Consumer complaint received 2020-12-08
Company: JPMORGAN CHASE & CO.
State: WA
Product: Checking or savings account
Sub-product: Checking account
Issue: Closing an account
Sub-issue: Fees charged for closing account

Complaint:
Somebody stole my identity and opened two checking accounts in or around XXXX of 2020 at Chase bank. I figured this out when Chase sent me a debit card in the mail. 

I called Chase customer service for the first time soon after receiving the debit card to let them know it wasn't me who opened the accounts and to close them. They said they would close them. I destroyed the debit card. I thought the matter was taken care of. 

I have since received three mailings from Chase. First, I got checking summaries for both checking accounts for XXXX. It said there was a beginning balance of - {$220.00} and - {$220.00} for each account, respectively, but it was Charged Off ( guessing that means cancelled? ) and the ending balance was XXXX. I was concerned that the accounts seemed to still be open, though, so I called Chase again. After a long time on the phone and being transferred multiple times, they assured me the accounts were closed, and told me to report my stolen identity to the credit bureaus, which I did. 

Since then, I got collections letters from Chase for both accounts two times. So, 4 collections letters total. One set was dated XXXX XXXX, 2020. The other set was dated XXXX XXXX, 2020. They were both asking for the {$220.00} and {$220.00} that the previous letters said were Charged Off to XXXX. I called Chase again. They kept me on hold for a very long time and bounced me from department to department. They told me that they didn't have a record of my identity theft, even though I had already called them twice about it. 

In my most recent call on XX/XX/XXXX, I eventually I got sent to a woman named XXXX ( I think? ) in the Fraud department. She was talking about sending me a correspondence packet that would allow me to officially report that my identity had been stolen, and presumably stop Chase from sending me any more collections letters. I had been on the phone for over an hour by the time I talked to her. I asked her to send me some sort of email confirmation that we had talked and that the correspondence packet was on the way, since nobody fixed or even internally documented anything after my previous calls. She refused to send me an email confirmation. I asked her to hold for a moment while I talked to my husband, an attorney, for what other type of documentation would be acceptable for a paper trail. I talked to my husband for under 2 minutes, I went back to the call, and XXXX had hung up on me. 

I contacted Chase customer service on XXXX that evening. I told them about my situation and how I got hung up on. They told me they wanted to help me, but I'd have to call them. I declined. 

I have spent several hours at this point dealing with accounts I never opened at a bank I don't do business with because my identity was stolen. I am not responsible for this. I have tried MULTIPLE times to resolve this and Chase has not cooperated, and seems to have actively tried to make it hard and frustrating, I'm guessing so I'll give up and pay. I will not give up and pay.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation