Consumer complaint received 2026-04-15 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
State: MA

Complaint narrative:
Hello Sir/Ma'am, I am filing a complaint regarding Bank of Americas mishandling of a {$2200.00} fraudulent debit card transaction. This case was incorrectly processed as a merchant dispute instead of fraud. On XX/XX/year>, I urgently booked an international ticket for my mother through XXXX XXXX. My mother is a XXXX patient requiring wheelchair assistance. Within approximately XXXX hours, we were already at the airport when we discovered a transit visa issue and had to immediately cancel the trip in a highly stressful situation involving retrieving her luggage and critical medication. While attempting to cancel the ticket, I searched online for XXXX XXXX customer service and called what I believed to be the airline. Instead, I was connected to a scammer impersonating XXXX XXXX. The individual used urgency and pressure tactics, stating I had limited time to cancel. They falsely claimed I needed to pay a {$2200.00} cancellation fee and sent a professional-looking email with itinerary details. They instructed me to reply I approve to authorize the charge. The email referenced my exact airline ticket amount of {$5700.00} and claimed they would process a refund. This demonstrates they were impersonating XXXX XXXX and misrepresenting their authority over my booking. A legitimate third party would not have access to this information or claim to issue such a refund. Additionally, the fraudulent communications were highly sophisticated and closely resembled legitimate airline correspondence, including accurate itinerary formatting. Even XXXX XXXX acknowledged how convincing these communications appeared. This made it reasonable for me to believe I was interacting with the airline, especially under urgent and stressful circumstances. In reality, XXXX XXXX does not charge such a cancellation fee in this situation, confirming the charge was fraudulent and based on deception. I reasonably believed I was dealing with the airline under extreme stress and urgency. Any authorization I provided was obtained under false pretenses and is not valid consent. Within hours of the transaction, I contacted Bank of America and reported the issue. I was explicitly instructed by their representative to allow the pending transaction to post and that it could be disputed afterward. I followed this guidance in good faith. Despite this : - My claim was processed as a merchant dispute - Bank of America contacted the fraudulent entity ( XXXX XXXX XXXXXXXX ) - They relied on documentation provided by the scammer as proof - My claim was denied, including on the basis of timing This is inappropriate. XXXX XXXX XXXX was impersonating XXXX XXXX and is not a legitimate merchant in this context. Any proof they provided is part of the fraud and should not have been relied upon. Additionally, the denial based on timing is incorrect. I reported the fraud within hours. Any delay in processing or escalation was due to following XXXX XXXX XXXX instructions. I should not be penalized for relying on their guidance. I have provided supporting documentation, including emails from the fraudulent party, transaction records, and proof of refund from the legitimate airline. I request that Bank of America : 1. Reclassify this case as impersonation fraud 2. Reopen the investigation under the correct classification 3. Reimburse the {$2200.00} Thank you, XXXX XXXX XXXX

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