Consumer complaint received 2024-12-31 00:00:00
Product: Money transfer, virtual currency, or money service — Domestic (US) money transfer
Issue: Other transaction problem — 
Company: BANK OF AMERICA, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION
State: MD

Complaint narrative:
Incident XXXX : Payment for Services ( XXXX XXXX  ) On XX/XX/year>, I hired a mechanic via XXXX XXXX to repair my vehicle. Payment totaling {$1600.00} was made through XXXX from my Bank of America account. Shortly after, I discovered that the mechanic had scammed me and disappeared without providing the agreed service. 

Bank of America XXXX Department XXXX XXXX : XXXX. 

Steps Taken : I filed a police report regarding the fraud. 
With the police report in hand, I approached Bank of America 's XXXX department to file a fraud claim and request assistance in recovering the funds. 

Response from Bank of America : My claim was denied, with the explanation that the bank had acted on my instructions, and therefore, they had no liability. 
The bank also refused to escalate the matter or report the fraud to XXXX or other authorities, which could help prevent similar scams in the future. 

Why This is Unacceptable : According to the XXXX website ( XXXX website link ), financial institutions in the XXXX XXXX are required to provide full refunds to consumers in confirmed instances of fraud. This was a clear case of fraud, confirmed by my police report, and yet Bank of America XXXX XXXX department did not uphold XXXX stated policy. 

Incident XXXX : Misdirected Payment via XXXX ( System Error and Fraud ) On XX/XX/year>, I attempted to send {$2000.00} from my Bank of America business account to my wifes primary phone number ( ending in XXXX ) via XXXX. However, the system erroneously sent the payment to her alternate number, which I did not select. 

Bank of America XXXX Department XXXX XXXX : XXXX. 
Steps Taken : I noticed the mistake immediately and called Bank of America to stop the transaction. However, I was informed that their XXXX department does not operate on weekends. 
I was advised to contact XXXX directly. XXXX informed me that they could not stop the transaction, as it was initiated through Bank of America, and only the bank could intervene. 
Over the weekend, my wife, XXXX XXXX XXXX, contacted XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX ( XXXX XXXX bank ) to report the fraud. XXXX XXXX advised her to wait XXXX weeks for the funds to return. 

XXXX XXXX with XXXX XXXX As part of the follow-up, my wife engaged in an online chat with XXXX XXXX XXXX report that her alternate phone number was being used fraudulently by another individual. Below are key excerpts from that conversation : XXXX XXXX indicated they could send a message to the individual asking for permission to unenroll the phone number. However, they admitted that if the individual did not respond or declined, no further action could be taken. 
XXXX XXXX : " We can send a message asking him to allow us to unenroll the phone number. However, if he never responds or declines, that is the limit of the action we can take. '' My wife questioned whether submitting a police report would be sufficient to reclaim the phone number, but XXXX XXXX stated they could not address that and advised seeking legal action. 
XXXX XXXX : " I can not address that question, but would recommend you seek legal advice. XXXX is not owned by XXXX XXXX, of course. It is a service provided to all banks and credit unions. '' XXXX XXXX acknowledged that the phone number was still registered under the previous owner and warned not to use it for XXXX transactions, as XXXX operates like cash. 
XXXX XXXX : " This is because sending XXXX is like handing someone cash. The previous owner of that number had it and registered it. You have not registered it, so people you know should NOT USE IT. '' Despite acknowledging that fraud occurred, XXXX XXXX did not take sufficient proactive measures. My wife suggested a periodic check to verify that numbers registered in XXXX are still owned by the registered user. 
XXXX XXXX : " Every time XXXX is accessed, a check is performed. At last use of this number, it was owned by the receiver. '' My wife stressed that when fraud is reported, a simple phone call or text message to the involved parties should suffice to resolve the issue. 
My Wife : " And when it is reported, at least a simple phone call or text message should be enough to resolve this. It is fraud by all standards for them to keep this number knowing well they dont own the phone. '' Why This is Unacceptable : This chat further illustrates the systemic failure of XXXX and its affiliated institutions to address fraud involving misused phone numbers : Despite my wifes efforts to report the issue, the system allowed the fraudulent user to retain control of her alternate phone number, enabling further misuse. 
The lack of proactive measures, such as contacting the fraudulent user or taking immediate action based on the police report, represents a significant lapse in fraud prevention protocols. 
XXXX XXXX inability to enforce corrective actions, coupled with Bank of Americas refusal to escalate the claim, left us with no resolution.

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