Consumer complaint received 2023-09-16
Product: Checking or savings account — Checking account
Issue: Opening an account — Didn't receive terms that were advertised
Company: BMO Bank, N.A. (CT)

I opened a BMO Relationship Checking account on XX/XX/2023 ( under an offer to receive a {$600.00} bonus if I received direct deposits of at least {$7500.00} within 90 days ). I was instantly approved for the account, and immediately was provided with my account number. I funded my account and I was able to set up online banking. 

Then a day or two later I received a voicemail asking me to call in for an " urgent '' issue. I spent half an hour on hold after calling in, and then after getting connected to an agent for a minute to inquire about the issue, they hung up on me. So I spent another half hour on hold calling back in that evening, only to be told the agent wasn't able to view my account and I needed to call back in the next day during the day. 

When I was able to call back in during the day, I finally was told that my account had been frozen for identity verification issues. I was told by the fraud team that to verify my identity, I needed to go to www.bmo.verification.com - this link is to a malicious site that attempted to infect both my phone and computer when I tried visiting it. It is unacceptable for a " fraud prevention '' team to give me misinformation and send me to a malicious website due to their negligence. When I brought it to the representative 's attention this was a malicious link they had given me, they were confused by this and took over another half hour of me waiting on hold (! ) before they finally gave me an email address and told me to send in a copy of my drivers license and a bill/statement showing my name address on it. They said once I sent in those documents, my account would be unfrozen and all set. 

The email address they gave me was XXXX. I couldn't find anything on the internet about this email address and it seemed a little odd, and given the previous misinformation with the malicious link and how sketchy everyone was acting, I messaged BMO on XXXX  ( formerly XXXX ) to confirm this was a valid BMO email address for me to send my verification documents to. They confirmed via XXXX  direct message that this was the correct email. So I emailed in the requested documents to that provided email address, and immediately received an auto-reply message saying that email address is no longer monitored and to send any messages to XXXX instead. I sent the documents over to that email address as well. I then messaged BMO on XXXX to confirm that XXXX was monitored and the right email address for me to send the docs to and get my account unfrozen. And they replied telling me I need to call back in again. 

This is absurd the incompetence and lack of caring about assisting me I have experienced. If I call back in again, I am likely to just be on the same merry-go-round of waiting on hold for an hour before being told inaccurate information by a representative. I don't understand why it's so difficult to give me simple information about why I received a voicemail and what I need to do within me having to spend multiple hours wasting my time without receiving any accurate information or answers. 

I request that you perform XXXX of the XXXX following remediation options : XXXX. Immediately unlock my account and online banking access based on the requested verification documents I sent in to XXXX. 

XXXX. If you are unable to unfreeze my account, then please close my account and compensate me {$100.00} an hour for the time that has been wasted with misinformation, plus financial coverage for virus remediation software and/or replacement of devices due to being directed by a BMO representative to visit a malicious/virus attack website ( www.bmo.verification.com ) in order to " verify my identity ''. I have spent at least XXXX hours on the phone, on hold, etc. dealing with this issue, so the minimum appropriate remuneration to provide me with would be at least {$300.00}.