VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — A Virginia Beach couple is out $15,150 after they say scammers somehow got into their bank accounts. Now, they're sharing their story in hopes of warning the public.
Dario Fuenmayor said back in December of 2023, his phone started vibrating like crazy in the middle of the night. He said he got about 700 text messages.
He said the next morning, he noticed a wire transfer of over $15,000 out of his Bank of America account.
“I started panicking. I didn’t authorize this. We called Bank of America,” he said.
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Dario and Maria Fuenmayor said they filed a report with the bank's fraud department and the Virginia Beach Police Department. They added that they took their cell phones to be looked at by various experts.
“We did everything that was asked of us. Everything. Absolutely everything. We submitted the paperwork, we reported it the moment it happened,” said Maria Fuenmayor.
They said they could even see the name of the person in Michigan who received the wire transfer on their account. They said their money was sent to another bank.
However, about a month later, they got a letter from Bank of America saying they would not be given their money back for the following reason:
“We’ve determined that your claim will not be honored for the following reasons:
Our investigation found that the transaction and question was validated using an authorization code sent to a valid phone number enrolled in Secured Transfer belonging to a signer on the account.
Our investigation found that the transaction in question was completed using a device that is consistent with previous valid account activity.”
The couple said they did not authorize anyone to take money out of their account or to use their phones.
They believe the hundreds of text messages they received in the middle of the night is connected to the scam.
“My money went out, just like that,” said Dario Fuenmayor.
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The couple is horrified, frustrated and completely shocked by this entire experience.
“We’ve been clients with them for over 25 years,” said Maria Fuenmayor. “Every time you call Bank of America they say, ‘Thank you for being a preferred advantage client’ and it just unnerves me because, what does that count for?”
We reached out to Bank of America and they issued the following statement:
"Cases like this can be complex and sophisticated. Bank of America attempts to recover stolen funds from the receiving accounts, but there is no guarantee once a transaction has been authorized. We prioritize client protection, and we reimburse our customers for fraud losses resulting from verified, unauthorized transactions."
“I’m feeling like, if money can go just like that and no one has an explanation and nobody does anything. And you called immediately and you let them know what is going on. They are trying to tell me that I stole my own money,” said Maria Fuenmayor.
Virginia Beach police tell us this is an ongoing, complex investigation due to the nature of the allegation. They say these types of investigations can take a while to follow audit trails and electronic data. They said they couldn’t speculate on any suspect information.
Crime analyst and former detective Richard James says criminals are using technology at a rapid pace.
“It’s very, very scary what people are able to do with technology, including taking money out of a bank account,” said James. “There are certain laws put into place to protect us from certain technology. But what about those new crimes that there is no law [for]? Those are the things that keep me up at night.”
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The Fuenmayors believe their phone was hacked, but they say no one can tell them how.
Dario Fuenmayor said he believes the authorization code is not secure and is connected to this alleged scam.
They wanted to share their story to warn others.
“This is an awareness to everybody. I don’t know if I will be given my money back or not. It would be a shame if they don’t, but at least other people need to know what is going on,” said Maria Fuenmayor.
Bank of America also provided the following information:
Bank of America provides education to our clients on scam awareness and prevention to help them avoid being scammed when conducting certain transactions, such as sending money. We hope you’re able to share these links with your viewers/readers from our security center:
- How to Identify a Bank Scam to Keep Your Account Safe
- Bank of America Fraud Prevention FAQs
- Report Suspicious Activities & Transactions on Accounts
- Privacy & Security Center at Bank of America
