Consumer complaint received 2024-05-20
Product: Checking or savings account — Checking account
Issue: Managing an account — Problem using a debit or ATM card
Company: BANK OF AMERICA, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION (FL)

I applied for a Bank of America checking account back in XX/XX/XXXX. They stated they could not open a bank account for me based off of credit information. In XX/XX/XXXX, I had a check from a settlement for a personal injury that had happened and I was told I couldn't cash it at XXXX and I had to take it to the bank. So XX/XX/XXXX I went to Bank of America to cash the check and they told me I couldn't cash it that I needed to deposit it, so I did. It was for {$29000.00}, so I split half to the checking half in savings. Because I had earlier received a small PUA backpayment I was still living fine off of that and I just was going to wait until I needed the BOA money to use it. I went to the atm the same day to try to make sure the money was in it through the atm with the virtual card. It was so i left. So, from XX/XX/XXXX until XX/XX/XXXX, i then called XXXX because I waited for my card in the mail and because the person I live with went to jail, and there was a no contact order in place, i couldn't go and get the mailbox key from him/jail. So I contacted Bank of America and explained my situation, and asked if instead of having a debit card sent to my home, considering the circumstances, if I could come in and pick XXXX up she stated no and stated she would be sending out a different debit card. So by then I'd say it was around XXXX XXXX or so that I finally received the debit card by waiting outside and ahowing the deliverywoman my ID and asked if i could please have the mail and at that moment she did, .and I was excited. I activated it and left it on my dresser drawer in my bedroom. It was going good until a woman asked me to run her to XXXX for gas money and I figured okay and I did. But then when she got of of my vehicle I noticed my little pocket book and phone were missing. And because she was in a motel I wasn't sure what room she was in because she got out of the car so quick and I just drove Away. I XXXX have dropped her off and noticed about XXXX mins after that my things were missing. I hadn't realized she asked me to use the phone, and i let her. I panicked and was furious at the same time because she had taken the phone and my money and because when I went home I realized I had no card, to call in order to get the statements and ask them to freeze the card. So I had to wait until I was around a phone to call and tell them what happened and to put a freeze on the account. I contacted the bank and explained the issue and that there was no way any one can go through {$29000.00} in a matter of a month. So then I looked more into my statements around XXXX XXXX and I noticed alot of " back to back '' charges that I was concerned about so I went to the Acutral B.O.A location and explained to the woman, XXXX, the situation and she decided to close the account, and open a new one. Because it showed {$3800.00} overdrafted I had no choice but to open the second account, so if I had deposits they would go to the new one. There were a few temporary credits added back to the old account, expect becaue it was overdrafted, i had to fix the balance on the account first and if any money left would go to the new account. I filed the first claim for {$8400.00}, and XXXX asked about a few more transactions that looked to be unauthorized in which they were. It was around {$3400.00}. So she opened that new account told me to wait until I received my new card in mail and someone will be in contact with me reguarding the issues because she, herself could not do anything besides have it looked into. So a few days went by and I went back in to BOA to see what was going on, and I did this for about a month. I still to this day was railroaded and told different things by different employers because if I called BOA employees were almost lost to what I was stating and I still haven't had any luck to this day. The only excuse they gave me was, that the transactions were authorized by me or by someone I know. And I explained why that was incorrect and the banker, XXXX XXXX never returned any of my calls and just sent a packet of statements to my house. I, still to this day, have tried calling and figuring.it out but there was a point that when I did call, it goes straight to her business voice-mail.