Consumer complaint received 2016-10-12
Company: BANK OF AMERICA, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION
State: CA
Product: Credit card
Issue: Credit card protection / Debt protection

Complaint:
Bank of America needs to hold me harmless as their client. On XXXX/XXXX/2016 at approximately XXXX PST XXXX XXXX from BofA fraud dept. contacted me to state that I was a victim of an employment SCAM & the fraudulent company XXXX XXXX ( XXXX XXXX XXXX ) frauded me by stating they hired me as a Purchase Agent/Manager and I would be fronted money ( {$15000.00}. & {$12000.00}. on XXXX ) to my Personal BofA Visa card from the Company Checking account that my name was added. The Money ( $ XXXX ) was fronted to my personal VISA until I received my corporate Charge card in 2 weeks. In the meantime, in order to make purchases for my job the Company would make Payment on my Visa of $ XXXX & $ XXXX on XXXX. The payment was called into BofA Visa with Account # & Routing # via instruction from XXXX. Per BofA Visa, the $ XXXX & $ XXXX payment was PENDING CLEARANCE by BofA and credit would be released when cleared. After a couple days BofA cleared the payments and made the $ XXXX & $ XXXX as available on my Visa card. After that I was instructed by my XXXX ( New Employer ) to start my XXXX P.O. ( Purchase Order ) where on XXXX/XXXX/2016 I was instructed to purchase gift cards from XXXX, XXXX, XXXX, & XXXX. Purchases where made for {$27000.00} worth of gift cards as instructed as my XXXX assignment as a Purchasing Manager by XXXX. Once again I was to use the funds from payments of $ XXXX total by XXXX on my personal VISA until I received my XXXX Corporate Charge card in 2 weeks. I purchased the $ XXXX of gift cards with the understanding that BofA had cleared those payments, I was told by my Manager at XXXX ... '' good Job ''. I will give you another order after we make more payments to your Visa, stay tuned. I trusted Bank of America as their customer that the XXXX payments totaling $ XXXX had cleared and that if there is any liability to be had it is with BofA or the issuing bank. On XXXX/XXXX/2016 XXXX XXXX of BofA Fraud dept. contacted me to state that my VISA account was frozen and account closed due to Fraudulent Payments and activity. I was to cease contact with XXXX and contact the XXXX credit bureaus and place a 7 year FRAUD ALERT on my credit reports, XXXX of BofA instructed me to contact my local Police department in XXXX CA and make a Police Report, then go to my local BofA Branch and change my password and PIN # 's for my BofA accounts. I did make an XXXX Police report with Officer XXXX Report ( XXXX ) # XXXX ) on XXXX/XXXX/2016. Bank of America 's XXXX XXXX said she knew this was alot to take in but continued to state that even though BofA cleared the payments to my VISA to allow me to make Purchases ... that the Payments were REVERSED and that I would be responsible for the $ XXXX & $ XXXX payments that were reversed from the XXXX Account # and Routing # that BofA CLEARED. I trusted my Bank that they actually cleared the payments and BofA should not hold my liable when they CLEARED the Payments. XXXX created additional stress by stating that if I had trouble paying this back I could talk to a DEBT MANAGEMENT XXXX party non-profit Consumer Credit Counseling and they could give me guidance. I said to XXXX at BofA. " how could I be liable when you just stated that that I was the victim of an elaborate employment SCAM ''? Bank of America should be helping me as I am a faithful LONG TIME Customer of theirs. I should be held harmless. I told XXXX that I will be disputing the purchases of the {$27000.00} because the purchases were made based on BofA Clearing the $ XXXX & $ XXXX payments. BofA should not have cleared the payments if they knew it was fraud. As a long time customer of Bank of America, I should be held harmless and not liable for the payments that BofA cleared. Once again BofA said to me that I was the victim. FYI, I have filed a report with XXXX at the FTC on XXXX/XXXX/2016 Reference # XXXX. This claim and dispute is under investigation by BofA, I need help to hold me harmless.

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