Consumer complaint received 2023-02-27
Company: BANK OF AMERICA, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION
State: FL
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:
On XX/XX/XXXX, I was reviewing my Bank of America account. I noticed that charges had been made to my two Bank of America credit card accounts totaling {$25000.00}. The next day I contacted BOA and filed a fraud report. The transactions were dated XX/XX/XXXX. BOA initiated an investigation and suspended the debt on my cards. 

I remember the date as on the same day my e-mail had been flooded with about 200 unsolicited messages from a variety of global businesses, charities, political organizations, etc. 

On XX/XX/XXXX. XXXX I received a letter from a company called XXXX XXXX advising that their on-line system had been hacked and my social security number had been accessed fraudulently by a third-party 0n XX/XX/XXXX. I forwarded copies of the letter to Bank of America and on XX/XX/XXXX filed a report with the XXXX XXXXXXXX XXXX. I had never done business with XXXX. 

I contacted Bank of America several times in the meantime, and gave them the name, phone number and e-mail address of the detective assigned to the case. They gave me an e-mail address where the detective could fax information on the investigation, and I gave that to the detective. 

In speaking with Bank of America, I learned that the transaction was a credit card balance transfer from XXXX XXXX to my BOA credit cards. I have never done business with XXXX, have no accounts or credit cards there, and I have never had any outstanding balance on any card over about {$1500.00}. This information can be verified through my credit reports from all three agencies. 

On XX/XX/XXXX BOA denied my claim and listed the {$25000.00} on the credit cards ( {$9000.00} on one, {$16000.00} on the other ) as being my responsibility to pay. Their letter stated, in part : " XXXX, unfortunately, were unable to approve your recent claim. 
Our research included the information you provided with your claim, your account history, the monthly account statements we sent you and if available, information from the merchant, such as a signed receipt or contract. We made this decision because : We confirmed that the charge on your card either covered an overdraft on your linked deposit account as part of your Balance Connect for overdraft protection or was a balance transfer that went directly into an account in your name. '' I was also advised I need to make payments on the accounts. 

So far as I know, I am not enrolled in " Balance Connect '' and the funds did not go into an account in my name. I have requested, but not received, the documents they used to make this decision. I attempted to find out information from XXXXXXXX XXXX XXXX as did the detective. However, they say that since I do not have an account with them, they can not provide any information. 

On XX/XX/XXXX I contacted BOA to continue to dispute the charges. I also faxed them a copy of the completed police report. They re-opened the investigation but are still holding me responsible for the charges and for making payments on the debt.

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