Consumer complaint received 2024-09-07
Product: Credit card — General-purpose credit card or charge card
Issue: Problem with a purchase shown on your statement — Credit card company isn't resolving a dispute about a purchase on your statement
Company: BMO Bank, N.A. (FL)

I was attempting to sell a couch & smaller items online via multiple locally-serviced e-commerce sites ( XXXX & XXXX ) for several weeks and finally found a local buyer, XXXX XXXX XXXX who initially messaged me on XX/XX/XXXX at XXXX : XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX Hello am interested in this can you text me XXXX XXXX XXXXXXXX so we can talk more about the pick up. 

On XX/XX/XXXX at XXXX, I sent a text message warning them that the couch has lived with me & my XXXX  cats, so if he is XXXX, I would not proceed, and received a response at XXXX, from XXXX  cousin XXXX from ( XXXX ) XXXX, saying XXXX would be in touch with me soon about it. 

XXXX claimed he had a cat, so this wouldnt be a problem, but he was out of town, and his cousin would pick up the couch up the following day if it was still available, offering to pay immediately via XXXX or XXXX. 
Yes, I fell for it. I never make online transfers, which may be what saved me from more loss, because my bank & lack of prior electronic transfers that arent from verified XXXX XXXX ( XXXX, XXXX ) freaked my bank out, especially on a long holiday weekend. 

I didnt receive any notifications of financial transfer attempts. XXXX claimed there was an issue, and sent a screenshot, which gave me faith that this was real. It was my 1st & last time at that rodeo. 

I then received an email alleging to be from XXXX, claiming that the money had been sent from XXXX, but was being held because I rarely transfer money online via non-fdic-associated & the activity looked suspicious. 

Usually I check headers of every single email, especially after the recent XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX  leaks, but because of the corroboration from XXXX & many other stressful factors, including why I was selling the couch in the first place, ( I want to stay housed ) made me react rather than think critically, even though I know in selling something, one should not have to pay their buyer. 

This is how I didnt notice that the email originated from XXXX and not XXXX or any subdomain, XXXX XXXX XXXX  or anything ending in XXXX - I had a XXXX XXXX  at age XXXX and the internet was different. 

I am autistic and when I am right, I will still be wrong. My suspicion is taken for paranoia and my kindness is seen as weakness. My intuition told me to not do any of it. My hope in people being decent prevailed & got crushed I called the number in the email, ( XXXX ) XXXX & immediately received an answer. Since I am losing work to XXXX  ( my union struck over it last year ) & XXXX  took over, Ive become accustomed to it taking work to get customer service reps on the phone. To get the same person over and over again without numeric menus or holds also felt wrong - I believe he gave his name as XXXX XXXX or a variation on that - and thats when can I send XXXX XXXX XXXX  via the XXXX XXXX XXXX in increments of {$400.00} XXXX and I did. Not one email address was duplicated - every attempt to a new email address. My bank locked me out again. What these people didnt know is that I live below the poverty line, receive food stamps, so I am the worst person to target for this. My brain began melting. I wanted to hang up and say eff this guy but I wanted to believe XXXX too. 

Then the Fake XXXX guy broke character and asked for the code my bank texted me, and I was done because I know that is not for anyone but me and an agent at my bank. I called my bank ( via the number on the back of my debit card ) & spoke to XXXX directly via my XXXX  need support or a callback? settings. My bank took a lot of pity on me, an XXXX wiped out all of todays charges, save for one that slipped through to my fathers credit card, explaining that to him will be great. 

I have all the text messages, many screenshots, my bank logged & can confirm the entire situation. I will find out by Wednesday how much damage they were able to undo, because I fear that the digital XXXX XXXX  value ( common scam/fraud tactic, I know ) was immediately cashed in. 

XXXX  XXXX XXXX forgave & reversed the hole I wound up in - BMO/Diners Club , a card my family has held for about 30 years, admonished me for my stupidity and has yet to meaningfully discuss the issue with me, this week has made me want to walk into the ocean, I feel like human trash.