(800) 516-9561

I was charged 12.99 to my account at BOA for a Privacy Hold Assist....I had received a call and being told they would send me a package and once I signed and returned it I would receive a 30 day trial before being charged....I never signed and returned anything, never visited their web page or anything to the affect and was charged....I called 1-800-516-9561 and spoke with them directly....they canceled with no problem and said to call back in a few days to have money refunded....they hadn't yet received the money from BOA...They were very polite but tried to get me to keep the Privacy Assist, but I totally refused seeing how I felt I had been lied to...The lady said that I was called not directly by them but called by telemarketers....Enough said, some telemarketers will lie cheat and steal,,,not to mention anything else to make a sale...

12.99 deducted from checking from B of A without permission . Here it is some scam because they clearly give the information to credit companies then charge me for it . Thats bullshit ! If enough credit agents inquire my account info it could be more $ ? They even sent me a letter to tell me who was inquiring but not about the 12.99 charge .

More than 2 years ago I opened an account at Bank of America with no service charge and left $200 in it when I left the country. Then upon checking my balance a few weeks ago I found it was overdrawn. Privacy Assist had been deducting 12.99 for months without my knowledge. They have refunded 6 months of charges but that leaves my account with only a few cents where I left $200. They say they sold me the service over the phone, but that is impossible because I have not been in the country (which I can prove). Any advice on how to deal with this would be appreciated.

My mother had a $5.99 Privacy Assist charge on her B of A card last month. (Sept 09) She is hard of hearing so last month she took the statement to her Bank of America branch and a bank assistant called and cancelled this feature for her. This is a feature she never authorized. This month it was still there with a $15 late fee and $1.50 in finance charges. I see my mom on Sundays so yesterday I called B of A. They reversed the fees but could not cancel or dispute the $5.99 privacy assist fee she never authorized. They said I had to call Privacy Assist and gave me the number, but they were not open on Sundays. I called this morning and they told me only B of A could cancel this fee since they authorized it on her card. I called B of A again and they told me they could not. It seems that Privacy Assist is working for B or A and making money for them which is why, I suppose, they are not inclined to help the consumer.

The credit card companies I use have never given me any trouble when I call to dispute an unauthorized charge. I did some goggling and discovered that we are not alone in our frustration in dealing with Bank of America and Privacy Assist. This sounds like a scam to me. I’m sure they hope most people will not notice small ongoing charges and seniors are the most vulnerable.

I am going to suggest my mohter sever her relationship with B of A.

Privacy Assist Premium and 800-516-9561

I put the phone number into Google and found this site and many, many others. This company is like a rash on the Internet - usually a good sign you don't want to deal with them.

I have a checking account with Bank of America and never subscribed to this service. However, while updating my online activity on this normally inactive account, I noticed charges for $12.99 on 6-02-08 and 4-28-08. This included the phone number and entry listed as "800-516-9561 DES:PrAsstPrem ID". I immediately contacted BofA by secure email and they answered that is was a ACH (Automatic Clearing House) transaction. "These transactions are a contractual agreement between you and the merchant. Therefore, I recommend you to contact the merchant in question."

BofA refused to correct the problem although offered to let me file a formal dispute. I called Customer Service and they recommended I contact the merchant to see if they would offer a resolution first.

I did so. At Privacy Premier Assist, the foreign voice said they had a key log of my choice to enroll (which they don't) and something else. She claimed that I had affirmed wanting the service by pressing 1 once when I called Bank of America's customer service number. I said I had done no such thing. And I've never received any mail or credit reports from them. After a short discussion of how un-interested I was in their service, she offered to refund the 2nd charge but said she couldn't refund the 1st charge. I said that wasn't acceptable. I said, I know you'll end up having to give all the money back eventually, so why not save some time and just do it now. And after waiting a short time on hold, she came back and said I'd get my refund in 24 to 48 hrs.

I'll post here again regarding that refund.

As for the Do Not Call registry - this company doesn't apply. Since Bank of America is supplying them with your private information to contact you in the first place, you have no recourse with DoNotCall. Most here who say they don't bank with BofA likely have a credit card which is processed by them.

The solution obviously is for Bank of America to sever their relationship with this shady company. I doubt that will happen as long as they're making money from it. However, if enough people complained directly to BofA and filed formal disputes, it might have some effect.