Bank of America misjudgement

On August 3, a member of the Bank of America Fraud Protection dept. informed me that I will lose both of my accounts with Bank of America, in addition to the right to bank with the Bank for all time after her dept. judged me to be responsible for a fraudulent transaction that occurred on July 20, 2009.

I was interviewed online by a representative of Interpromicro Systems two months ago for an Accounting position. After they reviewed my application, they informed me I was hired.

They asked me if I would provide my account information (since they pay by direct deposit), LIKE ANY OTHER EMPLOYER WOULD. So far, so good. I give that to them. They did not withdraw anything from my account. The Interpromicro representative tells me that I will need Accounting software to work with them. I say ok. They say the funds to purchase the software will be provided by the company, and that my account will be used only for that purpose. Below is an excerpt of the online interview.

interviews.online: Have you worked as an Accounting Clerk / Bookkeeper /data entry ?

e44r32: In my previous position with the ISSA, I did minor bookkeeping + Filemaker Pro work. No accounting, though I do own Quicken software.

e44r32: Additionally,

e44r32: my status with the ISSA has been DocStar database work + some Word and Excel duties.

interviews.online: okay good

interviews.online: Do you have a Printer, Fax Machine,Scanner and a Photocopier?

e44r32: No.

interviews.online: okay

e44r32: I did have a printer, but that recently took a dive.

interviews.online: What do you understand by privacy code of conduct?

e44r32: All materials are to be kept confidential.

e44r32: Unless otherwise specified.

And later. . .

interviews.online: How would you describe your self?

e44r32: Hardworking, dedicated, intuitive, cheerful & always willing to learn new technologies, as my Freelance position requires me to be on occasion.

interviews.online: okay good

interviews.online: Do you know your typing speed?

e44r32: Around 50 WPM.

interviews.online: okay

interviews.online: Do you have an idea of how to use ms excel?

e44r32: Excel is my specialty. I began using it at the requirement of one of my first jobs,

e44r32: at ICM (Independent Capital Management) back in 2003.

interviews.online: okay

e44r32: That's six, seven years of exposure to the program.

interviews.online: okay good

e44r32: Excel is my preferred organization tool for day-to-day tasks.

interviews.online: How would you like to be Paid ? Weekly Or Bi-Weekly ?

e44r32: If I had a preference,

e44r32: perhaps Weekly, although. . .

e44r32: that's like liking an apple over an orange, if you know what I mean.

interviews.online: yes i do

e44r32: Bi-Weekly, the only difference is that I would have to wait a week longer, which I can afford to do.

interviews.online: What means of Payment do you prefer ? Bank Transfer OR Direct Deposit ?

e44r32: Direct Deposit. PayPal is a good option as well.

interviews.online: okay

interviews.online: i will have forward this conversation to my boss,so wait for 3minutees

e44r32: Thta's fine.

interviews.online: am back

e44r32: Great.

interviews.online: BEFORE YOU START WORK YOU WILL RECIEVE A PAYMENT ,YOU WILL BE USING THIS PAYMENT TO SET UP YOUR MINI OFFICE BY PURCHASING SOME OFFICE EQUIPMENTS AND ACCOUNTING SOFTWARE TO WORK WITH,IMMEDIATELY YOU GET THIS PAYMENT YOU START WORK

e44r32: What kind of equipment, again?

e44r32: I got the software part, which is fine.

interviews.online: BS 1 Accounting software which is to be purchased Next week. Peach Tree Software ( US Patent Single Users Pack ) and lot more

As you can see, these are everyday questions. Any employer can ask these questions, and it would not make anyone suspicious. I expected to receive funds FROM THE COMPANY, and must add that I have engaged in similar transactions before, conducted over the internet, without any fraudulent incidence or occurrence. I do not associate myself with individuals or entities who commit fraud, either in the past or in the present, even if I am not the party affected. Prior to this incident, I enjoyed a great seven-year relationship with Bank of America, with nary a fraudulent transaction, and that record speaks for itself.

I receive a phone call while eating at Jack in the Box on July 20, 2009, from the Interpromicro supervisor. He tells me to go online. I do, and was informed that a deposit in the amount of $465.00 was made. I was instructed that in order to receive the software materials, I should send the funds via Western Union to a Crandall Speights in NJ. I do that, withdraw $460, go to the Western Union location, send $420.00, then pay the $43.99 fee for the faster service (since I was informed that this would have to be made quickly) and was relieved that my work would be done until the software arrived in the mail. I log into my account to study the details of the transaction. The name on the transaction did not match the name of the business that supposedly was responsible for facilitating that transfer. I knew something was amiss, but everything did not fall into place for me until I got Bank of America customer service on the line. I was informed by a smart gentleman that the transaction was indeed fraudulent. I immediately had a claim opened on the matter, but by then my account information was transferred to the Bank's fraud dept.--and WAS SUBMITTED FOR CLOSURE.

Naturally, this was upsetting. No one goes to work for anyone, expecting to be involved in something fraudulent. I reiterate, this was my first experience of this sort and I was running around like a chicken with its head cut off, calling the police and gathering all the information I could, in case it was needed to aid the authorities in catching these guys (who still remain at large as I type this, doubtless defrauding some other innocents). I was advised by the police dept. to hang on to all my materials, but there was little that could be done on their end since this was something that occurred online, and that these matters are notoriously difficult to resolve. Understadable. Same authorities also agreed that I should not be held accountable, since these types of cases happen, if not on a daily basis, then on a near-daily basis. I just became a statistic, which doesn't necessarily bother me that much. What bothers me more is that these guys (to the best of my knowledge) have NOT BEEN CAUGHT, and that I may be sitting on material that gets older by the minute but that the sooner it is used the likelier it is that the perpetrators will be brought to justice, and that their schemes will be brought to an end.

I want to re-establish my relationship with Bank of America. I am certain that once they review my past records, plus my diligence in my dealings with them as well as my continuing good relationships with other banks THAT HAVE NEVER HAD A FRAUD TRANSACTION POSTED TO MY ACCOUNT OR TRANSFERRED FROM MY ACCOUNT, once I am able to convey this to them, I hope that the Bank will vindicate me by restoring my account to the good standing it was, as recent as two months ago.

Comment On This

Unfortunately the original poster has become the victim of a tricky variant of the fake check cashing scam. The scammer usually tells the victim to wire money somewhere for whatever reason, meanwhile they are depositing funds into your own account or sending you a check, sometimes they offer to let you keep a percentage of the check as commission or compensation. Their check eventually bounces, but the victim's money is already gone. AVOID!!!

Comment On This

I found your post because I have a similar offer and received two money orders with instructions to wire funds for office equipment and software to a "Crandall Speights." I googled the name to check the legitimacy and found your complaint. Here is the info as it appears in my email. I also retained the Money Orders as well as the job posting number and email communication and I'm ready to report this.

SHIPPING AGENTS DETAILS:

The Shipping agent is currently at this location below to make delivery to our new staff. You are advised to use Western Union to transfer the remaining funds to our distributor (Crandall Speights)

Receiver's Name: Crandall Speights

Address: 60 pheasant lane

City: Willingboro

state: New Jersey

Zip code: 08046