Consumer complaint received 2025-06-14 00:00:00
Product: Checking or savings account — Checking account
Issue: Managing an account — Deposits and withdrawals
Company: BANK OF AMERICA, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION
State: CA

Complaint narrative:
I have a joint checking account at Bank of America with my grandmother, she added me to this account approximately 2 years ago when she was missing money and couldnt figure out why. I looked through her records and realized someone was using her debit card to make thousands of dollars total purchase through food deliver apps. This obviously was not her and I informed the bank and got her a new card issued and tried to reverse as many charges as possible, two weeks later the charges started again so I knew it was a family member. It turned out to be my aunt and me and my grandmother went into her local bank branch and explained the situation to them, I also spoke to multiple people during the process of fighting the fraud and Informed them my grandmother was high risk of being stolen from by family. Everyone was aware. Fast forward to XXXX this year, my grandmother passed away after having a second massive XXXX and being in hospice for over a week unable to communicate .This happened on XX/XX/XXXX, she passed on XX/XX/XXXX. She was in XXXX  at my aunts house in XXXX XXXX  after learning of what happened ( a week after the incident ) and grieving my grandmother I decided to log into the joint account we shared and saw that starting weeks before her XXXX and continuing until XXXX week after her death someone was transferring funds from our account by phone to a separate account. ( I knew almost immediately this was my aunt transferring money to my grandmothers other account which she could access by using her debit card or personal information to gain unauthorized access to my grandmothers and my funds as she has done in the past. $ XXXX total was transferred in XXXX transactions during XX/XX/XXXX to XX/XX/XXXX. {$8000.00} XX/XX/XXXX, {$6000.00} XX/XX/XXXX and {$600.00} XXXX XXXX : my grandmother was not able to make these transactions even prior to her XXXX, she didnt bank by phone or online. She used her debit card to withdrawal cash and sometimes used her debit card. This should have easily been flagged as suspicious especially when the money was systematically drained from the second account however it was not. I contacted Bank of America to alert them of the situation the first time on XX/XX/XXXX. I spent a total of XXXX hours on the phone and was transferred 4 times to different agents. The second agent who I told the story to ( unfortunately I didnt get names this time around ) said it sounded like the agent who authorized the transfer by phone may be in trouble .. ( Im assuming for allowing someone whos obviously not a XXXX XXXX XXXX woman to initiate large transfers. The last person I spoke with told me however there was nothing I could do since it was transferred to another account of my grandmothers and I need to get a power of attorney ( he said you can get power of attorney after death which was false according to the attorney I spoke with ) and I was told basically get an attorney to subpoena the calls or theres nothing I can do even though Im the only living person authorized to make withdrawals from the account. 

XX/XX/XXXX, I called and spoke with agent XXXX who was very nice and transferred me to the proper person to handle this fraud, she told me the account which the money was transferred to was empty which I was not surprised to hear. I was transferred to XXXX in XXXX  who told me I needed to go into a Bank of America branch and get authentication through them and then have them call back into finally possibly get my funds back! Bank of America allowed fraudulent transactions and does not want to be out the balance. Every transfer from that account was made not by me or my grandmother who were the only two people authorized to do so

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 monetary relief