Consumer complaint received 2023-01-09
Company: JPMORGAN CHASE & CO.
State: NY
Product: Money transfer, virtual currency, or money service
Sub-product: International money transfer
Issue: Fraud or scam

Complaint:
To whom this XXXX concern, on XX/XX/2022 I fell victim to a scam. I now know the scam to be commonplace in XXXX after further research, particularly at Chase bank branch locations throughout the XXXX. I have attached the original email sent from XXXX to my personal email address for review- please note while I was on the call being scammed I attempted to contact XXXX via email to confirm the number and email were credible, and their phishing department did not respond, ever. Please make note that I received another email less than a month later trying to trick me using the same scam - It does not appear XXXX 's fraud and protection department have looked into this scam since emails are still being blasted out to consumers, and have been since at least the beginning of 2022. 

On the morning of XX/XX/2022 I woke up to a request for {$490.00} in my XXXX account. In the email sent by XXXX ( confirmed it was sent by XXXX ), there was a phone number provided for the XXXX fraud and protection team, and the message indicated that XXXX believed this request to be a scam. As a result, I declined the request and quickly reached out to the number provided to make sure my account was protected. I came to realize the number provided was that of a criminal/scammer/hacker claiming to be working for XXXX fraud department. I chatted with them for almost the entire day trying to investigate whom this hacker is that was able to access my account information. In this process I disclosed a considerable amount of personal information and also agreed to wire $ XXXX, albeit under the impression that XXXX  fraud department had just deposited $ XXXX in the same account today - the purpose of XXXX " depositing '' funds into my account was for me to transfer said funds to an account that was noted to be run by the hacker - once the funds came available in the hacker 's account in XXXX XXXX, the supposed hacker would go to redeem them and be caught in the act. I note that the $ XXXX deposit was shown as executed by the hackers in my account, therefore, increasing the balance of my account at that time to nearly $ XXXX. As a result, I was further convinced and agreed to transfer the $ XXXX to what I now know to be a scammer. I also now realize after conversing with chase that the $ XXXX was never actually deposited into my account- I am unsure how the hackers showed this amount in my ledger. Nevertheless, it is worth noting that, on the same day of the scam, I paid off my XXXX which put my checking account balance below $ XXXX, albeit after consideration of the pending transaction on my account. Therefore, despite the bank ( XXXX XXXX of Chase Branch at XXXXXXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX, NY XXXX ) representative seeing my pending net balance below $ XXXX given the pending XXXX XXXX, he did not let me know there would be insufficient funds once the XXXX XXXX posts should the wire be sent out. It is hard to believe this was an oversight as my accounts were being reviewed by XXXX while I was sitting in his office. I believe most would assume this would be a red flag, or at least noteworthy, for an experienced banker and they would work with their customer to make sure the account did not go into a deficit- which my account did the following morning as a result of XXXX 's oversight. 

I reached out to Chase within just hours of realizing I had been scammed on XX/XX/2022 but they noted their wire department was closed for the day and I would need to visit my local Chase XXXX, which I did XX/XX/2022 first thing in the morning - Hoping to have the process of getting this wire recalled immediately before it reached any other intermediary banks or the recipient ( hackers ) bank account. 

I have been trying to work with Chase now since XX/XX/2022 on this matter. Because the wire was classified as an " authorized '' transaction, Chase representatives at the local and corporate levels noted that the only way for me to communicate with Chase about the case was through the " Secured Message Center '' on their mobile app and online - I can not talk directly to the individuals " handling '' my case as well as the communication with the hackers/scammers bank. For the record, almost every Chase representative, and even supervisors, were extremely dismissive and even rude to me on occasions, refusing to take any steps to help obtain updates, provide helpful info, etc.. They also made note that because the wire was authorized, they could make not guarantees of getting funds returned and it was a " best effort '' situation. This makes total sense as I was swindled. BUT, as a customer of a financial institution with robust resources, I still fully expected an actual " best effort '' on Chases behalf given I am a long standing customer and {$16000.00} is a good bit of money for anyone. 

I proceeded per their instructions and began contacting the " Secured Message Center '' - I have attached each sent message and email ( XXXX email ) for review. In addition, I have spoke with XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX  XXXX and made it aware to XXXX separate individuals of my situation and also provided the scammers account number, name, bank code, swift code, and scammers address ( attached as well as they sent to me via text message ). XXXX XXXX XXXX let their local bank branch know of the situation, as confirmed by a representative in XXXX XXXX. 

To summarize, I understand Chase 's position of not being liable for transactions their customers authorize. I would not be filing this complaint if it weren't for the following : XXXX. As attached, I sent XXXX messages to the " Secured Message Center '', the only means of contacting Chase for updates on cases like mine. Most of these messages were in the first few weeks of the case given the time sensitivity of wire transfers. Therein is dated proof of my attempts to contact Chase for updates. Given the time sensitiivty of this matter, their responses are deemed innappropriate in my opinion as a " best effort '' would have involved Chase actually reaching out to the bank ( XXXX ) involved to put a stop-go on the wire. XXXX XXXX representatives noted it takes usually XXXX business days for an international wire to be released, giving Chase ample time to recall the wire. 
XXXX. As attached, Chase provided responses and/or updates ( very limited detail ) on only several of my requests. However, nearly all of the replies were auto-reply from no one actually working on the case. However, ( attached ) as of XX/XX/2022 I received the below message as paraphrased for simplicity : " Due to increase volume, you can expect a delayed response of a week or more. Please don't resend a request because it could further delay our response. Thanks for your patience. '' I HAVE NOT RECEVIED A SINGLE UPDATE SINCE RECEIVING THIS MESSAGE, which equates to over XXXX month at this point- This is my primary issue with Chase and why I am reporting this to the CFPB. It need be said that I have researched and found numerous articles involving Chase 's lack of care and attention to customer complaints, needs, and matters. I have even called corporate customer support an array of times ( XXXX or more ) and the following generally happens : I am transferred around to several departments before being told this matter can only be handled through the " Secured Message Center ''. At that time I tell them I am getting no response from the message center and their best answer is " sorry, our department does not handle these types of claims '' and then, more often then not, I am suddenly disconnected. So, in essence, it is literally impossible for me to speak directly to the individuals handling my case, if there are any at all handling it. I am completely in the dark and the bank does not seem to care nor do they find themselves in need of even trying to help a long-standing customer with an XXXX XXXX XXXX. I have banked with Chase for years and this is a complete disappointment.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation