Consumer complaint received 2024-02-29
Product: Money transfer, virtual currency, or money service — Domestic (US) money transfer
Issue: Fraud or scam — 
Company: BANK OF AMERICA, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION (SC)

Hi my name is XXXX XXXX, XXXX XX/XX/XXXX, I had a phone call one day relating to a loan offer. I was in the process that day of trying to obtain a loan. This particular phone call impersonation came from a company well known called lending tree, but it wasn't lending tree that was calling it was a scammer. They obtained my banking info that I had with Bank of America because I told them by info because I thought they needed it because they were a loan company and I'm new to this so I don't know too much about scams. Well the scammer got on my bank account and disputed two transactions that have already took in place, both were close to {$1000.00} a piece. When the bank seen the disputes they immediately reimbursed my bank account with those funds. The scammer then told me to log on to my cash app to request both of those transactions that were disputed together out of my bank account straight into my personal XXXX XXXX. He told me that this process was for verification reasoning that my cash app worked so I can receive the rest of the loan that he owed me. The money sure enough deposited onto my cash app, meanwhile I had no idea where the money was coming from at the moment. Once I received that verification through the funding source he provided ( my Bank of America acct. ), He then ordered me to send that money through cash app to his account on cash app, so I did. He explained the purpose of that was because he had to gather the rest of the funds by the next day and for verification reasonings as stated earlier. So I figured it was pointless talking to him over the phone. So I asked him if there's anything else and he said he will keep me posted at XXXX in the morning the next day. I said okay and that was that as far as the phone call. I got curious and logged on to my bank and noticed there were XXXX disputed transactions that I did not authorize and both of those transactions almost equaled up to {$2000.00}. Me being the person I am I quickly freaked out and froze up because I've never dealt with anything like this and I didn't know what to do so I disputed the transaction with cash app. I forgot to call my bank about the fraudulent activity but that was definitely next on my list. The following day ( XX/XX/XXXX ) I get a phone call from my bank asking if I consented to those transactions and I told them no. They basically gave me the runaround saying that there was nothing they can do for me and they closed my bank account with the large negative balance enclosed in it. So with all that being said and it being tax season my federal tax return was on the way to be direct deposited to my checkings account of my bank. So I called my bank and asked them if I could have access to my federal tax refund and they told me no due to the outstanding negative balance on my account. I did not do nothing to deserve this. I've worked very hard for my money and my refund belongs to me not my bank because I did not make any of those transactions. If y'all could please help me sort to the bottom of this so I can get my money back and my bank account balance out of the negative, I would be so pleased. Thanks, XXXX.