Consumer complaint received 2024-11-16 00:00:00
Product: Checking or savings account — Checking account
Issue: Problem with a lender or other company charging your account — Transaction was not authorized
Company: BANK OF AMERICA, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION

Complaint narrative:
I am writing to formally file a claim regarding unauthorized transactions on my Bank of America account and the subsequent challenges I have faced in resolving this issue. Below, I provide a detailed account of the events : Initial Fraud Incident ( XX/XX/XXXX ) : My Bank of America checking account was hacked in XXXX, and approximately {$5000.00} was withdrawn. 
Upon reporting the issue, my debit card was cancelled, and a new one was sent to my address in XXXX. 
I activated the new card upon receipt. 

Second Fraud Incident : A few months later, my account was hacked again. This time, unauthorized charges totalling approximately {$6100.00} were made in XXXX. 
I received an alert on my phone and immediately called to report the charges. 
The bank informed me that my account would be blocked until I could verify my identity in person at a branch. 
I explained that I lived in XXXX and could not travel to a branch then. I was assured that it would be acceptable to resolve the matter later. 

Follow-Up in XXXX ( XX/XX/XXXX ) : While visiting my daughter in XXXX, I contacted Bank of America to confirm if in-person verification was necessary. 
A representative informed us that the claim could be handled online, and an in-person visit was not required. 
I returned to XXXX, only to receive a correspondence stating that my claim was denied because it appeared I had provided my information to a third party to make these transactions, which I strongly contest. 

Repeated Attempts to Resolve : I made multiple calls to the bank to dispute the decision. These calls often involved long wait times, being transferred to different departments, and even disconnections. 
Despite my efforts, I could not resolve the issue or talk to anyone in the bank with any resolution. 

Recent Visit to a Bank Branch ( XX/XX/XXXX ) : During a visit to XXXX, my daughter helped me call back to the Bank of America for a resolution on this matter. They mentioned that I needed to show up in person to be able to dispute the resolution and that I would be able to do that at the bank My daughter and I decided to travel to a Bank of America branch in the U.S. for in-person assistance. 
We rented a car, and my daughter took a day off work to accompany me. 
At the branch, we were assisted by a manager who reviewed our case for two hours. However, we were informed that nothing could be done because claims must be filed within 60 days of the disputed charges. 
We explained that the charges were reported immediately and questioned how the formal claim in XXXX was processed despite the XXXX limit, if that was the case which it didn't make sense. The XXXX was unable to explain. 

Issues Encountered : Miscommunication and contradictory information from Bank of America representatives. 
Lack of proper tracking for my initial claim in XXXX and subsequent follow-ups. 
Denial of my claim based on incorrect assumptions and procedural failures. 
Time and financial losses incurred due to the misinformation and mismanagement of my case.

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