An Ohio family says a single phone call led to thousands of dollars being drained from their JPMorgan Chase bank account – and Chase says they’re on the hook for it.
The Kalista family says they recently received a phone call from what was allegedly Chase, notifying them of suspicious activity, News 5 Cleveland reports.
Michelle Kalista says whoever was on the other line sounded legitimate and somehow knew much of her personal information, including her transaction history.
“I never thought I would be a victim of fraud just because I know better… How did they get into my account to begin with? How did they know my transactions? And how were they able to transfer money? None of those things have been answered yet.”
The person told Michelle that someone was trying to wire money to Florida.
Meanwhile, her husband Mike called Chase on his own to confirm there was a real emergency, and the bank confirmed that fraud attempts were indeed taking place.
However, confirming the fraud with Chase employees was apparently not enough to stop the scammer on the phone from accessing the Kalistas’ money.
Mike says there were two unsuccessful wire attempts from their bank account, which is when Chase should have frozen the funds. However, that didn’t happen, and on the third attempt, $22,000 disappeared.
Says Michelle,
“I mean, it was panic, and then it was tears, and then it was I’m made… I mean, I am literally emotionally exhausted at this point.”
Chase says that after investigation, the trillion-dollar bank determined that the Kalistas “authorized or (they) received benefit” from the transactions, and will not reimburse the family.
Chase contacted the local news outlet saying that “these types of scams are heartbreaking,” but also confirmed its “decision to deny (Michelle’s) claim because she compromised her account.”
Similar scams appear to be on the rise across the US.
A Memphis woman recently discovered $81,000 missing from her Wells Fargo account, and is worried she won’t receive a single cent back.
And 70-year-old Houston resident Jodene Danials also says Chase isn’t taking responsibility after her account was gutted by cyber thieves for $4,500.
Two other Wells Fargo customers say the bank is “rolling their eyes” at them after $83,000 went missing, and is refusing to reimburse.
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