Consumer complaint received 2024-01-11
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. (MO)

I opened a new Business account with Chase Bank - there were many issues establishing the account and resulted in my going into the branch multiple times to verify documents, etc. 
After less than a month I received an alert of fraudulent activity ( transactions did not go through ). Chase XXXX XXXX ( XXXX ) called me numerous times on XX/XX/XXXX to straighten this out. I was given options and I chose the most severe offered : to block the transactions, cancel the card number and send a new card to my mailing address, which was verified. 

A week later, I still had not received the card, when I simultaneously received a phone notification and a call from Chase XXXX XXXX that there was additional fraudulent activity on the account - XX/XX/XXXX. I was at first very incredulous - how could there be fraudulent charges when I hadn't even received the new card yet? They made a comment about an alternate shipping address. " What alternate shipping address? I don't have an alternate shipping address ... I have one address, the one I verified with the agent last week. '' He stated that the transaction had been done on an XXXX XXXX using " XXXX XXXX ''. I've been an XXXX user since the original XXXX- no XXXX  in this house. The representative then informed me that he saw where someone had called in, failed verification and yet was somehow allowed to provide an alternate address. So Chase had shipped my replacement card directly to the criminal! The rep told me he was putting notes in the system that someone was actively calling in and trying to access my account- this was confirmed by my local branch Business Manager, XXXX, with whom I had opened the account. 

The rep asked me to verify charges - there were a total of 13 charges that were not made by me, authorized by me, and was unaware of until Chase reached out. I said no to all 13 and opened a dispute. The criminal was making small purchases of $ XXXX each and then getting {$200.00} cash back until they cleaned out my account. It was only AFTER the account was empty that I received the fraud notification. 11 transactions in a row taking {$200.00} in cash back at a grocery store? I'm not even in the banking industry and can see that is clearly suspicious behavior. 

Days later, XXXX called to inform me that Chase had denied my dispute stating that I had authorized the transactions. Absurdly inaccurate so XXXX and I appealed the decision and requested to reopen the case. Chase agreed. I called in and notified them of my police report number to show them I was taking this very seriously. 

A week or so later, XXXX reached out again to inform me that they'd closed the case again, this time refusing to reopen the case, citing that they were clear of responsibility as the original PIN code had been used. Now, I was initially confused about how the criminal could have gotten my card number until I learned Chase sent it directly to them, but I am still baffled by how they could have attained my PIN code. It was a brand new account and there were 3 individual instances where the PIN was used : at a desk in the branch when opening my account, in the inside lobby of the same branch when I deposited ~ {$900.00} ( XX/XX/XXXX ) and then a couple weeks later at an ATM in Chase 's parking lot, again depositing cash ( XX/XX/XXXX ). To me, it feels VERY suspicious that Chase sent my card to the criminal and somehow they had my PIN number and now refuse to help me get my business ' money back, especially when the PIN was ONLY used at Chase, in privacy, never in public. My wife doesn't even know my PIN! 

I called and was escalated to a supervisor where I requested to be sent notes from my calls, or transcripts or even call logs. I was verified, including the new account security password I'd set up, but they still refused. ( XX/XX/XXXX ) I was at XXXX in the XXXX  XXXX area getting my tires changed when the fraud occurred in the suburbs of XXXX. I have timestamped receipts proving such. I now have XXXX police report numbers, have placed a freeze on my credit, have filed an FBI IC3 Fraud Report, opened a formal complaint with Chase and will be reporting to the FTC & the Attorney General.