Consumer complaint received 2022-04-08
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: Card company isn't resolving a dispute about a purchase or transfer

Complaint:
Hello, This incident began back a few months back in XX/XX/XXXX. 

I received an email on XX/XX/XXXX from Bank of America notifying me that my profile information had been updated. See " XXXX - Bank of America - XXXX update confirmation ( Date of fraudulent activity ) '', in the attached documents for this claim. 

I had many things on my plate when I received this email, so I wasn't able to address this issue right away. In XX/XX/XXXX, my father was hospitalized, and my dog became very sick. By XX/XX/XXXX, my dad and my dog had passed away, so I have been delayed in dealing with these other financial issues until recently. 

Throughout XXXX and XXXX, I received a few notices from Bank of America stating there had been a block placed on my account due to suspicious activity. I've uploaded the two I kept as examples for the record. See " Notice ( s ) of Block on Prepaid Bank of America Account '', in the attached documents to this claim. 

With the fallout from my father and dog being deceased, it took me some time to address these notices. When I was finally able to call Bank of America on XX/XX/XXXX and see what had been going on with my account, I learned that the email address, password, and bank account linked to my Bank of America XXXX XXXX Account had all been changed without my authorization. During the call, I was asked by the representative if I had shared any information regarding my Bank of America Online Account login information or my XXXX Prepaid Card details. I assured them that I had my card locked up, had not shared any information ( even with family members ), and had only used the account for funds transfers from my XXXX account to my personal banking account. A document corroborating my phone call records with Bank of America is included in the documents for this claim. See " XXXX XXXX XXXX on XXXX '', with the specific calls to Bank of America highlighted in yellow and labeled.

To aid in the investigation, here is all the information I was able to gather regarding the linked fraudulent bank account. This was found on my Bank of America XXXX XXXX XXXX Account. ( The majority of the account number was not visible, so I have only the last XXXX digits of the account. ) - Account XXXX : Checking - Routing # : XXXX - Account # ( last XXXX digits ) : XXXX Note : I'm in no way associated with the account above. This was the bank account I found linked to my XXXX account after it had been compromised. 

I do not personally have the email address that the perpetrator used. Still, I imagine it should be on file with Bank of America because their representative helped me change it to my original email address. 

I had also learned from the Bank of America Fraud Claims Representative that on XX/XX/XXXX, all of the money in my account at the time -- {$2200.00} -- had been transferred into this new, mysteriously linked bank account. This occurred the same day as the " profile update '' email notice I received from Bank of America ( see attached documents ). I've highlighted in yellow and labeled evidence of the fraudulent funds transfer in the attached document, " XXXX XXXX XXXX - XXXX & Transactions '', included in this claim. This information was obtained through my Bank of America XXXX XXXX XXXX Account under " XXXX & Transactions. 

After I filed the fraud claim on XX/XX/XXXX, the Bank of America representative assisted me in changing all of my compromised account information, canceling my new card, and ordering a replacement card. I've included email confirmations in the attached document to corroborate this information. 
See documents : - " XXXX - Bank of America - XXXX update confirmation ( Date of initial fraud claim reported by cardholder ) '' - " XXXX - Bank of America - Account password change confirmation ( Date of initial fraud claim reported by cardholder ) '' - " XXXX - Bank of America- Your replacement card order ( Date of initial fraud claim reported by cardholder ) '' I waited to receive a decision from the claim for about XXXX weeks until a notice came in the mail from Bank of America XXXX XXXX XXXX dated XX/XX/XXXX, which I received personally on XX/XX/XXXX. I've attached the document to this claim. See document " Bank of America XXXX XXXX XXXX ''. 

In essence, the claim was denied, and the investigation found no evidence of fraud. I was shocked by the decision since the evidence seemed evident during my calls with Bank of America representatives. All of the information they needed should have been recorded in the notes during those calls, but for some reason, this was insufficient for them to determine fraud.

I called Bank of America Dispute Resolution Services on XX/XX/XXXX to complain about the decision. I spoke with a representative and asked to speak to someone higher up in the fraud department to find out why exactly my claim had been denied, but they told me there was nobody else I could contact to gain that information, and that they could not supply me with any other information on the claim. All the representative said they could do was reopen the claim and prompt them to investigate again/further. It sounded like a vague reassurance to me ; I wasn't convinced of their dedication to investigating further. The representative also advised me to write the fraud department a letter stating my side of the story and to describe the events in my own words to show that there was indeed a case of legitimate fraud. I proceeded with this advice and faxed the department a letter on XX/XX/XXXX to a fax number that the Bank of America Representative supplied me : XXXX ( XXXX ) XXXX. 

I've included the call records ( highlighted in yellow and labeled ) and the letter I sent to the Bank of America Fraud Department as documents attached to this claim to corroborate my contact with them on XX/XX/XXXX. 
See document ( XXXX ) : - " XXXX XXXX XXXX on XXXX '' - " Letter to Bank of America XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX letter I faxed over to Bank of America XXXX XX/XX/XXXX was the last bit of contact I've had with them. As of today, XX/XX/XXXX, I have not heard back from Bank of America in any capacity.

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