Consumer complaint received 2023-05-04
Product: Checking or savings account — Checking account
Issue: Problem with a lender or other company charging your account — Transaction was not authorized
Company: JPMORGAN CHASE & CO. (NY)

I received an alert on the morning of XX/XX/XXXX about a large purchase from my checking account in the amount of {$230.00} from a vendor labeled " XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XX/XX/XXXX '' I did not authorize this transaction, so I called Chase, less than 10 minutes after I received the notification. I explained the situation, and the rep told me the transaction was tied to my XXXX digital wallet. I told him that I had no idea how that purchase was made, and that it was unauthorized. He told me that I would need a new debit card and that I needed to update the info on my digital wallet. He made a reversal on that transaction, though he didn't say that the reversal was part of an opened claim. I found out a claim had been opened when I checked my account balance and saw the reversal with a claim number attached. I received a new debit card, updated my digital wallet, and thought everything was okay. 

Today, XX/XX/XXXX, I receive an alert that the affected account is under {$10.00}, then another alert that my account was overdrawn. I checked my account, and the reversal in connection to the fraudulent transaction was undone, and I am now overdrawn to Chase. I was very upset and confused, so I called Chase about the claim ( claim number XXXX ) and explained my frustration, and asked about their investigation. The rep told me that " there wasn't sufficient evidence to support the charge being fraudulent '' because my password wasn't changed and that I had recurring charges on my digital wallet. The two recurring charges that they compared the fraudulent charge to are authorized monthly subscription charges under {$10.00} that I have history with as a customer. I explained tp the Chase rep that the transaction is not congruent with my typical spends via digital wallet and I had no history or knowledge of XXXX. This is clearly fraudulent. 

She told me I needed to provide " sufficient evidence '' to appeal the rejection, which included " photos that verified my location at the time of the purchase '' which makes no sense bc this was a digital purchase that could've been made anywhere. The rep said if I perhaps had a photo of myself leaving the house to walk my dog on a XXXX XXXX, that might help confirm my location... Even after discussing it was an online transaction that could have been made anywhere. It was all extremely confusing. I was incensed and asked whether they contacted the vendor, XXXX, during their investigation. She alluded to a back office that has further investigation details but does not speak directly to customers. We went in circles and I explained that the company, XXXX, doesn't seem legitimate ( no website, no results on XXXX ) and she essentially said there is nothing she can do at this point. 

I ended that call abruptly and called back after cooling down. Another rep was much more polite and we spoke about the situation. I asked more pointed questions about what kind of evidence I could use to verify that this was a fraudulent purchase. I told him that the URL of the vendor company ( XXXX ) did not produce any results and I could not XXXX them to contact them to resolve the issue like he suggested. He then suggested taking a screenshot of my attempt to go to the site, and to document any attempts to call them ( I didn't call them at that point ). He told me I can't open a new claim on the transaction and that I can only appeal the decision by faxing evidence to a given number. I asked if they contacted the vendor during the investigation and if they have a phone number. 

It should be noted that they didn't even give me a phone number or suggested next steps until I basically forced it out of them with pointed questions. 

He gave me the number to the vendor, which retrospectively was very insulting since the number goes straight to voicemail. If the bank performed ANY due diligence, they would catch the red flag of a company that has no results in XXXX, has no functioning phone number or website, and takes substantial amounts of money via digital wallet. 

The second rep kept reiterating that, from Chase 's perspective, I had other ( incredibly small ) recurring charges on my digital wallet ( from trusted vendors that you find on XXXX and contact ) that this gave the fraudulent transaction the appearance of legitimacy. I mentioned that the transaction was not congruent with my spending habits via digital wallet, to which he countered that sometimes people make big one off purchases, like flying to Hawaii. The problem with that statement is that you can XXXX XXXX or XXXX XXXX or XXXX. You can contact an airline you've made a purchase with. You can not XXXX " XXXX ''. The website URL to " XXXX '' is a dead end. You can not contact " XXXX '' - you're welcome to try, their number is XXXX. I was also told to get the vendor to acknowledge the fraudulent transaction in writing, which seems highly unlikely. I asked about the timeline for appealing a rejected claim after faxing evidence, and he gave me nothing, not even an estimate or average timespan. 

I am currently in the process of compiling evidence to send them, in the hopes that they will actually follow through with an actual investigation, but my hopes are diminished. I simply want my money back. I also want to be compensated for any overdraft fees I incur as a result of this massive mistake by Chase. What is the point of holding money in a bank if it's less safe than stashing it under my bed and hoping that no one finds it? 

Another bit of information that might be helpful is the customer service number I used ( XXXX XXXX ).