We are well aware of scammers and are consistently vigilant, even so, this agent was so convincing and insistent that I was convinced to make three XXXX transfers to the email provided : XXXX XXXX XXXX noted on our bank statement ). With each transfer demand, I grew more and more suspicious until I was asked to make the fourth transfer of over {$5000.00}, it was then that I told him that I was hanging up and contacting the bank. When I ended the call with the agent, he called back several times but I did not answer the call anymore. 

Noting the telephone number from the " agent '', I immediately called Bank of America 's XXXX Fraud department and provided them with all the information. I told the bank agent that we had been scammed and asked them to stop the money transfers. They told me they could not and I was assured that they would conduct an investigation, further, I was assured there was a high probability our money would be returned, all we had to do was wait for 90 days while the fraud department pursued their investigation. They told me that I did not have to do anything further. Several weeks went by, I got anxious and called the XXXX Fraud department to inquire about the progress, they told me that they had located the bank to which the money had been transferred and they had requested the money be returned to us but that nothing had been resolved. I was asked to continue to wait. Stressed and lacking any information on the progress of the investigation, not to mention being out of {$3400.00}, a few weeks later I called the fraud department again. This time, the bank agent who answered my call became irritated and rude with my request for information. Basically, he told me not to call again, I would be contacted at the end of the 90 days. Image how stressed that made me! I made a note on my calendar to call back after 90 days. I call for the third time after the 90 days XXXX first week of XX/XX/2021 XXXX, it was then that I was told that my claim was not approved. 

Understandably, I became agitated and demanded answers : Why? How was this determination made? What did they discover during the investigation? Especially when I had provided the fraud department with all the information necessary to track down the scammers. I had given them the email where the money was transferred, I had provided the telephone number of the person who scammed us, they knew which bank had received our money transfers, what happened? Because I had not received any letter from Bank of America, I insisted they send me a digital copy of the letter thru my email account ( BTW could not be retrieved thru XXXX XXXX, the letter provided little, if any, supporting information, only indicated that I should request the documents that support their decision by calling ( XXXX ) XXXX. This is outrageous, why not provide this information along with the letter? When I requested the information digitally, thru my email, why was this not provided? Why am I subjected to waiting for a letter thru the US Postal Service which has been so unreliable? Obviously, the agent was apologetic and thankfully empathic, but he merely advised me to contact the Police Department to report the fraud and have them investigate it further. Really? After 90 days had transpired! I immediately contacted the Pennsylvania State Police and have obtained an Incident Investigation Case Number XXXX dated XX/XX/2021. The police officer informed me that there was little they could do since it was reported 90 days after it occurred. 
We believe that we were not properly advised by any of the agents at Bank of America. We should have been advised to a ) Immediately contact the Police Department b ) Initiate a XXXX ChargeBack with DONOTPAY to stop the transfer As of yesterday ( XX/XX/XXXX ), I have called the bank three times to request the supporting documents for the rejection of my claim. No information has been sent to me. However, the agent finally told me that they would not release that information to me. Call the Police department or get recourse thru the courts was his reply.

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