Consumer complaint received 2024-04-10
Product: Money transfer, virtual currency, or money service — Domestic (US) money transfer
Issue: Fraud or scam — 
Company: JPMORGAN CHASE & CO. (NY)

To : JPMCHASE Fraud Department, RE : URGENT - JPM Case ID XXXX ; Investigation of {$35000.00} wire fraud My name is XXXX XXXX XXXX I am a customer of XXXXXXXX XXXX. Recently my bank has requested that you reverse a wire transfer that was sent from me to your customer under the name XXXX XXXX XXXX. 

On XX/XX/XXXX my husband and I were scammed into sending {$35000.00} to an individual allegedly named XXXX XXXX, although I do not believe this is his real name. XXXX XXXX advertises on XXXX as a service that helps small businesses in obtaining trademarks for their branding. 

I hired XXXX XXXX to apply for multiple trademarks, social media advertising for my business. Unfortunately after {$79000.00} was transferred to this person, I found out this business and person is a fraud. 

I discovered the fraud after XXXX XXXX had created a fake appointment for me to speak with a XXXX attorney regarding the trademark filings. XXXX XXXX provided me with what I later found out it was a spoofed XXXX number. I was told to call this spoofed number, XXXX on XX/XX/XXXX at XXXX. I called as instructed and the spoofed number was set up with an answer recording stating that I had called the office of XXXX XXXX, XXXX XXXX and to please wait for a XXXX receptionist to take my call. 

Once the phone was answered by the receptionist, i was told to tell the receptionist that i was given appointment # XXXX. I spoke to this agent " XXXX who was allegedly assessing my filings and was told that everything looks good and that payment of {$35000.00} was needed to expedite the process of obtaining the trademarks. After the call, XXXX XXXX pressured me to follow the instruction of XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX to send the funds asap or my trademarks will be lost and my business would be irreparably harmed. 

Falling for the scam, I sent the {$35000.00}. After sending the fund, I just felt something was very wrong. I called the spoof number back on XX/XX/XXXX, the same day the wire was sent. My fears were confirmed when I called the number. There was no XXXX greeting, but it sounded like a call center. I asked what number did i call and then the person on the other end quickly hung up. Moments later I received a call on my phone labeled scam likely. I answered the call and some woman stated that it was the XXXX calling me back, at that point i hung up the phone. 

I called the real XXXX from the number on their website. I spoke to an XXXX employee, and gave her the number I was told to call on XX/XX/XXXX. She stated that it is not a real XXXX number but a spoofed number and she apologized that I was scammed. 

After the real XXXX confirmed that I was scammed, I did a deep search online and found articles about this company and how they are scamming small business owners seeking trademarks. These scammers change their domain name when they are discovered. This company started as XXXX. Now they have morphed into XXXX. They change their domain name when the fraud catches up with them, but the webpage always stays the same. Please see link to one of the many articles regarding these fraudsters : Article title - Anatomy of a Solicitation Scheme : Victim Speaks out on dubious Tactics of low-cost Filing Platform written by XXXX XXXX for XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX Everything that occurred in the above article is what happened to us including the falsified XXXX documents. I have since consulted with a real trademark firm who stated everything was a well structured sham. 

I have demanded from XXXX XXXX receipts directly from the XXXX and he has stated that he can not provide the receipts that come directly from XXXX. 

We reported this fraud to our bank, XXXXXXXX XXXX, to the FBI and to the Secret Service. We are working with two Secret Service Agents whose contact email is provided in order for verification of what has occurred. Our cases are attached to the names XXXX XXXX and my husband, XXXX XXXX XXXX. The two Secret Service Agents are : Secret Service Agent XXXX XXXX can be contacted at XXXX Secret Service Agent XXXX XXXX can be contacted at XXXX The agents both stress that cooperation with the recieving bank is the best option to retrieve a wire that was sent via fraudelent inducement. 

In total, we were defrauded of {$79000.00} by XXXX The most recent transfer of {$35000.00} was sent to the following JPMCHASE account : XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX JPMCHASE Acct # : XXXX XXXXXXXX XXXX XXXXXXXX XXXX XXXX GA, XXXX The balance of {$44000.00} was sent to another account XXXX JPMCHASE XXXXXXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX  Acct # : XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXXXXXX XXXX XXXXXXXX, VA XXXX My bank, XXXXXXXX XXXX, has requested the reversal of the most recent wire sent on XX/XX/XXXX. I request JPMCHASE to please consider this request, or at the very least pause the accounts for further investigation. I have all the evidence of this fraud. Nobody else should go through such abuse. Most people do not report these kinds of frauds due to embarrassment. I reported this incredible fraud, in spite of the deep embarrassment I feel because this person and his associates must be stopped and held accountable for defrauding innocent people and businesses who trust too much. 
I understand the gravity of my appeal and acknowledge the potential inconvenience it may cause. However, I firmly believe that by taking swift and decisive action, we can prevent further harm to innocent individuals and businesses. Nobody should endure the anguish of falling victim to such heartless exploitation. 
In conclusion, I express sincere appreciation for your attention to this matter. Your cooperation in this endeavor is not only crucial for my personal restitution but also for the broader objective of safeguarding trust and integrity within our financial systems. 
Thank you for your understanding, prompt action, and for considering the reversal request Regards, XXXX XXXXXXXX XXXX XXXX  Customer