Consumer complaint received 2020-11-24
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: Charged for a purchase or transfer you did not make with the card

Complaint:
From XX/XX/2020 through XX/XX/2020 some person ( s ) withdrew a total of {$4900.00} and made multiple balance inquiries at various Bank of America ( BofA ) ATMs, a couple were at an XXXX ATM. I had my original card the entire time and never authorized, made, or had knowledge of these withdrawals or balance inquiries. I never went to any of these other cities where the fraud happened, nor did I give anyone my original, valid card to do so. I never left my very local area during all of XX/XX/2020. I never went to XXXX, XX/XX/XXXX, XXXX, XX/XX/XXXX, XXXX, XX/XX/XXXX or XXXX,XX/XX/XXXX. I never lost my original, true card during this time or any other time. My original, valid card was never in XXXX, XX/XX/XXXX, XXXX, XX/XX/XXXX, XXXX, XX/XX/XXXXor XXXX, XX/XX/XXXX or anywhere else these fraudulent activity happened. During this time period I did use my original, true card at various local stores in the XXXX XXXX XXXX, primarily XXXX the city where I live, XXXX, XX/XX/XXXXand XXXX, XX/XX/XXXX. I had no knowledge of any fraudulent withdrawals and balance inquiries the entire time. I did experience somewhere within the timeframe of XX/XX/2020 and XX/XX/2020 a card declined notice at a local grocer in XXXX, called BofA and via electronic or pre-recorded prompts was guided through charges that were indeed mine. None of the transactions during that call were not mine. During that call, all of the purchases that I was questioned electronically about were mine and I believe I was prompted to re-open the card. I am not sure if it was a prompt or what, I dont recall, the card was back on because all of the purchases that I was asked to review were mine. On a later date I was alerted to request to fix payment issue off an XXXX purchase and after some sleuthing I discovered all of these illegal withdrawals and balance inquiries in various counties and on both United States coasts while also on some days I used it in my local area, including XXXX, XX/XX/XXXX, XXXX, XX/XX/XXXX and XXXX, XX/XX/XXXX. That is absolutely impossible to be in multiple areas simultaneously. I called BofA and alerted them to the fraud and requested another card. I also made a fraud claim with a BofA rep. I was told that BofA would investigate it, it would take up to 45 days to have an answer and if there was no decision within 10 business day the money would be returned to me. I was completely shocked to have now received a denial letter from BofA. I naively thought that the bank has their ways to identify fraud and help their clients. I have absolutely nothing to do with any of these illegal withdrawals, or any of the illegal balance inquiries. Some of the days that the fake card was illegally used for ATM withdrawals and inquiries I had the original card and used it in my area. There are days that the fake card was used in a different county and on the opposite coast in XXXX,XX/XX/XXXX while I had also used it in my local area. BofA has the videos, it was their ATMs. I do not know the times that I used my original, valid card and also the fake card was used, but BofA likely has that information. I have nothing to do with this fraud. I want the fraud claim opened for reconsideration, I am requesting the documents that BofA relied on to make their denial and I want all stolen monies returned to my BofA account immediately. Another thing, now that I know a little more information about illegal debit card fraud due to this unfortunate event, why do the BofA EDD cards not have chips on the cards to better protect those of us receiving Unemployment Benefits? I will be submitting online screenshots of bank activity showing the fraudulent activity, and my denial letter from BofA. I am authorizing CFPB to publish my description on their website to help other innocent victims of card fraud and to show that Bank of America has failed this far in protecting my funds and resolving my issue.

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