Consumer complaint received 2024-06-22 00:00:00
Product: Checking or savings account — Checking account
Issue: Managing an account — Cashing a check
Company: BANK OF AMERICA, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION
State: NJ

Complaint narrative:
I am a XXXX XXXX XXXX  student. I applied for a summer job on-line and I was offered the job appointment, after an interview. I got the letter of appointment for a job with all the terms and conditions. The employer sent me cheque which I went ahead and banked on my account. I never knew they were not genuine. Bank of America heavy handedly and unilateraly closed my account without giving me a hearing or asking me to state my side of the story in a case where I was offered employment on-line which turned out to be a sham job offer. After closing the account, the bank has sent me threatening letters. I am a victim of a sham job offer. And now the bank is victimizing me too. As a result, I have suffered psychologically mental torture due to worry arising from a job I was offered on line. Little did I know it was a fake job offer. This is my first bank account I opened as a student. 

I opened a checking account in XXXX, XXXX. On XX/XX/XXXX I applied for a summer job on XXXX website. I then got an email with a job offer. In the email they stated the roles available, the hourly pay and a link to contact the hiring manager so as to proceed with the interview. The interview was then conducted in the hiring managers chat on XXXXXXXX XXXX I have copies of the appointment letter, emails from the hiring manager and emails from the accounting officer. The cheque of {$2500.00} was sent to me by email to purchase working materials and software i.e. a laptop, printer, scanner and software to do the tasks. They gave a program for training on-line. They told me to bank the cheque on my bank account, which they said would take a few days to mature so they asked me to send {$760.00} to them in order to purchase a XXXX XXXX laptop and software for me as a job requirements, before beginning the training in data entry shortly. 

The first cheque was returned to me by the bank, then I informed the employer. Then he told me in the email message that he would let the accounting officer know and she sent me another cheque of {$980.00} which I went ahead to also deposit via the mobile banking app. The employer kept on emailing me advising me to call the bank and tell them to lift the hold on the cheque.

Little did I know that it was a fraudulent job offer.

I was just like any other XXXX  looking for a job during summer holidays. Unfortunately, it turned out a scam job of which I am the victim. Bank of America should have asked me to tell my side of the story, instead blocked and closed my account without contacting me for explanation. The bank sent me threatening letters to report me to XXXX XXXX XXXX  to block me from opening an account in any bank for up to five years. I feel that this is rather a heavy-handed decision. This a clear threat to my future prospects by the bank without even giving me a hearing or a chance to explain what happened and for the bank to understand the fake world we live in out there.

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