Consumer complaint received 2020-01-01
Company: JPMORGAN CHASE & CO.
State: PA
Product: Credit card or prepaid card
Sub-product: General-purpose credit card or charge card
Issue: Problem with a purchase shown on your statement
Sub-issue: Credit card company isn't resolving a dispute about a purchase on your statement

Complaint:
1 ) Here is the description of how the {$2000.00} charge was made : On Tuesday, XX/XX/2019 at XXXX XXXX  the screen on my laptop computer ( XXXX ) froze. It showed a XXXX message requesting a call to the number XXXX to resolve this computer problem. I did not initially follow this screen request until the third repeated attempt to restart my computer did not remove the frozen message. A man directed me to type in his commands to scan the computer in order to enable him to start a procedure of unfreezing my computer. The man introduced himself as being from XXXX. I followed his directions of a few steps after which he told me to wait for his colleague ( possibly named Mr. XXXX ) who will continue working with me. After holding for about one minute another man repeated the similar commands which finally resulted in apparent start of a scan of my computer. While the scan was in progress he introduced himself as a fraud department representative of XXXX which works together with XXXX XXXX  fraud department representatives to fight bank fraud. He asked whether my checking or saving accounts were lately the subject of fraud attempts and if I use this computer for online banking. After I confirmed that I do, he asked me to check on my all checking accounts to find out if all my checking and saving accounts are intact because he suspected that some of them were hacked. He warned me that some transactions might not be reported by my bank until the next day. After 20 minutes I checked the balances on my XXXX XXXX, XXXX and XXXX accounts. None of them showed any changes on the balances. I informed him about each of them separately during that 20 min period. After I reported my last negative finding on XXXX XXXX account, he informed me that he was just in contact with a representative of the fraud department of XXXX bank named XXXX XXXX. He said that she found that there was an attempt to withdraw {$11000.00} from my savings which is now in progress. He then transferred my call to her phone and asked me not to hang up after my call with her is over because he wants me to follow his routine procedure of securing the money which were the subject of the illegal bank scam. The lady on the phone confirmed her name was XXXX XXXX and her position in XXXX bank. She informed me about attempt of an illegal removal of {$11000.00} from my savings account from an overall balance which she knew accurately and gave to me verbally. She also said that she is working to secure some of these {$11000.00} and will be in touch with the XXXX fraud department. She finally asked me to follow the detailed instructions of Mr. XXXX, who is a representative of the fraud section of XXXX. This person appeared to be fully informed about my conversation with Ms. XXXX XXXX. He asked me how his scan of my computer is proceeding. I informed him that my computer has been off ( screen was dark ) after 15 % of scan was reached ( my estimate is based on graphics ). He asked me to restart my computer so that he can start a new scan again. I followed his commands to start the scanning procedure as I did at the beginning. Then he told me that he just got good news from XXXX XXXX that she successfully secured {$3000.00} and is trying to secure more, but now he needs me to listen carefully and do exactly what he will request me to do. He said that it was essential for successfully securing the rest of my {$110000.00}. He asked me to give him the phone number of my portable phone because he will need to be in touch with me when I will be driving to get a security card ( which he later called a gift card ) of a XXXX  store. He asked me to drive to XXXX, XXXX or a XXXX  store and purchase at least four {$500.00} gift cards. He told me the reason was because these stores are part of a larger antifraud US operation for XXXX XXXX  customers. He asked me to drive to the closest store ( drug store, or XXXX  ) and purchase  several gift cards each in a {$500.00} denomination. He told me to get as many of the gift cards as they allow. If they ask " why so many '', I was supposed to say for family reasons ( like wedding, Christmas ) but not to mention securing my money from fraud bank activities. He insisted to be with me on the phone all the time except when purchasing gift cards. My first attempt to purchase the gift cards was at XXXX pharmacy at XXXX XXXX, XXXX at approximately XXXX XXXX. However, both of the credit cards I used ( XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX  and Chase Freedom ) were rejected. This man on the phone concluded that I should call my bank to allow that purchase in another store. But instead, when I was driving to XXXX on XXXX XXXX, he called the Chase credit free toll number and asked me to identify myself and put me on hold. He later got back on the line with me and informed me that now I am allowed to spend {$6000.00}. ( I believed he had my credit limit increased. ) In the XXXX store I did purchase four XXXX gift cards, each of them at {$500.00}. After that, the man on the phone informed me that XXXX XXXX secured an additional {$2000.00} to my XXXX account but that was all she could secure. He then stated that we needed to secure an additional {$6000.00} and asked me to urgently tell him both identification numbers of each card which I just purchased. I gave the numbers to him and he said that numbers were valid and the only amount that remains to be secured is to get an additional {$4000.00} of XXXX  gift cards from the closest XXXX  store. At this point my wife had come after me, warning me to stop immediately because she said she was sure I was the victim of a scam. My wife took my telephone and ran to a nearby XXXX XXXX  XXXX branch ( XXXX XXXX ). I followed and explained the situation to the bank manager. It was the managers unambiguous informed opinion that this was indeed a scam. I stopped panicking and finally realized I was a victim of a scam. Then, my wife drove me over to the nearby XXXX where they found that each gift card had a XXXX  balance left within 15 minutes of my purchase. When I came home at XXXX XXXX  my laptop computer showed the scan window and the extent of the scan : after more than 4 hrs it was 15 % ( the same as after the 20 min run ). Later in the evening my wife asked Chase credit card representatives why their security didn't stop a {$2000.00} XXXX transaction again as they did 30 minutes before in XXXX XXXX. They said that it was because I personally verified the transaction. I did not. It was not me who asked for this transaction to be approved ; it was the scammer. 
2 ) Here is the description of why this charge should be removed from our Chase Credit Card bill : The security measures should have remained intact throughout the entire incident and should have protected me during my extreme distress and during the process of being a victim of this scam. But instead, Chase approved the purchase on this scammer 's request, allowing the scam to go through. Security was initially intact at the start when another credit card company stopped the first transaction attempt at a XXXX store. Chase also stopped the first transaction attempt at this XXXX store. However the security measures were released when the scammer then told me that he would get Chase to approve the purchase. He called Chase during which I was placed on hold and was only told to identify myself. He made the call himself and I was not able to hear his conversation. He added me to the call only to identify myself, including saying my mother 's maiden name. We told Chase that this incident is not within our normal spending pattern. And furthermore, that it is unusual to spend {$2000.00} in a drug store. ( XXXX  later told us they never allow one person to purchase more than {$500.00} a day and that they always ask what the purchase is for because of the scams on gift cards. ) We were concerned that another person was able to make a call approving the four XXXX purchases. 
3 ) Here is a description of Chase 's response to our complaint : We had several phone calls asking for the {$2000.00} charge to be removed. The reasons we gave are listed above. Chase said that this incident does not qualify as a dispute. After two hours of continually trying to reach a Chase manager, one manager agreed to remove the charge temporarily while the charge was looked into. Subsequently the {$2000.00} was put back as a charge because I had received a benefit ( see attached form letter from Chase ).  However, the " benefit '' only occurred because the scammer was allowed by Chase to have the purchase approved, perhaps by increasing my daily credit limit. Note that I did not request that the purchase be approved or that my credit limit be increased. Only the scammer did. In fact I only spoke with Chase a few seconds and only to identify myself. If Chase had not approved the purchase, I would not have been able to buy the gift cards.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation