Blank Of America
Call it a revenge chat. Live, on the Internet. Me vs. Bank of America.
I was looking for information about how Bank of America protects their customers' checking and savings accounts. They talk about "multiple layers of security" (in a Wired.com piece, for example), and then their tellers ended up giving out $12,000 of my money in seven separate occasions...on at least one occasion, to a black woman with missing teeth with a fake driver's license in my name, with the wrong expiration date.
My blog items on that are here and here. The nightmare continues: This woman, and/or others, has/have been applying for instant store credit on my social security number and in my name: Target twice, Kmart once, and Walmart once. That I know of.
My assistant and I worked late yesterday, so she didn't have time to get the mail, so further surprises may await. Every day is Christmas with these thieves, to borrow/get creative with a Gregg favorite from "Mean Streets."
Three words for anyone reading this: FREEZE YOUR CREDIT. The fact that I had previously frozen mine is the only reason why my life as I know it is not over; why I'm merely getting, "Sorry we couldn't accomodate your request for instant credit" letters in the mail.
The fun does continue. For example, I have to send legal letters to all three credit bureaus to get each credit request from the thief removed from the file (requests can bring down your credit score). And every day, I imagine the other people who aren't so lucky as I was to have Cathy Seipp as a friend (Cathy being the one who told me to freeze my credit, as she did, years ago).
Those unlucky people will be getting bills in the mail, and spending considerable time trying to convince creditors that they didn't buy that plasma screen and the rest, and trying to clear their credit history.
I just got a letter from disgusting BofA refusing me access to the videotape of the perp they gave my money to in their branch in Dixon City, California -- the access I need to be able to go after the fat black woman with missing teeth who not only has my driver's license, but my birthday and social security number.
I need this because I know the police will not pursue this like I will, or not pursue it at all. There's a huge delay in even getting a case started, thanks, in large part, to BofA refusing to give me a letter saying I was a victim of fraud in a timely manner, despite my spending DAYS begging on the phone to employees with all the brains and wherewithal to help me of a philodendron.
I can't know for sure, but because I am so tight with my personal data, and don't give out my driver's license number, and rarely write checks, which I consider risky instruments (because they have your account number printed on them), I speculate that this woman got my data through somebody at B of A.
I think this probably happened after I put money in my IRA in early April, and was asked to update my driver's license info in their system. I think this because of the combination she appeared to have -- not just my driver's license number but my account number -- and also because of when the breach occurred: days after I updated the info for BofA.
Somehow, last night, in my Internet searches for info on what BofA says they do to protect (uh, let's make that "protect") their customers, I ended up on a page offering a live chat with a Bank of America employee, and thought I'd have a little fun.
The transcript follows below...
Chat InformationWelcome to an online chat session at Bank of America. Please hold while we connect you to the next available Bank of America Account Specialist. Your chat may be monitored and recorded for quality purposes. Thank you for your patience.
Chat Information: You are now chatting with Gail . Welcome to Bank of America. How can I help you complete your online checking or savings application today?
You: Hi!
Gail : Hello! Thank you for you interest in opening a new checking and savings account. Do you know which accounts you would like or may I help with a recommendation?
You: I just have a few questions.
You: I'm interested in your checking and savings accounts, but I'm concerned about account security.
Gail : I will be more than happy to answer any questions you may have, if possible.
You: Great.
You: What do you do to protect your accounts so somebody unauthorized can't access them? I know what you do online, because my boyfriend uses your bank. But, I mean in the bank.
Gail : A customer can only access their accounts or make withdrawals with a current valid ID. Sometimes a second ID is requested.
You: When would they ask for a second ID?
Gail : It is normally requested for withdrawals and wire transfers.
You: "Normally"? Meaning, whenever you go to the teller to withdraw cash?
Gail : Yes.
You: So, just to clarify, if I go to the teller to ask for cash, you're going to ask me for a second piece of ID.
Gail : It can be requested.
You: Okay, it CAN be, but might not be. Hmmm, that makes me a little edgy.
You: Is it just not requested if the teller, say, knows the person who's taking the money out? Or are there other instances they might not request it.
Gail : You can request a note to be placed on an account to request an ID be asked for whenever you complete a bank transaction in a banking center, if you wish.
You: You mean a second ID?
Gail : The note can include to show one or two IDs.
You: What do you do to check that an ID is actually valid?
Gail : I do apologize. That question would best be answered by the banking center. I do not have the information that they use to check IDs.
You: Okay...I'll try to stay in your realm of experience. This is great to get live help now.
You: Do you feel secure having your money at Bank of America?
Gail : Yes. My account has been with this bank since 1996. I have never experienced any security issues.
You: So, you probably couldn't imagine Bank of America giving out large sums of cash to a person with fake driver's license in a customer's name.
Gail : Not at all.
You: Probably if it happened once, and the person didn't have a pattern of withdrawing large sums of cash, the person trying to fraudulently withdraw the cash would be stopped, right?
Gail : Most definitely.
You: Well, Gail, BofA gave away $12,000 of my money, and on seven different occasions, and in places I never go, and in huge sums. $1,500 here, $2,500 there. SEVEN different times. By the way, I'm a skinny white girl with red hair, and at least one of those times, they gave it away to a fat black woman with missing teeth.
You: You guys advertise your bank accounts as secure. In fact, a lady who works for you named Betty Riess bragged about it recently in a story on Wired.com.
Gail : One moment please, I will transfer you to my manager for further assistance.
You: I'm trying to get the bank to give me the videotape of the woman, but they won't. So...not only did Bank of America allow me to be victimized, over and over and over again, Bank of America isn't giving me what I need to track this woman down and bring her to justice.
Chat InformationPlease wait while I transfer the chat to Diego who can best assist you with your question.
Chat InformationYou are now chatting with Diego . Welcome to Bank of America. How can I help you complete your online checking or savings application today?
Diego : Hi, I am Gail's manager. I have been reading your chat. In this area, we help with the online application and do not have the full details to help you. I want to make sure you are in contact with our Customer Service Center to completely get your answers.
Diego : May I get that contact information for you ?
You: Perhaps you can tell me what you do to protect against people taking money out of your customers' accounts with a fake driver's license.
You: My name is Amy Alkon.
Diego : We are a help desk for the online application. It sounds like you are requiring more detailed assistance and I want to make sure you get that. Our Customer Service Center is available from 7a-10p and can talk with you one on one to help you with your concerns, Amy.
You: Diego, I've talked to lots of people there.
Diego : Please contact our Customer Service Center at your earliest convenience at 800-432-1000. Pressing zero at the prompt will help you reach us even faster so you may speak about this incident.
You: I'm interested in hearing what you do to figure out whether a person has valid ID or not. If anything.
Diego : I regret we do not have any further information in this area. We help with the submission of the online application.
You: You advertise that you have security.
Diego : Amy, I really am sorry that we don't have the information you are needing tonight.
You: Then please transfer me to somebody who can help me.
Diego : It appears like we may be better able to help you with your concerns in person. We do not have any other chat area. I am very sorry about that.
You: Bank of America allowed me to be financially raped, and is withholding information about who did it.
You: Diego, do you bank at Bank of America?
Diego : Amy, I am very sorry about this. I do not have more information for you.
You: Because BofA gave away $12,000 of my money on seven separate occasions to a woman who was not me, armed with only a fake driver's license in my name and a deposit slip. Do you feel secure banking in a bank with that level of security?
You: I mean, if you're honest, the answer has to be no.
Diego : I really suggest contacting us in person so that matter can be more closely reviewed for you. In this chat area, we help with the online application and we just do not have any access to anything. Please Amy I want you to get your help and regret in this chat area we are very limited in information to give you.
You: Diego, I've contacted numerous people at the bank in person.
You: I want the tape of the woman so I can track her down and have her picked up by the police and prosecuted.
Diego : I am very sorry for the inconvenience. We just don't have any further details for you in this chat area.
You: You sure don't.
Diego : You will need to contact 80-432-1000 or visit a branch. I am very sorry that is the only option availabe.
You: Diego, a word to the wise: Freeze your credit.
You: Oh, I've visited a branch.
Diego : Thank you Amy for visiting our chat area and giving that feedback.
You: Diego, it'll be up on advicegoddess.com tomorrow.
Diego : I regret this inconvenience you have experienced.
You: You "REGRET" it?
You: http://www.advicegoddess.com/goddessblog.html is the precise address.
Diego : Amy, I am trying to apologize that you are in a chat area that does not have the information you are seeking. I really wish more help was available online in this chat area.
Diego : Thank you for providing all that information.
You: Do join us on my blog tomorrow. Please spread the word over there at BofA that the squeaky wheel named Amy Alkon will keep squeaking and squeaking and squeaking, all over the Internet, and on all possible media.
You: I want to protect myself from further fraud, and BofA is preventing me from doing that.
You: Utterly disgusting.
You: How do you people sleep nights, working for BofA?
Diego : Thank you for visiting our chat session.
Last text message receivedDiego: To close this window, please click Close.
You: Advicegoddess.com, Diego!
You: I have to copy it to post on my blog first, but thanks for the suggestion!
Digg this blog item here: http://digg.com/world_news/Blank_of_America
Wow. This is incredible, Amy, they are really raking you over the coals! I'm going to tell EVERYONE I know who has an account with BofA, to read this blog item and then get their money the hell out of that sorry excuse for a bank. And the first will be my BF's daughter. What a train wreck that bank is! I'm so sorry you're going through all this. It's really inexcusable.
Flynne at June 11, 2008 8:12 AM
Thanks so much. Please spread the word. On two levels: The truth about BofA's "security" measures, per my experience, and also, tell people to freeze their credit.
And please, if ever you've put an item on Digg, or blogged it, or sent it around to your friends, make it this one.
Amy Alkon at June 11, 2008 8:20 AM
Weee!
See the thing is on the one hand I am totally behind you. Your bank's security is woeful.
On the other hand I do feel a bit sorry for Gail and Diego. The problem is that us 'customers' don't get to talk to anyone with any real power within organizations any more. Bank managers used to have a level of power but they are now just glorified customer service reps (at least over here I'm assuming it's the same your side of the Atlantic).
As more of the day to day running of things get moved into 'the computers' the staff have less idea what's going on they just do what the computer tells them to do. All they are is a user friendly front end for a computer system.
I speak from experience here having done both that job and later been someone who wrote such a system. Meanwhile the education system beavers away at producing good little customer service reps who do what the computer tells them to do and don't think too hard.
Good luck getting it sorted out.
Simon Proctor at June 11, 2008 9:00 AM
Well, I hope I helped them -- that they'll consider taking their money out of BofA and putting a security freeze on their credit.
Amy Alkon at June 11, 2008 9:21 AM
I posted it to Digg . . . . For anyone who has a little success using their search feature as I do, it should be at http://digg.com/world_news/Blank_of_America
TheOtherOne at June 11, 2008 9:55 AM
Thank you so much for posting that. Please, guys, go to the link and add Diggs!
Amy Alkon at June 11, 2008 9:56 AM
When dinosaurs ruled the earth / before the interNet / on Usenet that was / we went medieval (published, verbatim, correspondence in which our concerns were dismissed) on a software company that wasn't fulfilling its support promises. More frumious customers piled on. The vendor's CEO cut short his vacation in Bali. He fired the beancounter VP who had destaffed the support function and whose work product and name had achieved such wide distribution. We mounted her head on the wall of our corporate hovel.
So your approach can succeed. You may need a bigger hovel though, BofA is quite large. Good hunting!
--
phunctor
phunctor at June 11, 2008 10:31 AM
Simon -
I, too feel a little bad for Hurricane Amy's collateral damage. However, sometimes you have to do what you can to deliver a message. No different than reducing a server's tip when the cause for the delay may have been in the kitchen. Sucks for the server, but you know that they will pass on the dissatisfaction to the responsible parties.
snakeman99 at June 11, 2008 10:56 AM
I'd suggest submitting this to consumerist.com also.
Ron at June 11, 2008 11:08 AM
My mother and grandmother had linked accounts at BOA after the 10 or so screw up(deposting money inot the worng account, withdawing funds from the wrong accounts) my mother pulled out all of her money except for $9.
She keeps the account open, when she has the time she will go down withdraw 3 dollars in pennies, break open the rolls shake them up in a cup with about ten dollars worth of assorted change, dump all the change on the counter and tell the teller she wants to deposit only the pennies in the pile.
It really is a fun way to spend an hour.
lujlp at June 11, 2008 11:50 AM
An e-mail I sent to the woman, Nereida Claudius, VP, "Customer Advocate" (ha!) in the Office of the Chairman of B of A, after she FedExed me a letter denying me the videotape:
Amy Alkon at June 11, 2008 12:25 PM
I just registered with Digg and "dugg" this blog item, Amy. Including mine, there are only 8 diggs now.
Good luck with tracking down your thief. You're persistent, and you will be successful again!
What I really don't understand about this is the disinterest of the police / the media. You're a "media person" yourself, and 12,000 bucks are not a small sum. Why won't this story make it to the papers, big time? I guess you would get some coverage in the news if this bullshit happened over here in Germany. (In fact, there were reports in the media about two years ago: when a lot of banks had security issues with their ATMs over here, they were shamed into re-imbursing their customers. I think they should give you your money back.)
Good luck,
Rainer
Rainer at June 12, 2008 1:53 AM
Ladies and gentlemen: I have discovered a possible leak site, from which your information can be harvested. Amy, this might be how your information, which is actually not all that extensive, got out there.
When you engage in court action, any court action, that action is part of the public record unless unusual circumstances apply. The Clerk of Court in your county of residence may even have these records online. As you may imagine, the court must determine the identity of the participants in a case to determine legal standing and to properly apply its jurisdiction. Consequently, your birth date, Social Security number, driver's license number, a physical description in the case of traffic tickets, and physical and mailing address will appear in said records. In some cases, even your credit history will appear. I've checked, and several people I know have this vulnerability, a free service of a legal system with the supposed duty of protecting the innocent!
Yike.
Irony meter, pegged!
Go look at your court records. I think you will grimly yell, "Bingo!"
Radwaste at June 12, 2008 2:33 AM
BTW Amy.
I may have given the wrong impression I'd like to say I admire the respect you gave to Gail and Diego. I always endeavour to treat customer service staff with respect especially when they company they are representing has annoyed me. I really don't have much time for people who vent their anger on those who can't defend themselves.
So well done.
Simon Proctor at June 12, 2008 5:26 AM
Amy, so sorry to read about your difficulties with the bank. Identity theft is a serious problem in today's society.
I am assuming the bank has refunded your money as the transaction was clearly unauthorized. As far as catching the woman, you can try but will probably not be successful. She was probably just a mule anyway - anyone that has the ability to tap into bank records to get info is too smart to go into the branch for a withdrawal. They get some lackey to do the dangerous work and throw them some cash if they don't get arrested. Of course the lackey doesn't really know the person hiring them, so names are never given when/if the lackey gets arrested. The real thief usually never puts himself into harm's way (like physically walking into a place that can get them arrested), and is rarely caught.
steveda at June 12, 2008 6:18 AM
it doesn't seem to take more than a fake ID in your name and an account number to remove it
If the fake ID is needed, that's more security than Citibank has. A credit card company took money from my checking account by submitting an electronic draft with the account number and my stepson's name (he's the one who owed them money). His name isn't on the account, and his last name is different from mine so there's no way the bank could have gotten them confused. The transaction went through.
Rex Little at June 12, 2008 5:06 PM
Thanks for posting this info. I gather that the primary issue here is not the security of password-protected online accounts, but of brick-and-mortar bank branches. This has triggered me to take the immediate action of moving most of my money (all but the bare minimum for daily convenience) out of my BofA account into an already-existing online-only account that I have.
And thanks for making me aware of the possibility of credit freezes, I had never heard of that before. I intend to implement that very soon.
I hope you end up getting your money back
from BofA (and of course, catch the thieves).
mbm at June 13, 2008 11:29 AM
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