{"took":68,"timed_out":false,"_shards":{"total":5,"successful":5,"skipped":0,"failed":0},"hits":{"total":{"value":5,"relation":"eq"},"max_score":null,"hits":[{"_index":"complaint-public-v1","_id":"3097490","_score":14.280342,"_source":{"product":"Money transfer, virtual currency, or money service","complaint_what_happened":"This letter is being written and sent via email and/or land mail to the following folks/offices at the end of this letter. I have tried for 4 weeks working with the Bank of America local division and  customer support no progress what so ever. \nTo make a long story short, myself and my fianc hired two lawyers to help my fianc and myself sell land that we inherited. On XX/XX/XXXX, I went into the XXXX Bank of America to transfer funding from BOA account, to my lawyers BOA account. \n\nAs you will read below, I am have corporate 110 % and volunteered information without BOA asking it. I have called customer service 11 times and had meeting with the BOA XXXX branch Manager XXXX XXXX. \n\nPer the BOA team fraud investigation team, talking with two lawyers, consulting with other lawyers and experts on the process of selling land in another country that is yours and then transferring the funds to BOA.we have done no wrong. \n\nAs you will read the only fraud issue I was told about is one of my lawyers partners has had issues in the past. I have been told, since then he has been fired. But the investigation team at BOA as I was truthfully promised is only investigation the XXXX Lawyer for PAST issues/events. Myself, my funding, my fianc, my current lawyer, and our current objectives are not being investigated and are within all existing laws for both countries and the United States. \n\nPer Bank of America rule and regulations and state/federal laws attached to this documentI have requested numerous times my funding that is being held by BOA be returned to me. Since then, BOA which use to call me daily, as ceased all communications with me and this event, yet I call the fraud department at BOA and no  objectives have changed. \n\nI am 100 % XXXX, combat veteran that served this country through our military and XXXX..and this is the way BOA treats its XXXX combat vets. One day I was TOLD to go see our local branch manager.easier said than done with my XXXX. \n\nSo in summary, my funds to my legitimate lawyers, for legitimate selling of our heritance land.my funding was given to are BOS suspicious person flagged as a level XXXX and the remaining on my found will not be returned per attached BOA-state-federal laws/policy. I and my fianc have done nothing wrong, I even told the local branch manager that I understand it might take a couple of weeks to sort things out.but now I am being treated as the criminala person who fought, was wounded, a POW, for this country and am telling the truth 110 %. That is why I on my own free will supplied all information I have. I am told that this individual from XXXX is only the person being investigatedyet part of my funds were released to him, even per XXXX and local branch manager XXXXthey could not explain/understand and Per XXXX and XXXX, they knew he was on their list. Also my remaining money after 31 days is still being held. My mom just passed away and I had to borrow money from a friend to address that event. Like my dad said, If it was not for veteranswe would all be speaking XXXX XXXX. On own free will, two packages of emails, evidence, information ( 63 pages ) that pertains to the transferring of my own money to my lawyer to help my fianc sell her inheritance land from her late father. \n2. Was told by three BOA managers and investigating team that the investigation was only on my lawyers partner who went to another BOA account in XXXX for the funding. I, my funding, my current lawyer, and my fiancs activity was no way involved, and all legal per Attorney. Quote 100 % by XXXX and XXXX XXXX. \n3. When the suspected individual went to the XXXX BOA, he was flagged at the highest level, per BOA.yet the teller- why who the XXXX knows.still allowed him to walk away with my {$10000.00} and hold {$20000.00}. None should have been released, since I was told he was flagged at the highest level immediately. \n4. The same day I notified BOA that the {$20000.00} remaining should/will be put back into my account no matter what the outcome was on the investigation, Per BOA 18 day policy. \n5. I am a 100 % XXXX combat veteran and have never been treated like this and I feel the public needs to be made aware that an innocent 100 % combat XXXX veteran on limited income, his money is being held even though he was told the investigation was ONL : Y against the XXXX XXXX who attempted to collect the money. I have already contacted the VA and included that in my FBI and civil law suit. \n6. I have filed a local police report-Ocala- # XXXX, per BOA, in which a copy was given to BOA. \n7. I have filed a FBI XXXX report, per BOA, in which BOA was given a copy. \n8. BOA east coast manager XXXX and local XXXX branch manager, XXXX XXXX, were in constant contact with me.then it stopped! In 5 days, not one message returned which forced me to go into the branch, even with my XXXX of driving, XXXX. \n9. I showed proof the money was from my back pay for XXXX even though I was not asked. \n10. I showed and supplied proof that my XXXX land acquition inherited from Fathers death. Was legal and our attorney was certified yet the only issue per BOA was his partner in XXXX. He has been notified of that and I think he was fired him. \n11. I have asked in writing and verbal 13 times since XX/XX/XXXX, to please return the {$20000.00} to my account which is permitted per attached BOA policy. \n12. I am a retired XXXX XXXX, XXXX years in war, 2 months POW, and XXXX XXXX XXXX, and in my whole life the treatment and lack of caring from BOA is astonishing. \n13. My step mom passed away and I tried to get assistance from BOA to helpNothing. \n14. I am an honest and nice guy but with my credentials.I will make it my goal to see my funding is returned and BOA is held liable in some sort of public fashionas to not let this happen to other people and to show how there are still companies over here that treat combat veterans like nothing. \n15.. I request that the {$20000.00} by XX/XX/XXXX or it is my duty and right to proceed with litigation. \n16. I and my Fianc have done NOTHING wrongeven confirmed by your BOA investigation team to me and three managers.yet the XXXX partner was given {$10000.00} even when the highest flagged was raised per XXXX, and after talking with XXXX and the local branch manager of XXXX in XXXXthey dont care. I had a one hour meeting scheduled last week with the local XXXX branch BOA manager and in the first XXXX mins, he left the office 7 times to attend other matters.. So maybe BOA does not take this serious.but I sure will my friends. \n17. As you can tell from my credentials I am an educated man and also selling my land in XXXX, inherited from death of my Aunt, for a good amount of money, in which XXXX XXXX of BOA in XXXX aided me but I would be stupid or something magical happen to make me stay here ( the only thing I can think of is to have BOA, besides given me back my {$20000.00}, also reimburse me for the {$10000.00} that they were negligent in given to a person who was flagged at such a high level by BOA, per 3 managers and the investigation team, in which I have notes and told folks all conversations were being recorded ) General = Bank of America policy/rules/regs/regs Except for Remittance Transfers, if you direct us to begin processing a transfer immediately or a transfer 's status is In Process or Processed, you no longer have the right to cancel it. However, the Bank at its option, may attempt to cancel the transaction, subject to the limitations in Section 8.G below.\n\nAlternative Method : The easiest and most convenient way to cancel a transfer is through the method described above. However, you also may request to cancel a 1-time future-dated or recurring domestic transfer by calling us at XXXX. From outside of the continental XXXX, call us collect at : XXXX. \nIf you call, we may also require you to put your request in writing and get it to us within 14 days after you call. You may not call and cancel a transfer whose status is In Process or Processed. \nIf you attempt to cancel a payment or transfer in accordance with the above instructions and we do not do so, we will be liable for your losses or damages, subject to the limitations in Section 8.G below. \n\nSection 8-G Bank of America may at its option accept your cancellations or amendments to a transfer. You acknowledge that if Bank of America attempts to cancel or amend a transfer, then the reversal request or amendment must be agreed to by each financial institution which has accepted a payment order related to the transfer at issue before it will be acted upon and you further agree that Bank of America shall have no liability if a cancellation or amendment is not completed. You agree that you shall indemnify and hold Bank of America and officers, directors, employees, and representatives harmless from and against any and all claims, demands, losses, liabilities, and expenses, including attorney 's fees and costs, resulting directly or indirectly from compliance with your cancellation or amendment request. \n\n726.107When transfer made or obligation incurred.For the purposes of ss. 726.101-726.112 : ( 1 ) A transfer is made : ( a ) With respect to an asset that is real property other than a fixture, but including the interest of a seller or purchaser under a contract for the sale of the asset, when the transfer is so far perfected that a good faith purchaser of the asset from the debtor against whom applicable law permits the transfer to be perfected can not acquire an interest in the asset that is superior to the interest of the transferee.\n\n( b ) With respect to an asset that is not real property or that is a fixture, when the transfer is so far perfected that a creditor on a simple contract can not acquire a judicial lien otherwise than under ss. 726.101-726.112 that is superior to the interest of the transferee.\n\n( 2 ) If applicable law permits the transfer to be perfected as provided in subsection ( 1 ) and the transfer is not so perfected before the commencement of an action for relief under ss. 726.101-726.112, the transfer is deemed made immediately before the commencement of the action.\n\n( 3 ) If applicable law does not permit the transfer to be perfected as provided in subsection ( 1 ), the transfer is made when it becomes effective between the debtor and the transferee.\n\n( 4 ) A transfer is not made until the debtor has acquired rights in the asset transferred.\n\n( 5 ) An obligation is incurred : ( a ) If oral, when it becomes effective between the parties ; or ( b ) If evidenced by a writing, when the writing executed by the obligor is delivered to or for the benefit of the obligee.\n\n726.109Defenses, liability, and protection of transferee.\n\n( 1 ) A transfer or obligation is not voidable under s. 726.105 ( 1 ) ( a ) against a person who took in good faith and for a reasonably equivalent value or against any subsequent transferee or obligee. \n\n\nPeople who have been tricked into transferring money to a fraudster could find it easier to get their money back under plans set out by a regulator.\n\nThe Payment Systems Regulator ( PSR ) has been looking into such scams following a super-complaint by consumer group Which? over concerns that, unlike many other payment methods, victims conned into transferring money by bank transfer to a fraudster have no legal right to get their money back from their bank. \nPlans outlined by the PSR, following work with the payments industry, aim to make it harder for fraudsters to commit such crimes, ensure banks follow best practice and help them to recover money. \n\nXXXX experts are warning parents about a new text scam targeting pare Whether or not the fraud victim gets their money back would depend on whether banks and payment organizations had met required standards, including measures and processes that help prevent and respond to scams as well as whether or not the victim has taken an appropriate level of care in protecting themselves. \nThe PSR said the compensation model aims to help reinforce compliance with new best practice standards that banks will follow when a victim reports one of these scams.\n\nThe PSR said new protections to help prevent scams happening and help banks recover money faster will include : Confirmation of payee starting in XX/XX/XXXX, allowing customers to verify that they are paying the person they intend. \nTransaction data analytics, starting in XX/XX/XXXX, helping banks to shut down mule accounts taken over by criminals for fraudulent activity and spot potential fraudulent payments. \nKnow your customer data sharing for banks due in XX/XX/XXXX to help stop fraudsters opening accounts they use for scams. \nImproved data sharing providing a better understanding to help banks work together to respond to scams faster. \nThe Financial Conduct Authority said it had previously found that, generally, procedures for handling cases of push payment scams are often unclear and inconsistently applied. It said it will be actively monitoring the adoption, implementation and impact of the standards.","date_sent_to_company":"2018-12-11T20:57:54.000Z","issue":"Other transaction problem","sub_product":"Domestic (US) money transfer","zip_code":"34476","tags":"Servicemember","has_narrative":true,"complaint_id":"3097490","timely":"Yes","company_response":"Closed with monetary relief","submitted_via":"Web","company":"BANK OF AMERICA, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION","date_received":"2018-12-11T20:38:24.000Z","state":"FL","company_public_response":"Company has responded to the consumer and the CFPB and chooses not to provide a public response","sub_issue":null},"highlight":{"complaint_what_happened":["Since then, BOA which use to call me daily, as ceased all communications with me and this event, yet I call the <em>fraud</em> department at BOA and no  objectives have changed. \n\nI am 100 % XXXX, <em>combat</em> veteran that served this country through our military and XXXX..and this is the way BOA treats its XXXX <em>combat</em> vets. One day I was TOLD to go see our local branch manager.easier said than done with my XXXX."]},"sort":[14.280342,"3097490"]},{"_index":"complaint-public-v1","_id":"15301334","_score":9.314017,"_source":{"product":"Checking or savings account","complaint_what_happened":"To whom it may concern, This incident took place XX/XX/XXXX. XXXX morning, while getting ready to start my day, I felt a pressing urge to check my online banking after not checking for a while. To my surprise, I could not access it so I began panicking. My past naive XXXX self was very sheltered and had no knowledge on what to do. I lacked information concerning these things, so I did whatever came to mind. I immediately contacted my friends and roommates to let them know what happened. Then I looked online and on social media where I found out that I was not the only one affected from a post I saw on XXXX that morning. I did not have a very close relationship with my family and communicated to my then friends more, so I asked for their input. But they were as clueless as me. I briefly called my dad, mom, and sister to tell them what happened and check if they were affected since they use Bank of America too. Thankfully they were not so I quickly went to the nearest BOA branch to inquire why this happened. On getting there, it was crowded, and we were told not to worry and to wait till the ongoing investigation is finalized. I did just that to keep myself from spiraling and to keep my already compromised mental state from worsening. I channeled my energy to school and other things, praying that the issue to get resolved soon. Soon after I was told that the bank decided to close my account totally, when I asked why information was withheld by me. I asked what I could do to resolve this but was told that I could not do anything. My past coping mechanism was to isolate and avoid due to my crippling XXXX. I started to overthink about the reason why this happened. I did not harm anyone ; I tried my best to do good and offer help and was finally improving my mental health so why me??? That was my thought process, so I gave up looking for answers and resigned to my fate, thinking that it was not that serious If they did not explain to me in full details. Few months later, I attempted to open a new bank account at XXXX XXXX XXXX after not having one for a while. Alarms began to ring when I couldn't, I still did not get any information as to why and was told to try again later. I was reminded of the previous abrupt account closure. I explained what happened to the banker that attended to me but was instructed to take it up with BOA, which I did. I called the customer service line but they were of no help to me. So I opened a XXXX account because I started working and needed one for my payroll. My intense XXXX eased up as time went by and I eventually buried about that incident to protect my sanity. \n\nNow, I am a XXXX fresXXXX XXXX XXXX, ready for new beginning and to launch into the adult world but this issue is holding me back. On XX/XX/XXXX, I decided to open an account at XXXX and BOA but was met with the same rejection. It broke me down horribly and made me severely depressed. What went wrong?? Why is this issue still persistent? What did I do wrong? What is the reason?? I contacted XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX for a current consumer file disclosure report because that was what I was advised to do online. I did so and finally saw the reason for the closure and rejection. It stated \" Checking Account Fraud '' ... excuse me what?! I was puzzled because it was my first time seeing that. I wish I got that information earlier then I would not have been complacent and relaxed with the way I handled the situation. I wished I got the proper information about this in school and prior to opening the account. \n\nI called Bank of America and was told the same thing as before that \" they just decided to close the account and as per agreement that's all the information they can provide ''. Hearing that completely broke me because what do I do? I wish the bank was upfront with me and told me everything so this would have been resolved the moment it happened. I became overwhelmed with regret on my stupidity, lack of information, dismissive attitude and wish I had a sense of urgency and appropriate information of fraud, personal information security, and how to combat such incident at the time of occurrence. I started doing something I should have done a long time ago. Backtracking my emails to around the time of the closure. Younger me seldomly checked my emails because I did not feel the need to it unless it occurs to me to do so. Then I saw emails of online banking password reset few days prior to the time I found out about my account restricted access, dispute claims, and a hold on a check of {$4700.00} at XXXX XXXX  on XX/XX/XXXX. All which I had no knowledge of. I was a short-time braider to earn money for my upkeep so i got paid with cash. I had minimal knowledge about checks since I never used them. I started thinking back to all the times that I let friends, clients, and a few strangers use my phone for a while to make calls or something else due to my younger self lack of caution and security. I was brought up with the \" sharing is caring '' and \" to do good always '' principle so I thought that being selfless was the best thing to do to help others. Identity theft and fraud was the main cause of this issue after doing my findings online. Letting my friends have my phone password and sometimes use my social media account because I thought that level of transparency was okay since we were close not thinking of the repercussions. My experience being bullied in middle and high school made me a people pleaser which encouraged my selfless character. I also remembered when my naive younger self would often click on links sent to me by unknown because I was curious or gullible to fall for those \" click to redeem gift '' pop-ups that would cloud my screen on the internet without thinking much of it. Remembering the time when I used the same email and password for almost all my accounts. If only I knew! I know better now. I am extremely heartbroken because I am suffering of a crime, I know nothing of. This made me very cynical and affected the way I related to others. It also brewed resentment to people around me because it made me unable to trust anyone. The dream of a wonderful adult life is crumbling right before my eyes before I even started. I can't sleep and eat because of this issue. I start my big girl job soon but feel stagnant because of this issue. I am currently vulnerable and pleading for help. \n\nThis issue is depriving me of buying a car, getting insurance, and moving out of my parents ' house due to not having a real bank account or credit card. My mental health is declining at an alarming rate due to stress which is starting to affect my physical condition. I am losing sleep and can not eat because of this. I am self-harming to distract myself from the chaos in my mind and filled with so much anguish and embarrassment regarding this. Please, I just want this problem rectified and awareness of the prevalent of identity fraud and the many ways it happens to stop this from repeating itself. Make fraud awareness, and security updates semi-annually mandatory. Urge consumers to change their password and update security setting every 4 months and to check emails daily. Feel free to use my experience as an example for everyone because I never wish for this to happen to anyone. I want the fraud claim disputed please. I am reaching my breaking point and do not know if I can take this anymore. I have cried enough and done as much as I can. This is beyond me. I will try my best to include as much documents as I can. Please rectify this issue. \n\nThank you so much for your time reading and your assistance. I look forward to feedback. Please feel free to contact me if needed. \n\nWarm regards.","date_sent_to_company":"2025-08-14T15:18:07.000Z","issue":"Closing an account","sub_product":"Checking account","zip_code":"30087","tags":null,"has_narrative":true,"complaint_id":"15301334","timely":"Yes","company_response":"Closed with non-monetary relief","submitted_via":"Web","company":"BANK OF AMERICA, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION","date_received":"2025-08-14T15:00:13.000Z","state":"GA","company_public_response":"Company has responded to the consumer and the CFPB and chooses not to provide a public response","sub_issue":"Company closed your account"},"highlight":{"complaint_what_happened":["I became overwhelmed with regret on my stupidity, lack of <em>information</em>, dismissive attitude and wish I had a sense of urgency and appropriate <em>information</em> of <em>fraud</em>, personal <em>information</em> security, and how to <em>combat</em> such incident at the time of occurrence. I started doing something I should have done a long time ago. Backtracking my emails to around the time of the closure. Younger me seldomly checked my emails because I did not feel the need to it unless it occurs to me to do so."]},"sort":[9.314017,"15301334"]},{"_index":"complaint-public-v1","_id":"15293637","_score":9.2095,"_source":{"product":"Credit reporting or other personal consumer reports","complaint_what_happened":"Consumer ID : XXXX  Information dispute : \" Checking Account Fraud '' To whom it may concern, this incident took place XX/XX/XXXX. One morning, while getting ready to start my day, I felt a pressing urge to check my online banking after not checking in a while. To my surprise, I could not access it so I began panicking. My past naive XXXX self was very sheltered and had no knowledge on what to do. I lacked information concerning these things, so I did whatever came to mind. I immediately contacted my friends and roommates to let them know what happened. Then I looked online and on social media where I found out that I was not the only one affected from a post I saw on Theshaderoom that morning. I did not have a very close relationship with my family and communicated to my then friends more, so I asked for their input. But they were as clueless as me. I briefly called my dad, mom, and sister to tell them what happened and check if they were affected since they use XXXX XXXX XXXXXXXX too. Thankfully they were not so I quickly went to the nearest XXXX branch to inquire why this happened. On getting there, it was crowded, and we were told not to worry and to wait till the ongoing investigation is finalized. I did just that to keep myself from spiraling and to keep my already compromised mental state from worsening. I channeled my energy to school and other things, praying that the issue to get resolved soon. Soon after I was told that the bank decided to close my account totally, when I asked why information was withheld by me. I asked what I could do to resolve this but was told that I could not do anything. My past coping mechanism was to isolate and avoid due to my crippling XXXX. I started to overthink about the reason why this happened. I did not harm anyone ; I tried my best to do good and offer help and was finally improving my mental health so why me??? That was my thought process, so I gave up looking for answers and resigned to my fate, thinking that it was not that serious If they did not explain to me in full details. Few months later, I attempted to open a new bank account at XXXX XXXX XXXX after not having one for a while. Alarms began to ring when I couldn't, I still did not get any information as to why and was told to try again later. I was reminded of the previous abrupt account closure. I explained what happened to the banker that attended to me but was instructed to take it up with XXXX, which I did. I called the customer service line but they were of no help to me. So I opened a XXXX account because I started working and needed one for my payroll. My intense XXXX eased up as time went by and I eventually buried about that incident to protect my sanity. \n\nNow, I am a XXXX fresh XXXX  XXXX, ready for new beginning and to launch into the adult world but this issue is holding me back. On XX/XX/XXXX, I decided to open an account at XXXX and XXXX but was met with the same rejection. It broke me down horribly and made me XXXX  XXXX. What went wrong?? Why is this issue still persistent? What did I do wrong? What is the reason?? I contacted XXXX  and early warning for a current consumer file disclosure report because that was what I was advised to do online. I did so and finally saw the reason for the closure and rejection. It stated \" Checking Account Fraud '' ... excuse me what?! I was puzzled because it was my first time seeing that. I wish I got that information earlier then I would not have been complacent and relaxed with the way I handled the situation. I wished I got the proper information about this in school and prior to opening the account. \n\nI called XXXX XXXX XXXXXXXX and was told the same thing as before that \" they just decided to close the account and as per agreement that's all the information they can provide ''. Hearing that completely broke me because what do I do? I wish the bank was upfront with me and told me everything so this would have been resolved the moment it happened. I became overwhelmed with regret on my stupidity, lack of information, dismissive attitude and wish I had a sense of urgency and appropriate information of fraud, personal information security, and how to combat such incident at the time of occurrence. I started doing something I should have done a long time ago. Backtracking my emails to around the time of the closure. Younger me seldomly checked my emails because I did not feel the need to it unless it occurs to me to do so. Then I saw emails of online banking password reset few days prior to the time I found out about my account restricted access, dispute claims, and a hold on a check of {$4700.00} at XXXX XXXX  on XX/XX/XXXX. All which I had no knowledge of. I was a short-time braider to earn money for my upkeep so i got paid with cash. I had minimal knowledge about checks since I never used them. I started thinking back to all the times that I let friends, clients, and a few strangers use my phone for a while to make calls or something else due to my younger self lack of caution and security. I was brought up with the \" sharing is caring '' and \" to do good always '' principle so I thought that being selfless was the best thing to do to help others. Identity theft and fraud was the main cause of this issue after doing my findings online. Letting my friends have my phone password and sometimes use my social media account because I thought that level of transparency was okay since we were close. My experience being XXXX  in XXXX  and XXXX XXXX  made me a people pleaser which encouraged my selfless character. I also remembered when my naive younger self would often click on links sent to me by unknown because I was curious or gullible to fall for those \" click to redeem gift '' pop-ups that would cloud my screen on XXXX without thinking much of it. Remembering the time when I used the same email and password for almost all my accounts. If only I knew! I know better now. I am extremely heartbroken because I am suffering of a crime, I know nothing of. This made me very cynical and affected the way I related to others. It also brewed resentment to people around me because it made me unable to trust anyone. The dream of a wonderful adult life is crumbling right before my eyes before I even started. I can't sleep and eat because of this issue. I start my big girl job soon but feel stagnant because of this issue. I am currently vulnerable and pleading for help. \n\nThis issue is depriving me of buying a car, getting insurance, and moving out of my parents ' house due to not having a real bank account or credit card. XXXX  XXXX  XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX  due to stress which is starting to affect my XXXX  condition. I am losing sleep and can not eat because of this. I am self-harming to distract myself from the chaos in my mind and filled with so much anguish and embarrassment regarding this. Please, I just want this problem rectified and awareness of the prevalent of identity fraud to stop this from repeating itself. Make fraud awareness, and security updates semi-annually mandatory. Urge consumers to change their password and update security setting every 4 months and to check emails daily. Feel free to use my experience as an example for everyone because I will never wish for this to happen to anyone. I want the fraud claim disputed please. I am reaching my breaking point and do not know if I can take this anymore. I have cried enough and done as much as I can. This is beyond me. I will try my best to include as much documents as I can. Please rectify this issue. \n\nThank you so much for your time reading and your assistance. I look forward to feedback. Please feel free to contact me if extra information is needed! \n\nWarm regards.","date_sent_to_company":"2025-08-14T15:27:54.000Z","issue":"Problem with a company's investigation into an existing issue","sub_product":"Other personal consumer report","zip_code":"30087","tags":null,"has_narrative":true,"complaint_id":"15293637","timely":"Yes","company_response":"Closed with explanation","submitted_via":"Web","company":"Early Warning Services, LLC","date_received":"2025-08-14T15:20:04.000Z","state":"GA","company_public_response":null,"sub_issue":"Problem with personal statement of dispute"},"highlight":{"complaint_what_happened":["I was brought up with the \" <em>sharing</em> is caring '' and \" to do good always '' principle so I thought that being selfless was the best thing to do to help others. Identity theft and <em>fraud</em> was the main cause of this issue after doing my findings online. Letting my friends have my phone password and sometimes use my social media account because I thought that <em>level</em> of transparency was okay since we were close."]},"sort":[9.2095,"15293637"]},{"_index":"complaint-public-v1","_id":"9140686","_score":7.7601814,"_source":{"product":"Money transfer, virtual currency, or money service","complaint_what_happened":"To, CFPB Ombudsman : Unresolved dispute with Bank of America transfer to a FRAUD SCAM Brokers : XXXX XXXX XXXX name : AnthonyTricoci Amount : {$140000.00} Reference : XXXX XXXX ( The company ) Dear Sir/Madam, I want to draw your attention to a significant issue I've encountered involving Bank of America . I've fallen victim to a sophisticated scam orchestrated by the company operating under the name '' XXXX XXXX '' referred to as \" The Company. '' Funds totaling {$140000.00} weretransferred from myBankofAmericaaccountdirectlytothefraudster. \nAs I stated I fell victim to an Online trading company, misrepresenting themselves as legitimate brokerages o ering me to make great returns onso-calledOnlinetradingwith little to no risk. \nIn XX/XX/year>, I received a connection request from XXXX XXXX, a professional in finance and XXXX XXXX XXXX ( CRO ). Being intrigued by her extensive background in finance, I connected with her. Our initial interaction took place on the XXXX platform, but XXXX suggested moving our conversation to XXXX for enhanced privacy and encryption. Despite my background being in engineering and management, XXXX expressed interest in my lengthy career and experience with U.S. financial issues during my early years. \nOur regular conversations delved into personal topics, such as hobbies and lifestyles. XXXX revealed her interest in trading XXXX XXXX, a skill taught by her uncle, a prominent figure at XXXX in New York. As our discussions progressed, we shared details about our private lives, including XXXX 's marital status ( divorced with no children ), age ( XXXX ), and residence in the XXXX XXXX area. I, too, disclosed being married, retired, XXXX XXXX XXXX, with hobbies in working on old cars and traveling. \nMy interest in XXXX 's successful XXXX XXXX trading prompted her to introduce me to the XXXX XXXX app. After demonstrating how to use the app in demo mode, XXXX encouraged me to invest real money. I started with a {$5000.00} transfer, and under her guidance, we experienced some initial success. As XXXX insisted on increasing capital, I transferred an additional {$40000.00} from my savings, and with a total of {$45000.00}, our trading flourished. XXXX proposed leveraging more funds and inquiring about my financial resources, including pensions, Social Security, and trust money. \nAs XXXX persistently pressed for additional funds, she became more affectionate, using terms like \" honey, '' \" dear, '' and \" darling. '' Despite my reluctance to involve trust money, XXXX expressed interest in a non-escalating annuity. She assured me that if any losses occurred, she would cover them. She showcased her trading profits, and I eventually cashed in the annuity, transferring the funds to my XXXX Account. Our profits reached {$150000.00}, and XXXX, seemingly enamored, proposed an all-expenses-paid trip to XXXX and urged me to access the trust funds. \nHowever, my apprehensions grew, especially as XXXX discouraged withdrawals, citing the need to gradually withdraw for tax payments. When I proposed a withdrawal to purchase an XXXX phone and remodel a bathroom, XXXX insisted on a {$3000.00} payment to maintain high capital levels. As I navigated the account freeze issue, it became evident that it was a scam. The {$160000.00} they claimed I owed was the initial capital I had invested, and by paying it, they promised to double it and return the amount, effectively paying off the loan. \nI thought Iwasgoingonalegitimateinvestmenttrack, andIwouldliketomentionthattheir methods were illegal, manipulative, against regulation, and very questionable. I have tried on several occasions to resolve matters directly with Bank of America However, they are ignoring me and trying to brush me o. I requested to file adisputeregardingthemerchant and asked that Bank of America assist me inrecoveringthefundsbacktomyaccountforthe following reasons : XXXX XXXX XXXX Questionable Merchant Activity Furthermore, I do consider that the actions committed by Bank of America 's XXXX XXXX to the USlegislation. \nI have not managed to retrieve any of my funds, and I see no prospect of recovering them from \" XXXX XXXX ''. I urge Bank of America to acknowledge its share of responsibility in neglecting to adequately caution customers engaging with a disreputable entity. Those of us not well-versed in financial matters lack the tools to protect ourselves against a sophisticated and practiced deceiver. \nIt is a shattering blow to have what e ectivelywasmylasthopeofprovidingformypension in evenasmallway. \nTheBanks negligence : As previously highlighted, I have never received any notification from Bank of America 's sta, despite the transactions made to \" XXXX XXXX '' being deemed \" unusually large and complex, '' as well as contradictory to mypasttransaction history. It's important to note that these transactions occurred in rapid succession, leaving no room for oversight from Bank of America. Therefore, I consider this oversight to indicate negligence on the part of Bank of America. \nI have accepted Bank of America Terms and Conditions- with thepagescoveringAML/CTF policies they seemed to be credible enough. It turned out that Bank of America, which, de jure, has pages covered with XXXX, has, defacto, totally disregarded the US attempts to prevent/stop and combat money laundering, terrorism sponsorship, and other illegal, immoral, and unethical activities. \nI have emphasized that while XXXX XXXX might be involved in illegal activity ( money laundering, terrorism sponsorship, etc. ), Bank of America 's reputation could face significant damage due to their decision not only to transfer funds to XXXX XXXX but also to refuse to reverse the transactions. \nTherefore, I consider that by transferring my hard-earned funds, Bank of America allowed this fraud ( directly or indirectly ) to occur. I would like to emphasize that I am an ordinary citizen, I was never told about financial regulators and authorities, nor do I have any experience in the financial field- it is only the painful and devastating experience I faced that made me fully examine the key principles of AML/CTF and KYC policies the banks should fully implement. \nNevertheless, I would like to emphasize that financial institutions must update their database to ensure their clients` security. Unfortunately, ordinary people do not possess enough knowledge and technological facilities and, as a consequence, they could be deceived- and, in fact, they are! However, theydorelyontheirbanks, andifsuchsophisticated fraud occurs, it means that : -wearedealingwithsophisticated scammersand-Thebankdidnotdoitsjobproperly. \nOrdinary citizens, who do not possess cyber-security tools, could be deceived- however, it is impossible to deceive the security infrastructures and systems. \nI would like to kindly draw the attention of the CFPB Ombudsman to the fact that I have never received any warnings from the banks ' sides- even though the transactions I was making should have raised red flags for Bank of America and Bank of America as I have never transferred money to XXXX before. I have never received any adequate warning/alert from the banks sides- and I do consider that it definitely indicates gross negligence from BankofAmerica'sside.\n\nFurthermore, please note that I contacted Bank of America right after I realized that I was sophisticatedly deceived- however, I have received neither assistance nor have my funds been recalled/retrieved. Therefore, I do consider that Bank of America has never acted in the client 's best interest and now are trying to simply get rid of me. \nI was never told by Bank of America'semployeesthatsendingmoneytoXXXX risky. Since my trusted financial institution didn't warn me or explain the risks involved, I was under the impression that I was proceeding on a legitimate path. Had my bank alerted me, Iwouldhaveimmediatelyceasedtransferring funds to thescammers. \nOnce again, I would like to emphasize that I am an ordinary citizen- however, I have revealed that the USA is seriously combating moneylaundering issues. \nI doubt how professional and reliable Bank of Americas services are if their employees can not provide their clients with the relevant information concerning the risk of making certain transactions. \nI do consider that Bank of America has committed gross negligence while transferring money to XXXX XXXX as it has not only disregarded the vulnerable circumstances I face but has not fully implemented XXXX and XXXX regulations ( such as ongoing monitoring of clients` transactions in order to determine unusually large or complex ones as well as those which run counter to clients` profiles, committing XXXX searches, sanctions XXXX, etc. ), which made mefall into such asophisticated scam. \nDespite regularly transferring substantial sums of money, I have never received any alerts or warnings from bank employees. This leads me to believe that Bank of America has failed to monitor my transactions or implement enhanced customer due diligence.Hadtheydoneso, they wouldhaverealized that these transactions do not align with my client profile. \nCASESUMMARY : 1. Bank of America has not stopped/blocked the transactions made to the fraudulent company. As those transactions have been authorized and executed by Bank of America this meansBankofAmericaisdirectly involved in fraud.\n\n2. The destination of my hard-earned funds was never checked by Bank of Americas employees , which indicates an absolute disregard for their own Terms and Conditions, as well as for the US anti-moneylaunderinglegislation .\n\n3. Bank of America has not implemented enhanced customer due diligence, showing little concern regarding the potential money laundering, terrorism sponsorship, and other illegal activities ; 4. Bank of America has disregarded its responsibilities regarding the clients` funds security and clients treatment. My financial condition has been strongly a ected and I carried enormous losses due to the fraud- none of these vulnerable circumstances was taken into consideration by the Bank`s employees. \n5. TheBankhasnotfullyimplementeditsownTermsandConditions.\n\nDESIREDOUTCOME : BankofAmericahastoconfirmthatIhavefallenvictimtofraud. \nBank of America has to promptly initiate a full recall of these payments totaling {$140000.00}. This action includes conducting a thorough investigation into my case and identifying any companies or banks potentially involved in the fraudulent activity.\n\nBank of America has to act in the best interest of their clients ( as stated above ) and if the funds can not be recalled, I expect Bank of America to compose a reimbursement for the reasons mentionedpreviously. \nBank of Americahastoupdateitsdatabasetopreventthesamefraudulentandaggravating cases such as minefromrecurring. \nBank of America has to provide me with additional financial compensation for my mental andphysical health was jeopardized by the Banks employees. \nI amlookingforwardtoreceiving aresponsefromyou.Thankyouforyourassistance. \nRespectfully, AnthonyTricoci Attachments : XX/XX/XXXX XXXX To, Bank of America- Appeal letter XXXX name : XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX Dear XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX I am a loyal, long-term Client of Bank of XXXX. \nThis letter is to inform Bank of America about fraudulent activity that has been committed on my Bank of America account since XXXX XXXXXX/XX/year>, and then I have revealed that I was sophisticatedly scammed and the Merchants I was dealing with- the Company called XXXX XXXXhadnoregulations and offer fake services on their website. \nPlease note that the total amount of XXXX USD was transferred from my bank account to XXXX XXXX. \nI have been a member of XXXX for two decades, utilizing this business and employment-focused social media platform both through its website and mobile applications. \nIn XX/XX/year>, I received a connection request from XXXX XXXX, a professional in finance and XXXX XXXX XXXXXXXX ( CRO ). XXXX intrigued by her extensive background in finance, I connected with her. Our initial interaction took place on the XXXX platform, but XXXX suggested moving our conversation to XXXX for enhanced privacy and encryption. Despite my background being in engineering and management, XXXX expressed interest in my lengthy career and experience with U.S. financial issues during my early years. \nOur regular conversations delved into personal topics, such as hobbies and lifestyles. XXXX revealed her interest in trading XXXX XXXX, a skill taught by her uncle, a prominent figure at XXXX in New York. As our discussions progressed, we shared details about our private lives, including XXXX 's marital status ( divorced with no children ), age ( XXXX ), and residence in the XXXX XXXX area. I, too, disclosed being married, retired, XXXX XXXX XXXX, with hobbies in working on old cars and traveling. \nMy interest in XXXX 's successful XXXX XXXX trading prompted her to introduce me to the XXXX XXXX app. Afterdemonstrating how to use the app in demo mode, XXXX encouraged me to invest real money. I started with a {$5000.00} transfer, and under her guidance, we experienced some initial success. As XXXX insisted on increasing capital, I transferred an additional {$40000.00} from my savings, and with a total of {$45000.00}, our trading flourished. XXXX proposed leveraging more funds and inquiring about my financial resources, including pensions, Social Security, and trust money. \nAs XXXX persistently pressed for additional funds, she became more affectionate, using terms like \" honey, '' \" dear, '' and \" darling. '' Despite my reluctance to involve trust money, XXXX expressed interest in a non-escalating annuity. She assured me that if any losses occurred, she would cover them. She showcased her trading profits, and I eventually cashed in the annuity, transferring the funds to my XXXX Account. Our profits reached {$150000.00}, and XXXX, seemingly enamored, proposed an all-expenses-paid trip to XXXX and urged me XXXX access the trust funds. \nHowever, my apprehensions grew, especially as XXXX discouraged withdrawals, citing the need to gradually withdraw for tax payments. When I proposed a withdrawal to purchase an XXXX phone and remodel a bathroom, XXXX insisted on a {$3000.00} payment to maintain high capital levels. As I navigated the account freeze issue, it became evident that it was a scam. The {$160000.00} they claimed I owed was the initial capital I had invested, and by paying it, they promised to double it and return the amount, effectively paying off the loan. \nI was convinced that the company was legitimate and had billions of assets. It did look professional and genuine and I could not have even imagined that the company was fraudulent and counterfeit. Nevertheless, the Company turned out to be professional in pushing its Clients to invest more and more funds- I was urged to invest money so my trading account could grow and I would receive higher returns. \nI was instructed to start with a small investment- however, right after depositing funds, I observed my trading account growing ; things looked very good- and my trust was caught by these manipulative tricks. Please note that I have never had any experience in the financial field, and, therefore, my lack of experience and trust were sophisticatedly misused by the fraudsters. \nI was pushed to owe money, and the whole process of trading was done under pretenses and permanent high-pressure sales techniques. The Company has committed a deliberate misrepresentation, pretending to be legitimate and licensed brokerages- neither their product nor real service has ever existed. I was misguided and misinformed early, falling victim to a sophisticated financial fraud. \nTHEBANK`SRESPONSIBILITY : Please note that you have never provided me with a plain and understandable explanation of the risks related to such types of transactions. \nI have come through severe phone harassment and unethical sales techniques, and, as a result, fell victim to financial abuse. I firmly believe that Bank of America could have prevented this fraud from occurring if you had promptly identified the red flags of financial fraud and/or financial abuse. \nAn enormous amount of money was transferred from my bank account to XXXX XXXX, which should have alerted your concerns. I request you to note that the whole process of trading was done under the Company 's guidelines and false pretenses-taking into account, that those transactions had no business/logical purposes, you should have examined their nature to ensure that being a loyal Client of yours, I am not misguided/deceived by the fraudulent Merchants. \nI request you to take into consideration that in the case of XXXX XXXX : Theproduct that was described to me did not match reality, meaning the product was misdescribed and I was misinformed. \nBased onthe above, I couldnt make a conscious decision as I was misinformed from the start as to the nature of the fraudulent company, meaning I couldnt have known that these transactions were risky.- However, the Bank, XXXX HAVE KNOWN. \nI have never dealt with trading/investment companies before- therefore, those transactions should have raised so-called red flags, as they run counter to my previous client`s history Besides, I need to state that I was never told that the trading process is risky itself while the transfers made to XXXX XXXX should raise red flags for the financial institutions- because the transaction does not correspond to my previous client`s history, and, inter alia, taking into account how questionable the reputation of XXXX XXXX. \nSummarising the above-mentioned, I would like to point out that : * I was deliberately misinformed, and the Company committed fraud and/or willful misrepresentation. XXXX XXXX created a false, misleading impression that the Company 's services were genuine, legitimate, and in full accordance with XXXX legislation. \n* The Company turned out to be a fraudulent, unlicensed entity and was aggressively pushing me to invest my life savings. As I revealed later, the numbers they were showing in my trading account were just smoke and mirrors and never really existed. \nAll the above-mentioned facts and arguments indicate that XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX in a sophisticated fraud. The Merchants have Misrepresented themselves and their services ( pretending to be reliable and trustworthy ). \nThus, I firmly believe that the Bank should have taken proactive actions to ensure that I would not fall victim to a financial scam and/or financial abuse. During the process of these transactions, I was asked about the purpose of transferring the money. However, I am confused as to why these transactions were not flagged or prevented, considering the potential risks involved. As a customer, I rely on the expertise and vigilance of the bank 's employees to ensure the security and integrity of my account. \nI would appreciate it if you could provide me with some clarification on this matter. Were your employees aware of the risks associated with these transactions? If so, why were they not prevented? I believe it is crucial to understand the reasons behind this to maintain trust and confidence in the bank 's services. \nIn other words, Bank of America had failed to notify me and had failed to do its due diligence regarding monitoring suspicious transactions- as it could be seen from my bank statements, my funds went to the Merchant which appear irregular in comparison to mydaily transaction history. \nOrdinary citizens, who do not possess cyber-security tools, could be deceived ; however, it is impossible to deceive the security infrastructures and systems- the ongoing monitoring of transactions, ( enhanced ) customer due diligence, and the assessment of geographical risk could never be misled. \nAs an ordinary citizen, who did not possess any previous trading experience, I could not even imagine how sophisticated financial scams could be. I was NOT asked whether I was pushed or instructed by the third party, nor I was inquired whether I was promised any unrealistic returns for such an investment. Most importantly, I have not explained the risks related to such transactions, nor I was told that the number of investment scams increased drastically and there were thousands of other US citizens being maliciously targeted by fraudsters.\n\nI have transferred thousands of Dollars- however, you never intended to fully understand the nature of the transaction. \nLet me assure you that the prudent Bank employee would have been able to identify unusual patterns in my transactions meaning that in case XXXX had been fulfilled by the Bank, the red flags would have been immediately raised. \nNevertheless, my genuine willingness is to resolve this dispute and continue our cooperation, as I have always been satisfied with your services. \nI expect Bank of Americatoinvestigate mycase, contact all the recipient financial institutions with the request to recall/reverse the transactions for the total amountof {$140000.00}, and/or reimburse meaccordingly","date_sent_to_company":"2024-05-30T20:01:41.000Z","issue":"Fraud or scam","sub_product":"Domestic (US) money transfer","zip_code":"85044","tags":"Older American","has_narrative":true,"complaint_id":"9140686","timely":"Yes","company_response":"Closed with explanation","submitted_via":"Web","company":"BANK OF AMERICA, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION","date_received":"2024-05-30T19:46:01.000Z","state":"AZ","company_public_response":"Company has responded to the consumer and the CFPB and chooses not to provide a public response","sub_issue":null},"highlight":{"complaint_what_happened":["Once again, I would like to emphasize that I am an ordinary citizen- however, I have revealed that the USA is seriously <em>combating</em> moneylaundering issues. \nI doubt how professional and reliable Bank of Americas services are if their employees can not provide their clients with the relevant <em>information</em> concerning the risk of making certain transactions."],"issue":["<em>Fraud</em> or scam"]},"sort":[7.7601814,"9140686"]},{"_index":"complaint-public-v1","_id":"2931328","_score":6.5360413,"_source":{"product":"Mortgage","complaint_what_happened":"This is the only specialty of Ocwen. This is the only duplicate their lair rep mentions about. The send criminals to XXXX on your property stole your private property using forge documents, lying to clients, deceiving clients and if they see that this I not working they used death threats tactics in order to intimidate people. This criminal organization must close soon permanently. I get death treats from XXXX 18 to 28 per days. Since I am not scare of this criminal behavior as I discover some IP addresses of those criminals I will go to XXXX to file criminal charges and close the doors of those hate-Americans criminals forever. This is the only expertise this pirate mortgage company has. \nServiced loans using error-riddled information : Ocwen uses a proprietary system called XXXX to process and apply borrower payments, communicate payment information to borrowers, and maintain loan balance information. Ocwen allegedly loaded inaccurate and incomplete information into its XXXX  system. And even when data was accurate, XXXX  generated errors because of system failures and deficient programming. To manage this risk, Ocwen tried manual workarounds, but they often failed to correct inaccuracies and produced still more errors. Ocwen then used this faulty information to service borrowers loans. In XX/XX/XXXX, Ocwens head of servicing described its system as ridiculous and a train wreck. \nIllegally foreclosed on homeowners : Ocwen has long touted its ability to service and modify loans for troubled borrowers. But allegedly, Ocwen has failed to deliver required foreclosure protections. As a result, the Bureau alleges that Ocwen has wrongfully initiated foreclosure proceedings on at least 1,000 people, and has wrongfully held foreclosure sales. Among other illegal practices, Ocwen has initiated the foreclosure process before completing a review of borrowers loss mitigation applications. In other instances, Ocwen has asked borrowers to submit additional information within 30 days, but foreclosed on the borrowers before the deadline. Ocwen has also foreclosed on borrowers who were fulfilling their obligations under a loss mitigation agreement. \nFailed to credit borrowers payments : Ocwen has allegedly failed to appropriately credit payments made by numerous borrowers. Ocwen has also failed to send borrowers accurate periodic statements detailing the amount due, how payments were applied, total payments received, and other information. Ocwen has also failed to correct billing and payment errors. \nBotched escrow accounts : Ocwen manages escrow accounts for over 75 percent of the loans it services. Ocwen has allegedly botched basic tasks in managing these borrower accounts. Because of system breakdowns and an over-reliance on manually entering information, Ocwen has allegedly failed to conduct escrow analyses and sent some borrowers escrow statements late or not at all. Ocwen also allegedly failed to properly account for and apply payments by borrowers to address escrow shortages, such as changes in the account when property taxes go up. One result of this failure has been that some borrowers have paid inaccurate amounts. \nMishandled hazard insurance : If a servicer administers an escrow account for a borrower, a servicer must make timely insurance and/or tax payments on behalf of the borrower. Ocwen, however, has allegedly failed to make timely insurance payments to pay for borrowers home insurance premiums. Ocwens failures led to the lapse of homeowners insurance coverage for more than 10,000 borrowers. Some borrowers were pushed into force-placed insurance. \nBungled borrowers private mortgage insurance : Ocwen allegedly failed to cancel borrowers private mortgage insurance, or PMI, in a timely way, causing consumers to overpay. Generally, borrowers must purchase PMI when they obtain a mortgage with a down payment of less than 20 percent, or when they refinance their mortgage with less than 20 percent equity in their property. Servicers must end a borrowers requirement to pay PMI when the principal balance of the mortgage reaches 78 percent of the propertys original value. Since XX/XX/XXXX, Ocwen has failed to end borrowers PMI on time after learning information in its XXXX system was unreliable or missing altogether. Ocwen ultimately overcharged borrowers about {$1.00} XXXX for PMI premiums, and refunded this money only after the fact. \nDeceptively signed up and charged borrowers for add-on products : When servicing borrowers mortgage loans, Ocwen allegedly enrolled some consumers in add-on products through deceptive solicitations and without their consent. Ocwen then billed and collected payments from these consumers. \nFailed to assist heirs seeking foreclosure alternatives : Ocwen allegedly mishandled accounts for successors-in-interest, or heirs, to a deceased borrower. These consumers included widows, children, and other relatives. As a result, Ocwen failed to properly recognize individuals as heirs, and thereby denied assistance to help avoid foreclosure. In some instances, Ocwen foreclosed on individuals who may have been eligible to save these homes through a loan modification or other loss mitigation option. \nFailed to adequately investigate and respond to borrower complaints : If an error is made in the servicing of a mortgage loan, a servicer must generally either correct the error identified by the borrower, called a notice of error, or investigate the alleged error. Since XX/XX/XXXX, Ocwen has allegedly routinely failed to properly acknowledge and investigate complaints, or make necessary corrections. Ocwen changed its policy in XX/XX/XXXX to address the difficulty its call center had in recognizing and escalating complaints, but these changes fell short. Under its new policy, borrowers still have to complain at least five times in nine days before Ocwen automatically escalates their complaint to be resolved. Since XX/XX/XXXX, Ocwen has received more than 580,000 notices of error and complaints from more than 300,000 different borrowers. \nFailed to provide complete and accurate loan information to new servicers : Ocwen has allegedly failed to include complete and accurate borrower information when it sold its rights to service thousands of loans to new mortgage servicers. This has hampered the new servicers efforts to comply with laws and investor guidelines. \nOperations Targeted Financially Distressed Consumers in Danger of Losing Their Homes XXXX XXXX The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau today announced actions to halt two alleged mortgage loan modification scams it believes ripped-off thousands of struggling homeowners across the country. In total, these operations took in more than {$10.00} XXXX by charging consumers for services that falsely promised to prevent foreclosures or renegotiate troubled mortgages. \nWe are taking on schemes that prey on consumers who are struggling to pay their mortgages or facing foreclosure, said CFPB Director XXXX XXXX. We are especially concerned with those who misrepresent government programs or websites to divert distressed homeowners from needed assistance. \nAt the request of the CFPB, U.S. District Court Judges in the State of XXXX have ordered a halt to both operations, the XXXX Law Firm and the National Legal Help Center, and frozen their assets while the CFPB moves forward with the cases. The case involving the National Legal Help Center was initially referred to the CFPB by the Office of the Special Inspector General for the Troubled Asset Relief Program ( SIGTARP ) and Treasurys Office of Financial Stability, which have coordinated closely with the Bureau throughout the investigation. \nIt is absolutely unacceptable for unscrupulous con artists to take advantage of our nations housing crisis by targeting homeowners looking for help from TARPs Home Affordable Modification Program, said XXXX XXXX, Special Inspector General for TARP ( SIGTARP ). We thank the CFPB for protecting homeowners. SIGTARP will continue to stop these scams and educate homeowners that mortgage modifications through HAMP are free. \nThe CFPB is targeting loan modification operations that attempt to disguise their false promises of relief for struggling homeowners with claims that they are performing legal work or are a law firm. The Bureau is also particularly concerned with schemes that attract victims with false claims that they are endorsed by or represent the government. These tactics are used by mortgage relief scams to attract victims, add credibility to their schemes, or exploit certain legal exemptions for the practice of law. \nThe CFPB complaints allege that the defendants in both cases violated the Dodd-Frank Act and Regulation O, formerly known as the Mortgage Assistance Relief Services Rule. These laws prohibit unfair, deceptive, or abusive acts or practices and protect distressed homeowners from mortgage relief scams. \nViolations of the law alleged in the CFPBs complaints in both cases include : Illegally charged large upfront fees : It is against the law for mortgage relief providers to charge fees before services are provided. However, the defendants in both cases collected fees early on, typically ranging between {$1000.00} and {$4500.00} from each distressed homeowner, for services that rarely if ever materialized. \nDeceptively claimed to be affiliated with government agencies and/or programs : Defendants in both cases used deceptive language and mailings with government logos, letterhead, and/or marks to mislead consumers into believing that their mortgage relief services were sponsored by or associated with government agencies or programs. \nMisrepresented that they would secure loan modifications for consumers : Defendants misled consumers that the defendants were experienced negotiators who would substantially reduce mortgage payments, and that defendants would identify legal violations by consumers banks or mortgage companies to use as leverage in loan modification negotiations. However, it appears that defendants failed to provide meaningful relief for consumers. \nInstructed consumers to stop paying their mortgages and stop contacting their lenders : Financially distressed consumers were told to avoid interactions with their lenders and to stop mortgage payments because the defendants would provide relief, potentially putting the consumers unknowingly at risk of losing their homes and/or ruining their credit scores. \nThe CFPB also alleges that, after pocketing thousands of dollars in illegal fees from one distressed homeowner after another, the defendants in both cases typically stopped returning consumers phone calls and emails. In the end, many consumers learned that the defendants had not contacted their lenders or obtained any meaningful relief for them. Ultimately, homeowners across the country lost thousands of dollars each and suffered significant economic injury, including losing their homes. \nNational Legal Help Center The more recent of the two actions involves XXXX   residents XXXX XXXX and XXXX XXXX XXXX and their operation, National Legal Help Center, which appears to target consumers in all 50 states with false promises of mortgage relief. According to the CFPB, National Legal Help Center falsely claimed that they would provide legal representation for consumers even though the individual defendants are not attorneys and consumers received no actual legal representation. \nDefendants falsely claimed that, for a fee, they could assist consumers in getting benefits from government-affiliated programs, including the recent nationwide mortgage servicing settlement between state attorneys general and the federal government, and the five largest mortgage servicers. Defendants also falsely claimed that they were associated with the Independent Foreclosure Review program overseen by the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency ( OCC ) and the Federal Reserve. In reality, the defendants were not affiliated with either of the programs or in a position to provide the promised benefits to consumers. In fact, on XX/XX/XXXX, the OCC issued an alert on its website about this scam. \nThis is the trophy activity of Ocwen In one case, a former in-home caregiver and her husband who were indicted in XXXX  for allegedly defrauding an elderly veteran with XXXX out of about {$180000.00}. More charges are expected, and police say the couple took about {$500000.00} from the XXXX-year-old man. \nIn another case, a handyman convinced an elderly woman to give him power of attorney. He took out a reverse mortgage on the home which the woman had owned since the XX/XX/XXXX, and she never saw any of the money. She almost lost her home due to the scam. \nWe also heard a troubling story about how the CEO and CFO of a XXXX investment firm were charged with 66 felony counts of elder abuse, securities fraud, and conspiracy for bilking older investors of more than {$2.00} XXXX over an eight-year period. \nThe Government Accountability Office report on combatting elder financial abuse identified cases that are particularly thorny for social service, criminal justice, and consumer protection agencies. These cases involve exploitation by in-home caregivers, agents with power of attorney, and financial service providersexactly the kinds of cases mentioned above. These cases also demonstrate why family members or others who have close contact with older adults can play an important role in spotting and preventing elder financial abuse and exploitation. \nAt the inaugural meeting of the Elder Justice Coordinating Council last fall, we heard concerns that echo what the XXXX reported. We shared those concerns with Congress shortly after the report came out. We also detailed the work our Office for Older Americans is doing to combat some of these problems. We are : Developing guides for family members and others with legal authority to handle money for older relatives or friends, but who may not have formal training. The guides will help people understand proper record keeping, good frameworks for investing, and other basics of managing a vulnerable adults money. They also will help people recognize and respond to financial exploitation. \nProducing a guide for people who operate group living centers dedicated to serving older adults, such as XXXX XXXX or XXXX XXXX XXXX. We are also establishing partnerships with organizations to help distribute this information. \nPartnering with the FDIC to create XXXX XXXX for Older Adults, a community education and training program for older adults and for caregivers. \nCoordinating with stakeholders in several states to create and sustain multi-disciplinary older American protection networks. We are also developing strategies to communicate that the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act generally does not prohibit companies from reporting suspected elder financial exploitation. For many of them, this is often a point of confusion.\n\nThe Bureau also alleges that Ocwen has failed to remediate borrowers for the harm it has caused, including the problems it has created for struggling borrowers who were in default on their loans or who had filed for bankruptcy. For these groups of borrowers, Ocwens servicing errors have been particularly costly. \nThrough its complaint, filed in federal district court for the XXXX District of XXXX, the CFPB seeks a court order requiring Ocwen to follow mortgage servicing law, provide relief for consumers, and pay penalties. The complaint is not a finding or ruling that the defendants have actually violated the law. \nThe lawsuit is available at : XXXX XXXX XXXXXXXX The Bureau also alleges that Ocwen has failed to remediate borrowers for the harm it has caused, including the problems it has created for struggling borrowers who were in default on their loans or who had filed for bankruptcy. For these groups of borrowers, Ocwens servicing errors have been particularly costly. \nThrough its complaint, filed in federal district court for the XXXX District of XXXX, the CFPB seeks a court order requiring Ocwen to follow mortgage servicing law, provide relief for consumers, and pay penalties. The complaint is not a finding or ruling that the defendants have actually violated the law. \n\nOperations Targeted Financially Distressed Consumers in Danger of Losing Their Homes XXXX XXXX. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau today announced actions to halt two alleged mortgage loan modification scams it believes ripped-off thousands of struggling homeowners across the country. In total, these operations took in more than {$10.00} XXXX by charging consumers for services that falsely promised to prevent foreclosures or renegotiate troubled mortgages. \nWe are going to have 150,000 demonstrating in XXXX against those criminal activity of Ocwen After it the doors of this filthy pirate mortgage company will be close permanently This is the prce for this {$100000.00} property stolen temporary from me. In XX/XX/XXXXand XX/XX/XXXX and XX/XX/XXXX in order to intimidate me they put XXXX criminals to call me 15-20 a day, making even death threats or claiming they are from US Gov. Grants Dept. or from IRS or from Justice Dept. or even FBI or Police Dept. I suspect that a low-level clerk XXXX XXXX from XXXX XXXX  is directly responsible for organizing this XX/XX/XXXX looting perform by XXXX since Ocwen and XXXX was the only Institution informed about my trip to XXXX and this action was in ravage to my opposition to their fraudulent and criminal activity. Low level Ocwen clerk XXXX XXXX from XXXX XXXX  and the low lever worker XXXX from XXXX knew I will be in XXXX ( documenting Ocwens and XXXX forge documents ) informed XXXX  that used XXXX, that used looter XXXX XXXX to loot, vandalize destroy my property in XX/XX/XXXX. Again in a top secret close door knowing that I will not be home to protect from such a criminal attack","date_sent_to_company":"2018-06-09T15:54:08.000Z","issue":"Struggling to pay mortgage","sub_product":"Conventional home mortgage","zip_code":"11375","tags":"Older American, Servicemember","has_narrative":true,"complaint_id":"2931328","timely":"Yes","company_response":"Closed with explanation","submitted_via":"Web","company":"Ocwen Financial Corporation","date_received":"2018-06-09T15:44:09.000Z","state":"NY","company_public_response":null,"sub_issue":null},"highlight":{"complaint_what_happened":["We also heard a troubling story about how the CEO and CFO of a XXXX investment firm were charged with 66 felony counts of elder abuse, securities <em>fraud</em>, and conspiracy for bilking older investors of more than {$2.00} XXXX over an eight-year period. \nThe Government Accountability Office report on <em>combatting</em> elder financial abuse identified cases that are particularly thorny for social service, criminal justice, and consumer protection agencies."]},"sort":[6.5360413,"2931328"]}]},"aggregations":{"has_narrative":{"meta":{},"doc_count":5,"has_narrative":{"doc_count_error_upper_bound":0,"sum_other_doc_count":0,"buckets":[{"key":1,"key_as_string":"true","doc_count":5}]}},"product":{"doc_count":5,"product":{"doc_count_error_upper_bound":0,"sum_other_doc_count":0,"buckets":[{"key":"Money transfer, virtual currency, or money service","doc_count":2,"sub_product.raw":{"doc_count_error_upper_bound":0,"sum_other_doc_count":0,"buckets":[{"key":"Domestic (US) money transfer","doc_count":2}]}},{"key":"Checking or savings account","doc_count":1,"sub_product.raw":{"doc_count_error_upper_bound":0,"sum_other_doc_count":0,"buckets":[{"key":"Checking account","doc_count":1}]}},{"key":"Credit reporting or other personal consumer reports","doc_count":1,"sub_product.raw":{"doc_count_error_upper_bound":0,"sum_other_doc_count":0,"buckets":[{"key":"Other personal consumer report","doc_count":1}]}},{"key":"Mortgage","doc_count":1,"sub_product.raw":{"doc_count_error_upper_bound":0,"sum_other_doc_count":0,"buckets":[{"key":"Conventional home mortgage","doc_count":1}]}}]}},"issue":{"doc_count":5,"issue":{"doc_count_error_upper_bound":0,"sum_other_doc_count":0,"buckets":[{"key":"Closing an account","doc_count":1,"sub_issue.raw":{"doc_count_error_upper_bound":0,"sum_other_doc_count":0,"buckets":[{"key":"Company closed your account","doc_count":1}]}},{"key":"Fraud or scam","doc_count":1,"sub_issue.raw":{"doc_count_error_upper_bound":0,"sum_other_doc_count":0,"buckets":[]}},{"key":"Other transaction problem","doc_count":1,"sub_issue.raw":{"doc_count_error_upper_bound":0,"sum_other_doc_count":0,"buckets":[]}},{"key":"Problem with a company's investigation into an existing issue","doc_count":1,"sub_issue.raw":{"doc_count_error_upper_bound":0,"sum_other_doc_count":0,"buckets":[{"key":"Problem with personal statement of dispute","doc_count":1}]}},{"key":"Struggling to pay mortgage","doc_count":1,"sub_issue.raw":{"doc_count_error_upper_bound":0,"sum_other_doc_count":0,"buckets":[]}}]}},"timely":{"doc_count":5,"timely":{"doc_count_error_upper_bound":0,"sum_other_doc_count":0,"buckets":[{"key":"Yes","doc_count":5}]}},"company_response":{"doc_count":5,"company_response":{"doc_count_error_upper_bound":0,"sum_other_doc_count":0,"buckets":[{"key":"Closed with explanation","doc_count":3},{"key":"Closed with monetary relief","doc_count":1},{"key":"Closed with non-monetary relief","doc_count":1}]}},"submitted_via":{"doc_count":5,"submitted_via":{"doc_count_error_upper_bound":0,"sum_other_doc_count":0,"buckets":[{"key":"Web","doc_count":5}]}},"company":{"doc_count":5,"company":{"doc_count_error_upper_bound":0,"sum_other_doc_count":0,"buckets":[{"key":"BANK OF AMERICA, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION","doc_count":3},{"key":"Early Warning Services, LLC","doc_count":1},{"key":"Ocwen Financial Corporation","doc_count":1}]}},"state":{"doc_count":5,"state":{"doc_count_error_upper_bound":0,"sum_other_doc_count":0,"buckets":[{"key":"GA","doc_count":2},{"key":"AZ","doc_count":1},{"key":"FL","doc_count":1},{"key":"NY","doc_count":1}]}},"company_public_response":{"doc_count":5,"company_public_response":{"doc_count_error_upper_bound":0,"sum_other_doc_count":0,"buckets":[{"key":"Company has responded to the consumer and the CFPB and chooses not to provide a public response","doc_count":3}]}},"tags":{"doc_count":5,"tags":{"doc_count_error_upper_bound":0,"sum_other_doc_count":0,"buckets":[{"key":"Older American","doc_count":1},{"key":"Older American, Servicemember","doc_count":1},{"key":"Servicemember","doc_count":1}]}}},"_meta":{"license":"CC0","last_updated":"2026-07-14T12:00:00-05:00","last_indexed":"2026-07-14T12:00:00-05:00","total_record_count":16441818,"is_data_stale":false,"has_data_issue":false,"break_points":{}}}