Consumer complaint received 2024-08-31
Product: Checking or savings account — Checking account
Issue: Managing an account — Cashing a check
Company: JPMORGAN CHASE & CO. (PA)

I am a XXXX  in college, and a US citizen. I am an international student because my permanent address is abroad. My parents are also living abroad. To prepare me for college, my parents gave me blank checks for me to deposit once I opened a bank account in America. They were blank checks because they were unsure of the amount I would need and told me to write the amount myself after I confirmed with them. And checks can be deposited immediately while international wire transfer might take awhile to send. 
On XX/XX/year>, I wrote and deposited a check for {$2200.00} as that was the allowance my parents were giving me for the school year. The check went through and the money was transferred from their account to mine. Both of our accounts are from CHASE. They used to live in the USA, and had remaining funds in their account, which is why they told me to take the money from their CHASE account. However, I received a notice XXXX days later that my account had been restricted. I have since been unable to use any of the funds in my account, including funds not associated with the check I deposited. 
I went to CHASE and asked if there was a way to lift the restriction. They told me the reason they restricted my account was because my handwriting did not match my parents. We were unaware that this would cause a problem because this method has worked before ( blank checks deposited being written by another person ). So they told me the only way to lift the restriction was for my parents to verify that the check was real. The only ways to verify are either that they go to a branch near them, or CHASE will reach out to them through a verified phone number. They are unable to go to a physical branch because they are not in the USA. Additionally, CHASE does not make international phone calls. I have asked if there is any other way to verify that the check is real ( email, social security number, ID, etc. ). They have adamantly told me no. 
However, the bank has already taken the money out of my parents account. They did not wait to verify the check first before they transferred the money. They have transferred it into my account and suspended the funds indefinitely. The only way for the money to be used again is for my parents to verify it. And if my account stays restricted, CHASE is telling me that they may close it soon. They will send me a check for the remaining funds in my account that are not associated with the check, but the {$2200.00} they will keep hold of until it is verified. 
We have been calling them for almost XXXX weeks now and have gotten absolutely nowhere. We have tried to create a new US phone number for my parents and have registered it to their CHASE account. But when we ask if that number can be used for verification, CHASE tells us it is not a verified phone number. It fails their risk program every time. The name that comes up with the number apparently does not match my parents. They advised us to contact our service provider and have them update the information. We did exactly that, and our service provider told us the information was updated and we could call the bank again. They confirmed multiple times that the information had been updated. However, after calling the bank, they told us that it still does not work. So as of now, I am unable to use any of my funds, and my parents lost out on {$2200.00}. It would make sense if CHASE tried to verify the check before they took the money out of my parents account, but they did not. They took the money out and suspended it, and my parents are unable to get it back. We have called dozens and dozens of times and different people tell us different things each time but the gist of it is that the money cant be used by anyone unless its through a verified phone number, and the phone number we gave them is not verified. I myself have gone to a physical branch to ask if theres something they can do and the workers there are clueless.