Consumer complaint received 2026-05-25 00:00:00
Product: Credit card — General-purpose credit card or charge card
Issue: Problem with a purchase shown on your statement — Credit card company isn't resolving a dispute about a purchase on your statement
Company: BANK OF AMERICA, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION
State: AZ

Complaint narrative:
On XX/XX/year>, I received a phone call that appeared to come from my daughters phone number and displayed her name on my caller ID. The voice sounded like my daughter, and she was crying. A man then got on the phone and stated that she had hit his car and that he was associated with a XXXX. He threatened that she would be XXXX if I did not comply with his demands. Fearing for my daughters life, I attempted to contact her to confirm whether she was safe. However, during that time I was unable to reach her. I did not have access to a landline or a computer, only a tablet and a cell phone. Because I believed there was a real and immediate threat to her safety, I complied with the demands under extreme emotional distress, fear, coercion, and duress. The perpetrators instructed me to send money through various transfer services, including XXXX XXXX, XXXX, XXXX, and other transfer companies involving recipients in XXXX. During this time, the perpetrators possessed extensive personal identifying information about me, including my Social Security number, drivers license information, and other details necessary to verify my identity with financial institutions. Because of the stress, confusion, and ongoing threats, I can not fully account for every action taken during the incident. It is possible that some communications with financial institutions may have been influenced or initiated by the perpetrators themselves while I was under duress and attempting to verify my daughters safety. I attempted transfers through several financial institutions, including XXXX XXXX, XXXX XXXX, and XXXX. Those institutions recognized the transactions as suspicious or fraudulent and declined the transfers. However, Bank of America processed two separate wire or transfer transactions totaling approximately {$2000.00}, plus fees and interest charges, despite the fact that these transactions were entirely inconsistent with my normal banking activity and involved unusual international transfers through money services that I had never previously used. In my opinion, after the first unusual transaction was processed, Bank of America should have identified the second transfer as suspicious and taken additional steps to verify whether I was acting voluntarily or under coercion. Once I was finally able to confirm that my daughter was safe, all contact with the perpetrators ended immediately. I then took extensive steps to protect myself and my identity, including : contacting my banks and credit card companies, freezing my credit reports, requesting replacement credit cards and account numbers, changing bank accounts, changing passwords, and changing my phone number. I disputed the Bank of America transactions and explained that these transfers were not ordinary consumer purchases or intentional voluntary transactions, but instead were made while I was under threats of XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX directed toward a family member. Bank of America denied my dispute, stating that because I requested the service and received the service, I was responsible for the charges. I appealed the decision, but the appeal was also denied. Importantly, at no point during either the original dispute investigation or the appeal process did Bank of America contact me directly to obtain my statement, ask questions about the coercion involved, or allow me to fully explain the circumstances surrounding these transactions. I respectfully maintain that these transactions occurred under fraud, coercion, and duress during a criminal extortion scam, and I am requesting reconsideration of Bank of Americas decision and relief from the resulting losses, fees, and interest charges.

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