Consumer complaint received 2021-11-20
Company: JPMORGAN CHASE & CO.
State: CA
Product: Money transfer, virtual currency, or money service
Sub-product: Mobile or digital wallet
Issue: Fraud or scam

Complaint:
On XX/XX/2021 at XXXX PST, I received a text from the Chase Bank Fraud Department XXXX a flagged {$5000.00} transaction. I responded " NO '', I had not authorized a {$5000.00} transaction. The next text said a representative would contact me shortly. 

At XXXX XXXX, I received a phone call. My caller ID showed XXXX Bank 's 800 number ( the same number appears on the back of my business debit card ). There was a recorded greeting that said, " if [ my name ] is on the line, press 1 '', so I did. A man came on the line identifying himself as XXXX XXXX from the Chase fraud department. He explained that there were multiple {$5000.00} pending XXXX transactions on my account, scheduled to go to a XXXX XXXX wuth an IP address in Texas. I said absolutely not, i did not know XXXX XXXX and I did not authorize any XXXX payments to him. He said XXXX XXXX had even attempted to attach a XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX account to my account to take funds directly from my businessaccount. Needless to say I was thanking XXXX XXXX for contacting me and helping me stop these transactions. 

XXXX assured me he would reverse all the pending transactions, but there was a process and he would walk me through it. He would suggest that first we cancel my debit card and issue me a new one. He confirmed my address ( now I have no idea how he had that ), and confirmed the last four digits of my debit card ( also do not know how he knew that ). He said I should receive a new debit card in the next XXXX days. 

Next he asked me to sign into my Chase mobile account so he could walk me through reversing the pending {$5000.00} XXXX transactions. We would have to do each one separately, he said, so he would have to call me multiple times to reverse the transactions. I wasnt clear on how XXXX payments worked, so I just followed his steps. I signed into my acoount, went to XXXX payments, and he said to type in my first initial and last name, then skip the email and type in a phone number other than my own. He said it had to be someone close, because he would generate a XXXX digit code that I would need to provide him. So, I entered my brother 's phone number and texted my brother that I needed the code that would be sent to him. My brother didnt reply immediately, so i called him and even merged him onto the call with XXXX XXXX XXXX When the XXXX digit code arrived to my brother 's phone via text, he said the text said not to share that code with anyone. XXXX assured him that it was safe to share it with him so the XXXX payments could be debited from my account, then the funds would be reversed back into my account. Trusting the " Chase fraud department representative '', my brother read the code aloud. I watched the funds disappear from my account, and XXXX assured me that my funds were FDIC insured and they would be credited back to my account. I thanked him profusely, and we said good bye to my brother. 

XXXX said he would call me again to take care of the other pending scheduled transfers. 

After we hung up, my brother called me to say the texts he received with the XXXX digit code seemed odd, because they said [ our business name ] had sent {$5000.00} to XXXX Bank. The funds did not go to my brother 's phone number or any bank account associated with his phone number. 

The whole thing felt eerily strange all of a sudden, so I called Chase to confirm this was all legit. I attmepted to explain what had just happened to the Chase rep I called, asking if this sounded legitimate at all. He said no, and checked the history of Chase calls to my number. No one from Chase had called me for years, there was no record of any calls from the fraud department at all. He explained that he could not do anything for me right then, and that I would have to call and report this to the Chase claims department when they opened the next morning. 

I called the claims department 19  times the next, and was not able to reach anyone to help me make a mobile app claim. I spoke to a claims rep in the debit card department, but when she transferred me back to the XXXX app department, no one ever answered. 

At XXXX point, while I was on hold with the claims department, I got another call from the Chase bank 800 number. My XXXX rate skyrocketed, and I answered the call. It was XXXX XXXX again, calling to take care of the next " unauthorized {$5000.00} zelle payment to XXXX XXXX. '' I couldn't believe he had the nerve to call and do this to me again. I screamed at him, that he'd robbed me. That my parents were dead and my nephew was a XXXX survivor and that he had robbed me of hard earned money. He tried to assure me that he was, indeed, from the Chase Fraud department, to check the number that appeared on my caller ID, that he was calling to help me. I continued to yell at him that he was a terrible person and he'd robbed me. He then asked, how and when was I made aware of this, to which I continued to yell at him until he hung up on me. I could not control myself at all, i was shaking and hyperventilating and my arms went numb. 

After I'd calmed down, my friend asked me to walk him through the whole thing again. I showed him the original texts, and he called the phone number that the texts came from. I dont know why I hadnt thought of that. He got a voicemail saying the subscriber was unavailable. A few hours later, to our surprise, my friend had an incoming call from the original text phone number. It was XXXX XXXX trying to pull the same scam. My friend tried to keep him on the line as long as he could, and I ran over to try and record as much as I could before XXXX realized he was in over his head. We couldn't believe he had called back, but he must be on a roll and thought he could steal some more money. 

I sent all of this to the FBI, the news, Chase corporate hdqtrs, etc and my brother ran a report on the phone number XXXX originally texted from and then later called my friend from. The number says its in XXXX MI. No information for the subscriber. Presumably a burner phone. 

Chase provisionally credited me the stolen {$5000.00} while they conducted an " investigation ''. After a few days, i was notified by chase that they believe the transaction was authorized and they would debit my account again, the {$5000.00}, on XX/XX/XXXX. Now my account is overdrawn because i removed my funds in fear of XXXX XXXX 's reach. 

I called for clarification and details and was told there was nothing they would do to recover the funds, and I'm basically on my own and out $ XXXX. The rep said he knows better and that chase would never call me ; that i should have known better. 

XX/XX/2021 I went into my chase branch to try and get a new debit card, with a new card number since XXXX XXXX knows that number. The rep said he'd help me. He'd " generate a XXXX digit code '' that I'd have to read to him. I said no, that's how i was robbed in the first place. He laughed at me, so i requested to speak to someone else. The next rep came and said, " if you open your mobile app, I'll walk you through the process '', exactly the same language XXXX XXXX used on the scam phone call. Also, he said " no one from XXXX will ever call you ''. This all triggered a XXXX XXXX and i started shaking, crying and became nauseous. I had to leave before i lost my composure. 

Later the same day, I received a call from XXXX at Chase XXXX XXXX. Funny she called because everyone said, " no one from Chase will ever call you. '' XXXX said she was going to be looking into my ordeal and would attempt to get it resolved. I relayed the events from my visit to the branch, and how misleading and inconsistent everyone has been. 
I havent received any other communication from chase as if today, and I'm still - {$5000.00} in my business acct.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation