Consumer complaint received 2022-07-13
Company: JPMORGAN CHASE & CO.
State: IL
Product: Checking or savings account
Sub-product: Checking account
Issue: Managing an account
Sub-issue: Problem using a debit or ATM card

Complaint:
Between the hours of XXXX on XXXX, XXXX, XXXX, and XXXX on XX/XX/XXXX, I was pickpocketed while traveling in XXXX XXXX XXXX When we returned to our hotel that evening, I realized my phone was missing and made the assumption that I had mistakenly left it on the table at the bar, and would need to return to get it the next day - and then went to sleep. On the morning of XX/XX/XXXX, I was able to access my email on a tablet I had brought on the trip, and discovered a host of email notifications from XXXX, XXXX XXXX, and Chase. At this point I realized that my debit and credit cards and driver 's license were also missing, and that my phone has been stolen, and not lost. Location tracking had been turned off on the device by this time, so it was also clear that the thief was somehow able to gain access to my device somehow via the lockscreen pin or other means. 

At this point ( morning of XX/XX/XXXX ) I borrowed a friend 's phone and placed phone calls to XXXX XXXX, XXXX, and Chase to cancel cards and report fraud, as well as to XXXX to take my phone line down. At this time, all three institutions reported that while it may take some time, I should get my money back. I initiated a remote delete on the phone through my XXXX account, filed a police report online, and set up credit freezes through the three credit agencies. Total amounts taken from each account totaled {$560.00} from XXXX, {$4100.00} for XXXX, and {$10000.00} from Chase, and were largely made at gas stations and XXXX. The first fraudulent changes made were two consecutive {$4000.00} transfers from my savings account into my checking. Police report and full list of fraudulent charges are attached. 

XXXX and XXXX XXXX both resolved this issue within a matter of days, but Chase has refused to relent after almost two months of back and forth, and are claiming that the claims were authorized and will be making no further changes to my account. 

Their initial claim is that the charges were authorized via text/email - despite the fact that I had reported to them in the initial call that my phone and ID had been stolen as well as my cards. At this point, with the assistance of a Chase employee at the branch nearest my home, I was told to provide a police report, and at that point, they would reopen the fraud claim. 

On XX/XX/XXXX, I received an email with the approved police report from the XXXX XXXX Police Department. I sent it along to my contact at the branch, who faxed it to their fraud team. After reviewing the police report, the Chase team continued to assert that the charges were authorized, this time citing the same claim of authorization via text/email, and that there were no invalid pin attempts. Again- as I stated earlier, the thieves likely gained access to my pin through some means, as they were able to get into my phone via pin. I do not know whether they had been watching me use my phone earlier in the evening, or something else, but in any case, I did not provide my pin or authorize any changes be made to my account. 

After reaching back out to the branch employee I had been working with, he filed an internal escalation for me through the branch. After chatting with someone from the escalation group, they reached back out to the fraud team internally. On XX/XX/XXXX, I received a phone call citing the same statement about invalid pin attempts, and also a factually incorrect statement where they claimed there was an authorized charge made in the midst of the disputed charges ( they were unable to tell me which charge this was ). Regarding the charges, the only transaction on XX/XX/XXXX was a payroll direct deposit, while all fraudulent charges occurred on XX/XX/XXXX ( no legitimate charges ), and the next legitimate charge was a monthly autopay of {$250.00} from my checking account to my mother on XX/XX/XXXX. All charges on XX/XX/XXXX were fraudulent, and there were no legitimate transactions were interspersed. 

On this call, the Chase employee suggested that I may be at the point where I need to take action outside of Chase, and as such, I am filing this report. It has been almost two months since my money was taken from me. While XXXX and XXXX XXXX both handled this process with expediency and simplicity, Chase has made it difficult at every step of the way and has continually made my life more difficult, seemingly having no concern for the customer and only interest in padding their bottom line.

Company response to consumer: Closed with monetary relief