Consumer complaint received 2019-02-04
Company: JPMORGAN CHASE & CO.
State: CA
Product: Checking or savings account
Sub-product: Checking account
Issue: Managing an account
Sub-issue: Funds not handled or disbursed as instructed

Complaint:
On or about XX/XX/2017, electronic deposits were made into my personal Chase checking account and that of my minor son 's " High School Checking Account '' by an unknown 3rd party, using what were obviously forged U.S. Treasury checks made to look like tax refunds -- my son ( as Chase is well aware ) is 16 years-old and is a dependant who does not even file federal income tax returns. 

When, after posting these deposits to both accounts in complete disregard of their own security policies and fiduciary responsibility to protect the integrity of client accounts -- especially, one might argue, those belonging to minors and/or elderly customers who may be less sophisticated and more vulnerable to these types of attack -- I was rudely informed by a Chase phone representative that my account had been " restricted '' and would eventually be closed, after the conclusion of their investigation, which in itself indicates the ultimate results of this so-called " investigation '' were predetermined in advance. 

In the meantime, I was denied all access to both my personal and my son 's account to make any withdrawals, deposits, transfers, or any other type of transaction, despite the fact that good funds existed in both accounts prior to the fraudulent deposits in question. Subsequently, even my passive ability to monitor my account online to view what was going on and/or to access documentary evidence in support of my claim has been entirely disabled. 

In other words, despite being a longtime customer, Chase has affirmatively prevented me from accessing or presenting any documentary evidence that demonstrates banking error, negligence, and a complete failure of their security team to follow their own policies, while admitting the electronic transactions in question were made by a third-party on a device and from an IP address not associated with or linked with either of these accounts in any way. 

Instead, they have -- in a belligerent and hostile posture -- they have deflected responsibility for these fraudulent transactions on to me, claiming I provided the perpetrator with secure information necessary to access my account. As far I as knew, the deposits were funding a loan I had applied for, and the only information I provided the company in question d/b/a Cash Solutions were my SSN, routing information, and the account number of my own account. 

This is all information that ANY consumer would have to provide a merchant such an auto finance company, a mortgage company, or employer in order to electronically deposit funds into my account, and no information I provided to this 3rd party was any different or more sensitive than the that routinely provided by millions of other banking customers on a daily basis for a variety of legitimate business reasons. Furthermore, I certainly did not provide ANY of this information pertaining to my son 's High School Check Account which was similar compromised by this fraud scheme. 

I have made dozens of phone calls to various Chase banking representatives in different departments, e.g. Consumer Banking, Fraud, Claims, etc. and each time, I have been provided with contradictory and inconsistent information from previous information I have been told. Each time I call, I am informed we are on a " recorded line, '' however, when I request permission to record the call from my end to have a documented account of these conversations, their inconsistencies, and the unreliable, and inaccurate information I am being told, I am expressly prohibited from doing so. 

This prohibition only serves to highlight the one-sided, biased, and unfair nature of this " investigation '' which, I have been told will definitively lead to closure of my account and subsequent collection activities. Subsequent " courtesy '' voice mails I have received inform me they have no information to provide me or no time frame in which I can expect this matter to be concluded only, that when conclusion does occur, it will absolve Chase of any responsibility and thrust any and all blame for this situation onto my shoulders. 

From the Executive Office ( where my point of contact is a woman named " XXXX '' ) on down, Chase has handled this entire situation unfairly, in bad faith, and with an adversarial position that has affirmatively disallowed me from monitoring, knowing, or adding any pertinent input into their procedure.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation