Consumer complaint received 2025-10-22 00:00:00
Product: Checking or savings account — Checking account
Issue: Managing an account — Problem accessing account
Company: JPMORGAN CHASE & CO.
State: WA

Complaint narrative:
Abuse of power : Consistent and unlawful lockout of accounts at JPMorgan Chase Bank N.A for XXXX months. 

I am a XXXX veteran, and a Washington XXXX XXXX, with a documented XXXX that includes XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX. I have been denied account access for the last XXXX  months, and have been consistently locked out of my account for months at a time, with no valid reason, explanation, or purpose. I currently have had no access since XX/XX/XXXX. And Chase Bank has made no valid attempt to assist me in regaining access, but instead, denies every attempt I make at access or validating the account. 

Since, according to online AI polls, Chase Bank has one of the highest ratings in consumer satisfaction, I can only assume that this problem I am experiencing is targeted to me, for whatever reason, and I therefore find it discriminatory, predatorial, and abusive in nature. 

Let me first establish that this flagrant abuse of power is not an isolated incident. In XXXX, I experienced a similar situation with their predecessor, Washington Mutual Bank, who seized all my CDs, Mutual Funds, and cash accounts, claiming that I was under investigation for fraud. As a single parent then of XXXX young children, I was forced to spend XXXX days on {$40.00} ( which I had in cash ), and run around to the various federal agencies to prove my identity, to regain access to my accounts. And even after doing so, the personnel at Chase Bank made the withdrawal process anything but smooth. Despite the fact that I had been a long-standing customer of XXXX  years. 
Further investigation with the aid of a lawyer, proved that the fraud was an inside job, where WAMU had permitted someone to use my SSN ( I already had a well-established account at that bank ), who then swindled the bank of several XXXX dollars. WAMUs intention was to recover the funds by seizing my accounts for repayment purposes, unless I could prove that the thief was not me, and/or that I was not an accomplice to the crime. The current situation a startling degree of similarities that make this too reminiscent for comfort. 

The following chronology relates to my current bank account with Chase Bank, and the collection of events that culminates in the filing of this complaint and request for assistance in retrieving full account access, withdrawal of my funds, and compensation from Chase Bank for the costs incurred, loss of interest, loss of opportunity, and emotional and psychological distress the prevailed for 18 months. 

History of my Chase Bank account I have had an account with Chase Banks since their assumption of XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX in XXXX, and have been with XXXX some XXXX years prior. My account information has been very stable and consistent, other than a court ordered name change in XXXX. I have had the current email for some XXXX years, and the previous one for about XXXX years. My telephone number was added in XXXX, and remained constant until XX/XX/XXXX, when I decided to change my contact preferences with Chase Bank. 

Over the last year, JPMorgan Chase Bank has repeatedly and incessantly, without just cause, valid reason, explanation, or discretion, blocked access to my account and restricted access to my personal data, and on multiple occasions, accused me of fraud and criminal activity. The frequency has increased within the last 6 months, and intensified from XX/XX/XXXX to current, despite multiple visits to the branch for ID verification. 

Additionally, Chase Bank has mandated account authentication by cell phone only, and most recently, have instituted the rule of access by Smartphones only ( disclosure dated XX/XX/XXXX, and implemented on XX/XX/XXXX ). Their authentication practices, and denial of access to my personal data and funds has proven to be discriminatory, excessive, undue, unreasonable, without just cause, and in clear violation of several state and federal laws, to include those under the ADA Act, E-Sign Act, WA RCW 49.60, FTC laws, CPA, and the ECO Act. 

Overview and current status Due to the frequency of these barriers that Chase implemented, I was forced to abandon my research project abroad, and returned to the XXXX in XX/XX/XXXX, to visit the branch in XXXX, Georgia for the sole purpose of updating my account information, cards, ID verification, and satisfying Chase Banks demands for in-branch verification. I also updated ( added ) a cellular phone number on the account ( XX/XX/XXXX ), and conducted a few in-branch transactions during that time. But the situation worsened instead of improving. 

Ironically, instead of decreasing the lock-outs, the fraud allegations and lockouts increased in frequency and severity, to XXXX XXXX of XXXX XXXX times in the same day. I currently have no access to my accounts, and have had none since XX/XX/XXXX. Despite a multitude of phone calls, visits, and even instituting a POA to satisfy the unreasonable fear-inducing demands by Chase Bank XXXX XXXX have been consistently denied access to and usage of the accounts. 

I will begin by outlining the most recent events and travel back to 18 months of history. 

Recent events ( XX/XX/XXXX - XX/XX/XXXX ) XX/XX/XXXX NO ACCOUNT ACCESS, NO COMMUNICAITON FROM CHASE BANK, & CONTINUED DENIAL OF MY POA. To date, Ive received no communication from Chase Bank to resolve this matter or to acknowledge me or my XXXX of Attorney. I have no access to the account, by any means, and am unable to access funds, or to pay the credit card bill, which came due on XX/XX/XXXX. 

XX/XX/XXXX ONLINE ACCESS DENIED. The status quo maintains. 

XX/XX/XXXX FOURTH EMAIL TO CHASE to XXXX about the status of the account and POA document. Chase Bank ( Chase XXXX XXXX ) responds that ( after 4 days of looking at it ) the delay is because the POA document was not properly executed or properly notarized and it is missing Signature ( XXXX ) such as a witness portion. I resent the POA and indicated that the witness block with a signature is in plain sight, right below my signature, and right above that of the notary. Making both witnesses very difficult to miss. Essentially, the document has XXXX signatures, although per the state of WA requirements, it requires only to be notarized. To date, there has been no response from anyone at Chase Bank, neither to me, nor to my POA. 

XX/XX/XXXX CURRENT STATUS : NO COMMUNICATION FROM CHASE. NO ACCESS TO MY ACCOUNT. DENIED MY POWER OF ATTORNEY ACCOUNT ACCES. DENIED ACCESS TO MY FUNDS, ACCOUNTS, AND PERSONAL DATA. 

XXXX XXXX ONLINE ACCESS DENIED. The status quo maintains. 

XX/XX/XXXX, IN-BRANCH DENIAL OF ACCESS TO FUNDS. My daughter and XXXX, visited the XXXX XXXX branch and requested to be added to the account and to withdraw the funds in the account. Her contact information ( phone and email ) was added to the account, but she was denied access, pending Chases examination of the POA by their legal department. She was told that she will have to wait to see if they would approve it before she can withdraw the funds. 

XX/XX/XXXX, THIRD EMAIL TO CHASE BRANCH XXXX and other clerk, RE : CHANGING COMMUNICATION PREFERENCE AND ADDING POA. Although the clerk assisted my XXXX in the branch when she visited the branch, and continues to communicate with updates, to date ( XX/XX/XXXX ) Ive received NO EMAIL RESPONSE FROM THE BRANCH XXXX, nor any other Chase Bank department to offer resolution, assistance, or provide me with alternate methods of accessing the account or funds in the account. 

XX/XX/XXXX SECOND EMAIL TO CHASE BRANCH XXXX AND copied to other clerk REQUESTING ASSISTANCE. The other bank XXXX responded with further contact information, but NO RESPONSE FROM BRANCH XXXX. 

XX/XX/XXXX EMAIL TO CHASE BRANCH XXXX. ( XXXX ) Requested assistance to access my funds ( XXXX ) informed her of my phone difficulties and my intention to appoint a POA ( XXXX ) asked her guidance on the XXXX, if Chase has specific requirements. NO RESPONSE. 

XX/XX/XXXX EMAIL TO CHASE ( Account XXXX ), reported account status. He responded with the branch managers information. 

XX/XX/XXXX ACCOUNT BLOCKED FOR SUSPICIOUS ACTIVITY. I spent approx. XXXX minutes on an international call. No resolution. Spoke with XXXX, then XXXX, then finally XXXX. XXXX put me through a series of steps to authenticate the account, stating that I have a limited time to answer the questions and I must get them correctly in order to be authenticated. 
The questions were about mortgage companies from the past about homes I never owned ; addresses Ive been associated with ranging from history within the last 5 years ; online code on the account ( which Ive never used and dont even know if I have ) ; and a variety of address with which I have no association. This method proved to be interrogative, terror-inducing, and harassing ; as I am forced under duress to have instant recall, with surgical precision, my association with names and addresses that I never even knew, under penalty of being labelled fraudulent and being denied access to my accounts, pending investigation. 
At the end of this interrogation, XXXX stated that she could not access the account, therefore she has no information to give me and that I must wait for the fraud department to complete their investigation and contact me BY PHONE ONLY at the XXXX ( TRUSTED ) TELEPHONE NUMBER. Further, she cautioned that if I do any more activity on the account that it will make the situation worse, and that I am not to attempt any further access to the account, in any way, and I MUST wait until the review is completed. She ended with the promise that I will hear back from them within XXXX hours. To date, I have no follow-up communication from Chase Bank XXXX XXXX this. Neither by phone, email, or postal mail. 

XX/XX/XXXX DECLINED CREDIT CARD APPLICATION. I received XXXX letters by postal mail, from Chase Bank, stating that, a. They declined my Credit Card application because of an email that was returned to them ( XXXX XX/XX/XXXX ), the same email to which they sent XXXX spam messages, and the same email ( XXXX XX/XX/XXXX ) that acknowledgements receipt of the application made on XX/XX/XXXX. 
b. They declined my Credit Card application because they suspect that someone has stolen my identity ( XXXX XX/XX/XXXX ). But they gave no reason for such an outlandish suspicion. 

XX/XX/XXXX, DECLINED PURCHASE. I called Chase, spoke with XXXX, he stated that he does not see an amount coming through from the merchant, although he does see the declined payment to that merchant. He stated there is no problem at their end and I should try it again. I did, but the charge was again declined. I RECEIVED NO ALERTS, NOTIFICATION, OR ANY COMMUNICATION FROM CHASE, NEITHER BY EMAIL OR TEXT. 

XX/XX/XXXX, PHONE CALL FROM CHASE REGARDING ACCOUNT RESTRICTIONS. Their agent, XXXX, called regarding the case that the XXXX had filed at the branch. Said she will escalate it and do more research with her team. Although I requested email communication, and confirmed with her that XXXX of the phone numbers on the account is no longer working and that the other is troublesome, she stated that she is limited to contacting me at the registered phone numbers on the account. She gave no further solutions or advice on how to resolves these problems. 

XX/XX/XXXX PHONE CALL TO CHASE I SUCCESSFULLY completed a Balance Transfer request on the credit card. ( XXXX + XXXX ). 

XX/XX/XXXX IN-PERSON AUTHENTICATION. Went into XXXX XXXX branch and spoke with account XXXX, who rang the XXXX department. It took about XXXX minutes and a series of interrogatory questioning to complete this authentication. The agent refused to explain the consistent lock outs, or to provide any personal data, especially about the IPHone XXXX that was connected to my account authentication. The process was solely an intense interrogation process, despite the fact that I was physically in the branch with multiple pieces of state and government ID. Nevertheless, after all this, I presumed that all was set. I tested the account online and confirmed that access was restored. NO REASON OR EXPLANATION PROVIDED FOR THE XXXX AND CONSISTENT DENIAL OF ACCESS TO THE ACCOUNT. 

XX/XX/XXXX - DENIED ACCESS PENDING BRANCH ( IN-PERSON ) AUTHENTICATION. I tried to log into the account to authenticate my new debit card, Chase authenticated me by a code to my PIXEL XXXX cellular phone, but I still had to call them for full authentication. I called Chase and spoke with XXXX. She authenticated the debit card, then transferred me to the credit card agent, XXXX, to discuss balance transfer information and details about the credit card arrival. Despite Chase verification by cellular phone, I was still put through a series of questions regarding my past personal history, before agent can fully authenticate me to discuss my questions about a balance transfer offer on my credit card. 

XX/XX/XXXX, XXXX ACCOUNT BLOCKED FOR SUSPICIOUS ACTIVITY. I rang Chase and was immediately routed to the fraud department ( although I rang their normal phone ). She stated that Chase only locks the account due to some type of online transactions like XXXX, XXXX, XXXX or XXXX. I confirmed that I did no such activity and in fact, I had a conversation XXXX hour ago with a representative ( XXXX ), who had already fully authenticated the account by phone. She states that the only verification she is allowed to send me, is a notification to my iPHONE XXXX, and that I must look for it, as she can not keep sending it. 
I explained that I do not now, nor ever had an XXXX XXXX, nor have I ever used mobile banking. 
At that point she refused to further talk to me, stating that this device ( XXXX XXXX ) is connected to my verification process, and I must visit the branch with XXXX pieces of ID. She refuses to use the telephone numbers or email, which are all registered in the account, and states that accounts are only locked due to transactional failure or some other reason, which she can not verify on my account because she can not access the account, since XXXX XXXX have an IPhone XXXX. She refused to talk with me further, or answer my questions regarding the reasons for the consistent account restrictions, but insisted that I must visit the branch. 

XX/XX/XXXX, XXXX, UNSUCCESSFUL ONLINE LOGIN, XXXX, Trouble with online login, even though Chase successfully XXXX a verification code to my XXXX Pixel XXXX XXXX phone, I had to call them for full authentication. XXXX verified the account through further questioning ( authentication ) and I accessed the account successfully. 

XX/XX/XXXX Applied online for XXXX XXXX Credit Card. Received email from Chase that they received the application. 

XX/XX/XXXX SUCCESSFUL login online, WITHOUT ADDITIONAL AUTHENTICATION. 

XX/XX/XXXX - Added a cellular number. Chase acknowledged it by email, and by using it to send me account verification, but disacknowledges it thereafter when authenticating the account. Therefore, adding a cell phone, created new problems for me. Chase stated that it is a new number and that it takes about 60 days to get in the system. They would deny its existence as a registered phone number on my account, even though we can all clearly see it in the account data, and they use it as a means of sending me a verification code. I have many text messages to verify their usage and acknowledgement, and an email acknowledging its addition. 

Past Events ( XX/XX/XXXX - XX/XX/XXXX ) During this period, I have had VERY LIMITED ACCESS TO THE ACCOUNT, and therefore little need to use it except to pay the credit card bill, which I paid often by using the automated phone system, as Chase Bank consistently and continuously blocked access to the account, by refusing to use any other form of authentication other than an out-dated phone number on the account. Despite their being XXXX phone numbers on the account ( to include the one which has been on the account and in use for more than 20 years ). 

When I was able to access the account online, they RESTRICTED MY ACCESS TO REMOVE/ UPDATE THE PHONE NUMBER OR EMAIL ADDRESS, a message would appear that I have to call them to make these changes to the account. 
PHONE CALL. When I did call them, their agent could not fully authenticate me, as they would insist on sending a code, link, or phone call to the out-dated number, since as they claim, their system limits them as to which authentication method to use, and randomly selects the out-dated phone, but disallows others methods, or phone numbers, for authentication. With each agent, the authentication method is equally different and random. 

SUMMARY OF ACCOUNT USAGE OVER XXXX MONTHS ( XX/XX/XXXX - XX/XX/XXXX ) XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX credit card usage/ XXXX XXXX denial. Ive successfully processed XXXX transactions over the last XXXX months, to my credit card, out of XXXX attempted transactions. 
XXXX XXXX  denial of access for the checking / savings accounts. 
XXXX XXXX  credit card account payment. Consistently paid my credit card bill, on-time, more than minimum payment, despite being locked out of the account. 
XXXX XXXX overall access to account. Been denied access to account and personal data, criminalized and Investigated XXXX XXXX of the time over 18 months. 

Chase Bank XXXX benefit XXXX XXXX  benefit to Chase Bank XXXX Received in excess of XXXX SPAM emails from Chase Bank, of a total of about XXXX emails. Only XXXX emails bore any validity to my account. 
XXXX XXXX benefit to Chase Bank, for having the use of my funds for XXXX  months. 

Clearly, the benefit of these accounts and data usage to Chase Bank far exceeds any benefit I am receiving.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation