Consumer complaint received 2022-01-03
Company: BANK OF AMERICA, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION
State: OH
Product: Credit card or prepaid card
Sub-product: General-purpose credit card or charge card
Issue: Problem with a purchase shown on your statement
Sub-issue: Card was charged for something you did not purchase with the card

Complaint:
I am writing to contest the finding that XXXX fraudulent charges on my Bank of America MasterCard were in fact authorized charges. They were not. I did not authorize or receive anything for these XXXX charges, nor do I recognize the seller name. A XXXX search suggests that " XXXX '' means " Russian Gold '' ... which given the number of hackers and scams from XXXX towards the XXXX is rather suspicious. I definitely did not make foreign charges in that amount and would remember if I did. Further, the only other member of my household who could conceivably use the card -- my husband -- did not. I never contacted BoA in any way to later say the charges were correct, and if someone did, that was part of the fraud. 

The XXXX charges were on XX/XX/XXXX, and there were XXXX foreign transaction fees associated : " XXXX XXXX '' {$230.00}, {$7.00} fee " XXXX XXXX '' {$230.00}, {$7.00} fee Total : {$480.00} I have also been charged late fees by BoA for refusing to pay for these charges, which are the sole balance on this card. 

The denial notice said that BoA 's fraud department has determined that the purchases were made from my device. If so, my device was hacked or someone found a way to make it seem as if they were using my device. 

I have reason to believe that it is the latter. During the week of these fraudulent transactions, I received XXXX phone calls that I thought were valid Bank of America calls. My caller ID identified the calls with a checkmark and " Bank of America. '' Further, the phone number matched the one on the back of my card. Adding to the confusion was the fact that I'd recently had a genuine call from Bank of America ( verified through the banking app ) that was very similar. 

Each call was from a man who identified himself as from the Bank of America XXXX department. The speaker spoke in a professional manner and his script was very similar to the legitimate calls I'd recently had. 

In the first call, the speaker said that someone had attempted to change my mailing address within the Bank of America app. I said it was not me. It was a brief call and I suppose it was a way of building trust/legitimacy. I did confirm my mailing address ( it was read to me ), and I was never asked for my bank account number. 

The second and third calls likely completed the fraud. I was told that an attempt had been made to access my account. I was then instructed to read a verification number that was texted to my phone in order to start a claim. I did read that number out loud as it flashed across my screen. I suspect that this allowed the person to use my information on their device. The third call was very brief ; I was asked to repeat that number. 

Directly after this call, I was concerned and changed my Bank of America password and my XXXX ID password. I then saw the XXXX fraudulent charges and believed them to be the ones I had been called about. I called the number on the back of my card and filed the claim. 

I now have reason to believe, given the circumstances, that the XXXX calls I received were fraudulent. They were sophisticated and since I was not asked for my banking information I didn't have red flags come up. It seemed legitimate at the time. I sent records of these received calls to Bank of America with my claim, asking them to check on their end to see whether or not anyone from Bank of America actually called me. They did not respond to this question and denied my claim, stating that I had later contacted them to say that the charges were legitimate. I did no such thing and XXXX it was likely additional fraud by whoever perpetrated this scam. 

I feel foolish for not catching on to the scheme, but it was convincing. I request that this information be fully considered and I not be held liable for these XXXX charges or any associated fees. I have been a Bank of America customer for over XXXX years and have never filed a false claim. To be blunt, these transactions shouldn't even pass the straight-face test as legitimate, and it is insulting to be treated such a way by an institution I've entrusted my accounts with.

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