Consumer complaint received 2020-04-11
Product: Credit card or prepaid card — General-purpose credit card or charge card
Issue: Problem with a purchase shown on your statement — Credit card company isn't resolving a dispute about a purchase on your statement
Company: JPMORGAN CHASE & CO. (NE)

My husband and I visited XXXX for vacation from XX/XX/XXXX through XX/XX/XXXX. We have no family, friends, nor business connections in the country - we were simply there to visit a new place and experience a new culture. Except for one elegant XXXX XXXX XXXX   dinner ( {$200.00} USD ) and a cash advance to take out Euros ( {$250.00} USD ), all of our purchases were below {$70.00} USD. 

On our final day in XXXX, XX/XX/XXXX, we were eating lunch at a restaurant and I planned to pay with my Chase Sapphire card. The waiter said there was a problem with the wireless internet and took my Chase Sapphire card inside the restaurant ( we were seated outside on the patio ). He was in possession of my Chase Sapphire care for approximately 10 minutes outside of my supervision. He returned and claimed the internet was down and said we could pay in USD or go get Euros from a specific ATM that he directed us to in the back of a neighboring store. I opted to go to the ATM and get Euros in order to pay for our lunch because we were worried we would get scammed on the exchange rate he would try and offer us if we paid in USD. 

After resolving the issue at the restaurant and returning home within the next couple of days, I noticed a fraudulent charge for {$5500.00} on my Chase Sapphire card and another attempted charge for about the same amount that was declined by Chase. The statement showed that the fraudulent charge was made at XXXX XXXX, and after some research online I found this to be a marble gravestone/tomb manufacturing business. The charge was made on XX/XX/XXXX, it posted to my account on XX/XX/XXXX, and I noticed the charge on XX/XX/XXXX and immediately called Chase to dispute the charge. My mind immediately jumped to the situation with the restaurant ( see above ) when the card was out of my possession for about 10 minutes and I was directed to use a specific ATM. I relayed these same facts during my dispute claim and answered all questions and provided all details they asked for, and then I waited to hear back from Chase with a resolution. In addition to disputing the fraudulent charge with Chase, I also tracked down an email for the vendor where the fraudulent charge was made, XXXX XXXX, and emailed them on multiple occasions ( XX/XX/XXXX and XX/XX/XXXX ) to explain the situation and request a refund for the fraudulent charge. I also submitted the same inquiry and request on the " messages '' portion of their website on XX/XX/XXXX. I haven't heard any response from the business as of XX/XX/XXXX. Due to their lack of response, I also left a negative, public review of the business on XXXX explaining their lack of response to my inquiries about the fraudulent charge in hopes of deterring any potential REAL customers of using their services in the future. 

On XX/XX/XXXX, I finally received a letter from Chase saying that my fraud claim had been denied because they deemed that I had received a benefit from the fraudulent charge. I immediately started the appeal process by calling Chase. After waiting on hold for 3 hours, I was told to send an email with my credit card number and full name to XXXX in order to file an appeal. Despite my security concerns of sending my credit card number via email, I felt I had no other options and on XX/XX/XXXX, I sent an email to XXXX with my name and credit card number and requested to start the appeal process. I also requested the following information : a copy of the receipt of this fraudulent charge ( {$5500.00} on XX/XX/XXXX ) and/or all relevant information ( time, date, address, swipe/chip/punch in numbers, etc. ), a copy of the receipts of all other charges made on XX/XX/XXXX on this account and/or all relevant information ( time, date, address, swipe/chip/punch in numbers, etc. ), and a copy of the report that includes a. ) all information that I provided to Chase about this fraudulent charge and b. ) an explanation of exactly why it was denied and deemed that I received a benefit. 

After not hearing back from Chase, I sent another email to XXXX on XX/XX/XXXX to confirm that my appeal request had been received and to request a phone call or email to confirm that it had been received and let me know that the appeal was in process. 

I received a phone call from Chase 's fraud dispute review department on XX/XX/XXXX confirming that my appeal request had been received. The representative who I talked with told me that he believed my claim was indeed fraudulent and relayed that he didn't believe the fraud department looked at the claim closely enough. He said that they never requested a receipt from the vendor ( XXXX XXXX ) to compare the signature with other receipts on file and he also shared that there were two successive charges in two  different counties in XXXX that they didn't take into account when reviewing it because I couldn't possibly be in two places at once. I also continued to request to see the receipt for the fraudulent charge, receipts for all other charges on XX/XX/XXXX, and the report that detailed the denial of the fraudulent claim. As of XX/XX/XXXX, Chase refuses to send me this information about my fraudulent charge claim, and I believe I have a right to see this as a Chase customer. 

On XX/XX/XXXX, I received notice that my appeal of my fraudulent charge dispute had been denied, meaning that Chase is holding me responsible to pay the {$5500.00} fraudulent charge. It is at this point that I am filing a complaint with the CFPB.