A Bank of America employee has been accused of illegally accessing customer accounts and selling their sensitive data, resulting in tens of thousands of dollars in losses.
Employee’s Actions
Manuel Alejandro Ramirez Perez, a former relationship banker and credit solutions advisor, is alleged to have accessed customer accounts without authorization between February 2020 and June 2021. He then reportedly sold the stolen data to an unknown individual.
Financial Impact
The unauthorized withdrawals totaled $65,877.37, which Bank of America reimbursed to the affected customers. Perez allegedly received $6,900 for selling the customer data.
Regulatory Action
The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) has issued a consent and prohibition order against Perez, barring him from working in any role for a US bank. The OCC also stated that the incident will remain on Perez’s record and may be used against him in future proceedings.
Bank of America’s Response
Bank of America has not publicly commented on the incident. However, the bank has a history of investing in cybersecurity measures to protect customer data.
