Consumer complaint received 2022-10-04
Company: BANK OF AMERICA, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION
State: CT
Product: Credit card or prepaid card
Sub-product: General-purpose credit card or charge card
Issue: Getting a credit card
Sub-issue: Card opened as result of identity theft or fraud

Complaint:
On Monday XX/XX/2022 I received an email from Bank of America asking me to verify my email address. There was an XXXX number in the email. 
Today XXXX, I called the XXXX in the BOA email. I got to the deposit department. I was told that a checking account was opened in my name. I was transferred over to the fraud department at least that is where I was told I was going to be transferred to. 
I was told the transfer was a direct transfer however, it was a cold transfer. I held on hold for over 30 minutes. 
I hung up and called another number I found on line got the same department, the deposit department, I got transferred again to the fraud department but this time I left my name and phone number, in 10 minutes I had a call back from XXXX. 
She was very nice but.. was not able to help me. First of all in order to for her to look anything up I had to give her my ss #, XXXX! She found my name in the system but nothing else. 
She was not able to do anything about putting in a claim for fraud she would need to transfer me to another fraud department. 
She also said I needed to act fast because if someone put in an application for a checking account I needed to get it closed out fast. She said she was going to transfer me but she hung up on me instead. Before hanging up she did give the phone number for the application department. 
I called the application department and got in touch with XXXX. She stated that she was not able to look up an application for me because she was commercial applications not personal and she would need to transfer me. I begged her to look up to see if she was able to find any checking account application in my name. 
Now in the meantime I get another email from BOA this time advising me that a XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX Card application has been started but I needed to unfreeze my credit. 
XXXX put me on hold and looked up to see if she was able to find a checking account application in my name. She was not able to find anything but I was suspect. She said it was probably just the credit card and she would have to transfer me over to yet another fraud department to report the credit card as fraud. 
I called over to XXXX, I gave me the reference number for the credit card application. 
I asked XXXX in my name can be flagged in the BOA system in the event someone other than me tries to open a credit card, checking or anything. Well it seems I have already been there with BOA. This is my second complaint against this huge bank. 
It took me mover 2 hours to resolve my issue with BOA!! you get transferred and transferred because there are too many departments and no one even at BOA wants to help or transfers you to the correct department. 
Such a joke! 
I still do NOT feel comfortable that there is not another account being opened in my name at BOA. 
I have put a freeze on any XXXX  inquiries with XXXX. 
All of the these big banks like BOA need to have better organization and do more to protect the consumer against fraud. 
NO ONE AT BOA HAS A CLUE OR CARES TO HELP THEY JUST TRANSFER YOU TO ANY DEPARTMENT OR GIVE YOU WRONG PHONE NUMBERS TO CALL BECAUSE THE EMPLOYEES DO NOT EVEN KNOW THE CORRECT DEPARTMENT TO SEND YOU TO. THEY ARE TOO BIG TO CARE. 
Thank you

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 non-monetary relief