We can’t imagine there’s a whole lot to be done in this particular situation, but a reader who wanted to stay anonymous really got the shaft from Bank of America on this one. It’s a bad situation all around, but the presumption that a customer is defrauding a company should always be handled with kid gloves. We think that if there’s really fraud, we expect charges to be filed by the bank. Otherwise it’s a tacit admission of guilt on their part.

Bank of America is the definition of corporate fraud. Recently, after deposing money into an ATM machine (a check), and then subsequently withdrawing money from that same ATM machine, Bank of America flagged my account for fraud, claiming the envelope was empty and that my attempt was to defraud them, using money that wasn’t mine. They have decided to close my accounts, with no notification to me or options. I asked a rep if I could speak with someone about this, they said no.

After emailing an executive, I received a call from someone in the Massachusetts fraud office (who seemed nice enough); he then connected me to his supervisor. This was rude and threatened legal action against me (is there grounds for that?), and refused to hear alternative explanations for this check, which I remember putting in the envelope, disappearing. He took a hostile, accusatory and defensive tone. He implied that this situation was fraud with malicious intent here.

Instead of deactivating my account so nothing can go in or out, they kept it going without my knowledge (they told me it was closed), charged an overdraft fee during this time and allowed deposits that otherwise would
ve been rejected and subsequently sent to another account. My money, as of this writing, is still being held and I am waiting for it to be released to me.

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