Consumer complaint received 2018-08-24
Company: JPMORGAN CHASE & CO.
State: CA
Product: Checking or savings account
Sub-product: Checking account
Issue: Problem with a lender or other company charging your account
Sub-issue: Transaction was not authorized

Complaint:
On or about XX/XX/XXXX I noticed significant unauthorized debit card activity on my Chase account. I contacted the company and reported the fraudulent transactions. The charges in question were all shown as purchases from various vendors located in XXXX. For the record, I have never been to XXXX. I was home in California during the entire time in question for all of the events. I never authorized any charge to any of these companies and never received any product or service from any of them. In fact, I have spent some time researching these " stores '' and I believe they do not even exist. They are simply a part of a large and elaborate ring of theives and phony credit card processors stealing from unknowing victims, like me. As you will see from what happened Chase Bank doesn't care. They have no interest in helping or protecting their clients from this type of scam. The only interest or responsibility they assume is dictated by a calendar, NOT the interests of their clients. They should be ashamed. 

The Chase agent created a claim and said the bank would issue a credit for the stolen funds. When we reviewed the complaint together I noted there were several transactions we discussed not included. Rather than redo the entire claim the agent made an additional claim. These 2 claims totaled approximately {$7200.00}. I do not have access to the exact amounts and am unsure of the specific claim number. At the bottom of this information I will include the claim numbers, dates and amounts I do have. While waiting for the " executive '' customer service department to try to resolve this issue another part of the bank decided to close my account, so I no longer have any access to necessary  information. 

The following day I noted another batch of fraudulent charges had posted to my account. Again, I called and reported the fraud and again I was promised a refund for the stolen money. 

I obtained a copy of previous months transactions and discovered there were more fraudulent transactions the previous month. I called and reported those transactions as well and again was promised a refund of the funds misappropriated. 

I checked my account and noted that bank had indeed posted credits to my account for the stolen funds. 

On XX/XX/XXXX I obtained copies of my bank records for the year XXXX. In reviewing the records I noted another similar pattern of fraudulent " XXXX '' transactions between XXXX and the end of XXXX. I called Chase to inquire about handling these transaction. The agent said that since the transactions occurred more than 60 days ago Chase " might '' not be able to help, but completed 2 claims for these transactions. 

A week or so later I received a notice my account was overdrawn. I immediately believed the thieves had come back. But, that was not the case. This time it was a new thief, Chase Bank. Without any received notice, no phone call, no text, no email, no secure message, nothing, they reversed most of the credits they had allowed for the money stolen from my account. Chase Bank left me without XXXX XXXX to my name, overdrew my account by over {$8000.00} and left me with no way to provide for myself. Over the next 3 days I spent more than 15 hours on the phone, most of it on hold, waiting for a supervisor to assist. I never got to speak to one. I was promised call backs within 24-48 hours, but never received a single call from anyone at the bank.

Each time I would call I was told the charges in question did not require the Bank 's attention. As far as the bank was concerned all of the charges were correct, even if they were fraudulent. The bank used the dispute file in XXXX for the thefts that occurred in late XXXX as an excuse to deny the claims from XXXX, all of which were less than 60 days old. They effectively allowed {$4000.00} in claims in order to deny {$11000.00} in claims. 

The bank did not care that I did not have XXXX dollar to live on. I am XXXX and live on social security and a XXXX retirement. On the first on the moth the bank effectively seized my social security check and my XXXX pension that were on direct deposit to my account and applied them to the overdraft amount created by the bank 's actions. I was forced to borrow money at more than 35 % in order live. 

I wrote 2 letters to the bank and submitted a response on the bank 's secure messaging system asking to speak with a supervisor for help. I NEVER received a single, call, message, email or letter. The first communication I received from the bank was after 56 days when someone from the collections department called to ask " what are your plans? ". When I told the Chase agent I was planning on suing the bank he transferred me to the claims department to " see if they can help ''. The claims department transferred to to the escalation department. The escalation department transferred me to the " executive offices ''. Some one there took my information and promised a call back in 24 hours. This was on a Thursday. On Monday I received a call from " XXXX '' in the executive offices. We had several conversations. Ultimately, she told me she had exhausted all her resources and could not help me recover any of the money stolen from me. She said she was told the claims were more than 60 days form the first incident. 

I realize I should have noticed the transactions from last XXXX, but as I explained to XXXX that was a very difficult time for me. I am XXXX. I have XX/XX/XXXXXXXX XXXX and the medications I take sometimes make me exceptionally tires. My XXXX year old father had XXXX and was in failing health. I had effectively been living between his home and mine for the entire year providing him home health care. He was in and out of the hospital and rehab facilities for the entire summer, fall and winter. Along with my sister, I was his caregiver. Our finances were commingled. I just was not paying attention. I did " monitor '' my account, in that I often looked at my balance. If my account needed money I just added money. I am shocked by the amount of theft from that time, but not necessarily surprised I didn't notice. It wasn't nearly as important as caring for my Dad and myself. 

XXXX of XXXX was the first time I had spent more than 2 weeks in my own home in more than a year. My dad was back in the hospital and it was evident that he was unlikely to survive. This was when I finally sat down and took a look at his finances and my account and noticed the recent fraudulent charges first reported.

Chase has no interest in the fact that these are 100 % fraudulent charges. These " companies '' do not exist. I have never ordered anything from them. They never provided me any goods or services. They have stolen my money, a fact Chase is aware of, yet does not care enough to anything to help me, or other past/future victims.

Chase Bank is unwilling to help me, even though they must know these charges are pure theft. The internet is full of stories, nightmares, of other people reporting the same fraud and theft from similarly named XXXX Businesses ''. Businesses that don't really exist. I can not help myself. I have no information available to me to allow me to track down and recover my stolen money. I do not know what company processed these claims and if I did I have no authority to question them or request reversals. I have no account information or addresses or names of principals associated with the scam XXXX businesses. Chase does, yet they refuse to help. I asked them to contact the processor and request reversals. They refused. They refuse to one thing to help, when they are the ONLY resource I have available to help.

These are the claim numbers I have available. I believe there are 2 missing : XXXX XX/XX/XXXX {$2300.00} XXXX XX/XX/XXXX {$3800.00} XXXX XX/XX/XXXX {$3200.00} XXXX XXXX {$3000.00}

Company response to consumer: Closed with monetary relief