Brandon Wilson had just left a bar in Chicago’s Gold Coast Historic District last Labor Day when he found himself surrounded by thieves. “They threatened me,” Wilson told ABC-7 in Chicago. “They asked me to open my wallet to give them my phone, to unlock my phone… I was beyond terrifie d.” A Bank of America logo is shown outside a bank on February 24, 2025, in San Diego, California. (Photo by Kevin Carter/Getty Images) Fearing for his life, he said he gave the thieves all the valuables he had on him at the time, including his cellphone, which he unlocked. They took off running, but the nightmare for Wilson was just beginning. Wilson filed a police report. But when he got home, he found much more had been taken from him. Several Zelle transactions had been conducted, transferring more than $4,000 from Wilson’s account to others. He called Bank of America to submit a fraud claim, and they provided him a temporary line of credit totaling the money that was stolen. “I thought I was good,” Wilson said. A week later, he received a letter from BOA with shocking news. His claim was denied because bank officials wrote, “The charge was authorized by you or made by someone who has permission to use the card or account.” Wilson was out $4,400. A customer since he was 14 years old said he felt betrayed by the bank. “Horrible. It just shows they don’t value me as a customer,” Wilson said. “I’ve given them the police report, the identity theft report, every piece of information I have. … It’s clear as day, I didn’t make these charges.” Wilson filed another fraud claim. But last month, he received a second denial letter identical to the first. “The fact that they’re re-victimizing me and bringing this trauma into my life over and over and over again, I hate it,” Wilson said. He decided to go public, telling his story to Chicago’s ABC affiliate. A BOA representative subsequently reached out to Wilson, who asked, “How am I responsible for this? How?” It’s still unclear whether BOA will approve Wilson’s claim. But he’s far from the only one who’s been victimized by Zelle scammers, responsible for hundreds of millions of dollars in pilfered funds. Just last month, JP Morgan Chase announced it would begin blocking Zelle payments that are linked to social media contacts or online marketplaces. The bank may ask customers to specify the reason for the payment and the medium of communication, blocking any transaction that appears risky. Last year three of America’s biggest banks — JPMorgan Chase, Bank of America and Wells Fargo — were sued for failing to prevent scammers operating on Zelle. A complaint from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau accused the banks, along with Zelle, of “allowing fraud to fester” on the online payments platform. ‘They Don’t Value Me’: Chicago Man Furious After Thieves Drain His Account and Bank of America Refuses to Reimburse a Dime ...read more read less