Consumer complaint received 2025-08-18 00:00:00
Product: Checking or savings account — Checking account
Issue: Managing an account — Deposits and withdrawals
Company: BANK OF AMERICA, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION
State: PA

Complaint narrative:
Monday XXXX XXXX XXXXXXXX I received a text message that stated the following BANK OF AMERICA ALERTS : Transaction Date : XX/XX/XXXX Amount : {$1800.00} Reply ( Y ) es if authorized Reply ( N ) o if unauthorized I replied N They then replied BANK OF AMERICA ALERTS : Replied Confirmation NO. 
Generating you to the next BANK OF AMERICA Fraud Prevention Specialist. Thank you for your response. A phone call will be generated to you within 25-30 minutes due to high call volume. 

I then received a phone call at XXXX from XXXX Which was a Bank of America Customer Fraud Specialist or at least stated they were They then needed to verify my account with information and sent me a link to access secure-verify-user.net I then opened this link and was unable to successfully log in At XXXX They then sent me a code via a 5 digit customer service number stating the following XXXX XXXX XXXXBofA : DO NOT share this Sign In code. We will NEVER call you or text you for it. Code XXXX Reply HELP if you didn't request it. 
This is the same authentication I would have received via Bank of America for as many years as Ive banked with them and at least a text message thread dated as far back as XX/XX/XXXX. 

At no time was I thinking I was dealing with fraud or scammer as all of this is the same way I would verify any other time or if I was trying to log into my account etc. 

They explained to me once my account information was verified after giving them the code that someone by the name of XXXX XXXX was accessing my account and wire transferring my money to their account. I was instructed to go to a local branch as quickly as possible to withdraw my funds in order to protect my money. Which I then placed him on hold to see if my mom could come over to watch my kids so I could run and secure my funds. When asked to go there he stated he would stay on the phone with me until I finished the transaction. He asked me to not vocalize with the teller at the branch that I was on the phone with customer service as there is a data breach and they would be able to access the new account information and potentially put the new account at risk. I kept the customer service representative on the phone while withdrawing {$1300.00} from my checking account and then withdrawing the entirety of my savings in the amount of {$4200.00}. 
After doing so I was instructed to go to the closest XXXXXXXX XXXX as they were affiliated with Bank of America and since they had the data breach it would be unsafe to put my money back into a Bank of America facility at this time. 
The representative then asked me to go to the atm at XXXXXXXX XXXX which was directly across in another shopping center from where I was so I proceeded to deposit funds in the atm They told me to open my XXXX XXXX on the XXXXXXXX XXXX  and enter in the card manually which they gave to me- I entered it as instructed and continued with a security code and expiration date. 
Then asked to hold my phone up to the atm and deposit the funds when doing so I had to deposit it in 3 transactions because of the limit of bills I then deposited {$5500.00} into the atm finished the transaction and was done. I was told my new cards were being shipped via XXXX and it would be next day air so I would need to be home in order to receive them. Which I then stated I work there and would be able to access them in the am and would be able to sign for them. They said I would be receiving an email with my account login information etc for my new account with XXXX. They asked to make sure I delete the card information out of my XXXX XXXX  which I thought was odd but they stated with the new card on the way they didnt want me adding the new one and confusing it with the old so I guess that got me thinking that seemed right. However I never received and email with account information. They told me prior to getting off the phone if I had questions or concerns their direct line was XXXX and to contact them there which I thought was odd but proceeded to get off the phone. After questioning in my mind what had just happened I drove back to the XXXXXXXX XXXX after not being able to reach anyone via the phone number I was given if I had questions. When I went in I explained the situation to one of the bankers and they stated I needed to go to the police station right away as I was scammed and there was nothing they could do to assist me. 
I drove to the police station where I filed a police report incident XXXX XXXXXXXX for fraud/theft I contacted Bank of America fraud specialist who reported a scamming incident on my behave but had explained to me because I withdrew the money via cash there is nothing they could do for me. 
I then contacted XXXXXXXX XXXX  in which I do not have an account and they were unable to assist me because I only had the last 4 digits of the account number and nothing was coming up via my social security number. They told me I would need to contact my current banking institution which obviously again took me back to XXXX XXXX. I reached out to XXXX to contact someone to see if they could retrieve the full account number off of the XXXX XXXX  where I had entered it and they were unable to do so. 
Im at a loss for how easily I was swayed into thinking this was all real however the verification process the phone directly from Bank of America all seemed so normal.

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 explanation