Consumer complaint received 2018-10-06
Company: JPMORGAN CHASE & CO.
State: CA
Product: Credit card or prepaid card
Sub-product: General-purpose credit card or charge card
Issue: Problem with a purchase shown on your statement
Sub-issue: Card was charged for something you did not purchase with the card

Complaint:
On XX/XX/2018 I reported to Chase that my XXXX Credit card ending XXXX had been used for a series of unauthorized transactions with XXXX. I told Chase that I had left my card in a restaurant and I believed the number had been compromised/stolen. There were 12 unauthorized charges from XXXX totaling {$860.00}. Chase said they were initiating an investigation and removed the charges from my account. I was contacted by a fraud investigator by phone, named XXXX XXXX, and as requested by Chase, I provided to Chase a screenshot of my XXXX account by email showing that I did not make the charges. 


On XX/XX/2018, I was informed by letter from Chase that they had concluded their investigation and the conclusion for each XXXX transaction was that " You received benefit from this transaction. '' I was contacted by the fraud investigator, Ms. XXXX, by phone and she told me that they were placing the charges back to my account and that the result of the investigation was that I owed the money. According to Ms. XXXX, this was because I had an existing relationship with XXXX ; as I later found out, XXXX was not contacted and no actual attempt to determine whether I made the charges was undertaken. These charges appeared on my balance, and I was required to pay these charges in full or incur interest, according to Chase. I paid them in full and began researching my options. 


On XX/XX/2018, I sent an email to Ms. XXXX ' Team Leader, XXXX XXXX, for whom Ms. XXXX had provided contact information, citing the FCBA and 15 U.S.C. 1666 ( a ) ( 3 ) ( B ) ( ii ) requesting the documentary evidence that they received from XXXX indicating that I owed the money and had allegedly " received benefit '' from the transactions ( email attached here ). I received no response to my request to this day. 


On XX/XX/2018, I contacted Ms. XXXX ( fraud investigator ) by phone at Chase. I asked about the documents requested under the law. I was told that there were no documents in Chase 's possession because XXXX had not been contacted by Chase as part of the investigation. I was told that the reason XXXX was not contacted, and no investigation was undertaken, was because XXXX does not have a phone number and so she supposedly wasn't able to actually contact them. Worse, I was told that she personally knew that I had, in fact, not received benefit from the transactions because she had seen the screenshot I provided of my account showing I did not make the charges. 


In sum, the Chase fraud investigator told me in a recorded phone conversation that ( 1 ) no investigation was actually performed ( because XXXX supposedly doesn't have a phone number ) and ( 2 ) that she personally knew the letter that was sent as result of her investigation was not true and that I did not receive benefit from the transaction. The phone conversation was being recorded and I asked that they not destroy or lose the recorded phone conversation because I intended to pursue additional legal avenues. 


Thereafter, I contacted XXXX to dispute the charges. XXXX informed me that they were readily able to confirm the charges were not mine and that I would be refunded through Chase ( email attached here ). I then sent an email to Ms. XXXX requesting my money be refunded ( email attached here ). To date, Chase has not refunded me the money that they owe me as a refund from XXXX. 


Chase failed to contact XXXX or perform any reasonable investigation. Chase also did not provide me with documentary evidence when requested, as required by the law. Worse, Chase has been refunded because the vendor concluded that the charges were fraudulent, and has not paid me the money now owed. As acknowledged in a recorded phone call from their fraud investigator, they performed no investigation and without any documentary evidence concluded I received benefit from each transaction, knowing I did not.

Company response to consumer: Closed with monetary relief