Consumer complaint received 2025-07-02 00:00:00
Product: Credit card — General-purpose credit card or charge card
Issue: Problem with a purchase shown on your statement — Card was charged for something you did not purchase with the card
Company: BANK OF AMERICA, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION
State: TX

Complaint narrative:
XX/XX/XXXX : As I left XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXXXXXX XXXXXXXX XXXX XXXX XXXXXXXX TX, I was approached by XXXX young men who claimed they were raising money for XXXX  children. Since my son is on the XXXX, I was sympathetic and offered them a {$10.00} bill. They said they could not accept cash and needed my credit card so I handed them my Bank of America credit card. One of them took my phone. Then they distracted me with small talk and by asking me to write out my email so they could send me a receipt for the donation and then asked me to do it again because they couldnt read my handwriting. They returned my card and phone and I left. 
XX/XX/XXXX : I logged in to my Bank of America account and saw a notice next to the credit card, Suspicious activity detected. I immediately called Bank of America and was asked if I had authorized a payment of {$5000.00} to XXXX XXXX. I was very clear that I had authorized the use of my card for {$10.00} ONLY for an XXXX XXXX, not for {$5000.00} to XXXX XXXX. The Bank of America agent then reported that a total of XXXX ( XXXX ) {$5000.00} payments to XXXX XXXX were made at that time, totaling {$50000.00}. Again I told the agent in no uncertain terms that I did not authorize those charges, which also exceeded my credit limit of {$35000.00}. I was told to cut up my credit card, a new card would be issued, and I would receive a statement to sign. After the phone call I assumed that the payments had been cancelled. 
I did receive a new card, which I have not activated, but did not receive a statement to sign. 
XX/XX/XXXX : I received an email from Officer XXXX XXXX of the XXXXXXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX  ( XXXX ), a town adjacent to XXXX XXXX. They had arrested 4 people after another woman reported the same fraud that happened to me, and he found my email in their brochure. He asked if I had information and I reported that the same thing had happened to me but, as I believed at the time, the payments had been stopped. We exchanged several emails XX/XX/XXXX XXXX XXXX emailed me to check the XXXX  bulletin posted on XXXX regarding the fraud. That bulletin included photos of the 4 people arrested. I identified three of them as having been the ones who scammed me. I also filed a report with the XXXXXXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX 
XX/XX/XXXX : I checked on an alert emailed me from Bank of America and learned that rather than stopping payment, the funds had been paid. They were treating this as a fraud investigation, and they denied my fraud claim. I called immediately and spoke with someone who said they would reopen the investigation and asked me to mail or fax them a statement explaining the situation along with the police report. 
XXXX XXXX XXXXXXXX Fraud Claim number : XXXX XX/XX/XXXX : I sent Bank of America Fraud Claims via mail and fax my explanation along with screen shots of the emails I had exchanged with Officer XXXX, and the police report. 
XX/XX/XXXX : I called to make sure the faxes had been received and was told it would take 3-5 business days, after which someone from the investigation would call me to ask questions and talk about what happened. 
No one called or contacted me. I also informed them that Officer XXXX offered to speak with them, by phone or email, about the situation, and provided his case number XXXX. No one from Bank of America has contacted him. 
XX/XX/XXXX : I was notified that my claim had been denied again. When I called, they explained that the denial was because my chip had been used, which again I had reported on XX/XX/XXXX. The person I spoke with also claimed that I had provided either my PIN or my signature, which I did not. 
Bank of America agreed to reopen the claim, then denied it again on XX/XX/XXXX. Once again I called and they agreed to reopen the claim. 
I had called Bank of Americas Fraud claims a dozen times by then, and after realizing that the agents I spoke to only passed along information but were not involved in the investigation, asked to speak with an investigator/supervisor.

XX/XX/XXXX : I did finally speak with a supervisor. She asked if I had received text messages from Bank of America asking if I approved the charges when the incident took place on XX/XX/XXXX. I told her I had not received any texts from Bank of America. She asked me to go back and check my texts from XX/XX/XXXX, which I did and found no texts from Bank of America on XX/XX/XXXX. Ive had that credit card for many years and have never been asked to verify an expense, although that happens regularly with my other XXXXXXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX 
XX/XX/XXXX : My husband and I met with XXXX XXXX, a representative from our home branch Bank of America. She and her supervisor agreed to help us and called the investigator for us. That time the investigator reported that this was not fraud and instead I should file a dispute claim. XXXX XXXX and her supervisor, having looked at the evidence I brought, agreed that it was fraud and are following the claim. 
This situation has been going on since XX/XX/XXXX so I am filing this claim with the CFPB to try and speed up the resolution and have the {$50000.00} charges removed from my credit card bill.

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