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  • Geebo 8:00 am on August 1, 2024 Permalink | Reply
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    Couple recovers life savings after bank scam 

    Couple recovers life savings after bank scam

    By Greg Collier

    A retired couple from Buford, Georgia, has finally regained their life savings after falling victim to a sophisticated cyber scam. Their journey to justice was fraught with frustration and dead ends, but their perseverance has paid off.

    The scam began when the couple received text messages purportedly from their bank’s fraud department, warning that a debit card had been compromised. Concerned, they called the number provided, believing they were contacting Chase Bank. Instead, they unwittingly connected with scammers who, within 20 minutes, drained their bank account of nearly $50,000.

    Despite immediately reporting the fraudulent transaction, the couple was initially met with skepticism and dismissal. The bank claimed that they had either authorized the transactions or benefited from them.

    For months, the couple faced bureaucratic roadblocks. The police hadn’t assigned a detective to their case, and a federal watchdog group offered no assistance. The bank, meanwhile, considered the case closed.

    Frustration finally caught the attention of an assistant district attorney. With help, the case was brought to detectives who accessed the crucial phone records. These records revealed that scammers had called the bank, impersonating the couple and authorizing the large money transfers.

    The new evidence prompted the bank to conduct a third-party review, leading to the reversal of their previous decision. The stolen funds were restored to the couple’s account.

    If you ever find yourself in a similar situation, obtaining your phone records and presenting them to both the police and your bank can be crucial steps toward recovery.

    However, this case also raises important questions. Why do banks often accuse victims of benefiting from scams? Why does it frequently take media involvement before banks offer refunds to the victims? The journey to justice for scam victims should be more straightforward, highlighting the need for banks to prioritize customer protection and trust.

     

  • Geebo 8:00 am on March 28, 2024 Permalink | Reply
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    News channel helps victim recover $100K from scam 

    News channel helps victim recover $100K from scam

    By Greg Collier

    A resident of Woodridge, Illinois, found herself ensnared in a digital trap, losing nearly $100,000 to a cunning PayPal scam. However, amidst the despair, emerged a beacon of hope, her local NBC affiliate and their news department.

    The victim’s ordeal began innocuously with an unexpected email purportedly from PayPal, alleging outstanding bills totaling $650. Bewildered, she contacted the provided number for resolution, only to fall prey to a sophisticated ruse. The scammer, masquerading as PayPal support, manipulated the victim into granting remote access to her computer and divulging sensitive banking information.

    Under the guise of rectifying an error, the fraudster orchestrated a virtual sleight of hand, fabricating a $100,000 deposit into the victim’s account. Urged to return the purported excess, she unwittingly wired the entire sum to the perpetrator. The realization of her plight hit hard when her savings evaporated, leaving her emotionally and financially devastated.

    Predictably, Chase Bank was the entity to rebuff her plea for reimbursement, citing the lack of cooperation from the receiving bank. Notably, Chase Bank has a history of rejecting analogous appeals and purportedly levying accusations against victims, insinuating their complicity in the scam.

    Faced with rejections from financial institutions and the haunting specter of irreversible loss, she turned to her local NBC News channel. Less than two weeks after their intervention, this victim received the news she yearned for, that of restitution.

    Unfortunately, Chase Bank isn’t the sole institution to which victims resort to local consumer reporters for redress. Repeatedly, we’ve witnessed major national banks dismiss claims from scam victims until local news stations intervene. It’s imperative for these banks to improve their support for scam victims rather than relying on media intervention.

    If someone falls victim to this scam, prompt action is crucial to mitigate further damage. Immediately notify your bank and PayPal, informing them of the fraudulent activity. Freeze or close affected accounts to prevent additional unauthorized transactions.

    File a report with your local law enforcement agency and report the scam to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) at FTC.gov/complaint. Include as much detail as possible about the incident.

    Change passwords for all online accounts, especially those linked to financial services. Enable two-factor authentication where available to enhance security.

    Even after taking these measures, there’s no guarantee that your bank will provide a refund. If you find yourself in this situation, you might consider reaching out to local consumer protection agencies or media consumer advocacy programs, like your local news station, for further assistance.

     

  • Geebo 8:00 am on March 14, 2024 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: , Chase, , ,   

    Bank accuses another Zelle scam victim of being a scammer 

    Bank accuses another Zelle scam victim of being a scammer

    By Greg Collier

    A Houston, Texas single mother was recently ensnared by a string of fraudulent transactions conducted via the personal payment app Zelle.

    On December 26, the day after Christmas, the victim received an alert notifying her that an unknown recipient had been added to her Zelle account. Alarmingly, $1,000 had already been withdrawn without her authorization. Thankfully, Chase Bank recognized the fraudulent activity and promptly refunded the money.

    Then in January, the fraudulent transactions started again. In a relentless spree spanning three days, the scam artists persistently hacked into the victim’s Zelle account. They succeeded in withdrawing $1,500 initially, followed by $5,400, and then an additional $1,000, culminating in a total loss of $7,900. Alarmingly, these transactions occurred despite the victim having already reported the fraudulent activity.

    The victim diligently filed reports with the Houston Police Department, the FBI, and the Federal Trade Commission. However, Chase Bank shockingly denied her claims, going as far as to insinuate that she was the perpetrator of the scam. Allegedly, Chase even told the victim, “You probably should just admit that this was you that did this.”

    Once again, despite banks encouraging their customers to utilize Zelle, they frequently fail to support those who fall victim to scams through the app. Regrettably, this scenario isn’t isolated, as there have been numerous instances where the bank accuses the victim of being complicit in the scam. While it’s just anecdotal evidence on our part, the name of that bank always seems to be Chase. There’s an old saying in business that says, “It takes many good deeds to build a good reputation, and only one bad one to lose it.” Accusing customers of being scammers is not the good deed Chase may think it is.

    There is a way to protect yourself from fraudulent Zelle transactions, and that’s by enabling two-factor authentication on your banking app. This means that even if someone obtains your username or password, they won’t be able to access your account and steal money.

    While having any form of two-factor authentication (2FA) is better than none, it’s not advisable to rely on text messaging for receiving authorization codes. Instead, it’s recommended to utilize an authenticator app in conjunction with biometric authentication, such as a fingerprint scanner. This approach ensures that your 2FA data is linked to your device rather than your phone number.

     

  • Geebo 8:00 am on May 5, 2023 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: , , Chase,   

    Bank to scam victims: You have to prove it wasn’t you 

    Bank to scam victims: You have to prove it wasn't you

    By Greg Collier

    Previously, we told you about a scam that happens at ATMs. The way we were told about is scammers put glue in the card slot of ATMs. The bank customer would then use the tap to pay feature on the ATM. The tap feature on the ATM uses the RFID chip in the card to verify the transaction. If an ATM has an RFID reader placed near it, scammers would be able to steal the card’s details and duplicate the card.

    That is definitely one version of the scam. However, there’s an even simpler version of the scam. In this version, the scammer still puts glue in the ATM’s card slot. Except, instead of using an RFID reader, the scammer hangs around the ATM acting as a good Samaritan. When a customer tries to use the ATM, the scammer will tell the customer to use the tap feature. The problem with the tap feature on some ATMs is that it doesn’t automatically sign the customer out when the transaction is finished. This allows the scammer to use the ATM while the customer is still logged in. Of course, this has resulted in many having their bank accounts emptied.

    If you’ve been a frequent reader here, you won’t be surprised to learn that one of the nation’s leading banks is allegedly refusing to assist scam victims. Chase Bank has had a number of their customers fall victim to this scam, and much like they did with the Zelle scam, Chase is reportedly putting the onus on the customers.

    When Chase looks at their records, they only see it as a customer transaction and have told scam victims that the victim must have taken the money. One customer was even told, “Well, you have to prove it wasn’t you.”

    You might assume that since ATMs have cameras, Chase could easily verify if the customer made the transaction. According to one customer, they were told that Chase cannot pull the footage unless they’re subpoenaed by law enforcement.

    But also, much like the Zelle scam, Chase refunded the scam victims once their local media got involved.

    If you go to an ATM and the card reader is not functional, consider going into the bank or trying another ATM situated elsewhere. Additionally, if you possess a credit card, it might be a wise decision to utilize that instead. This is because credit cards have a built-in safety measure that aids in preventing such fraudulent activities. Moreover, credit cards provide more consumer protection than debit cards.

     

  • Geebo 8:00 am on March 15, 2023 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: , Chase, , , ,   

    Bank tells scam victims they gave ‘consent’ to scammers 

    Bank tells scam victims they gave 'consent' to scammers

    By Greg Collier

    Bank customers are being scammed on an almost daily basis. At least the ones who report the scam anyway, It’s more likely that the majority of recent bank scams aren’t reported to the police or media out of embarrassment. It seems that reports of banks not helping their customers who have been scammed has emboldened the bank scammers to fins more victims since they know the bank won’t do anything about it.

    For example, CBS 2 out of Chicago has done a follow-up story on five local bank customers who lost a total of $100,000 to bank impersonation scams.

    Scammers often follow a typical approach where they contact their targets through calls or messages, asking about their recent transactions. They then use coercive tactics to convince victims that transferring their funds to a different account is the only way to protect their bank accounts. Unfortunately, the account to which the money is transferred is usually controlled by the scammer. These accounts are usually regular checking accounts available through major banks and not offshore accounts.

    Out of the five Chicago victims who CBS 2 spoke with, all five were customers of Chase Bank, and only one of them has been reimbursed. The rest of the victims were told by the bank that since they gave personal information to the scammers, the bank considers that the consent of the customer.

    It also doesn’t help that the legislation designed to protect bank customers doesn’t protect victims from wire fraud. If someone uses the victim’s credit or debit card to commit fraud, customers can be reimbursed for that, but victims of wire fraud are out of luck due to a gap in the regulations. We might also add that these regulations were written in the 1970s. Electronic banking has changed a lot in the past 50 years, but the regulators haven’t kept up with the times. We knew that lawmakers are slow when it comes to updating the law to reflect current technology, but we didn’t realizer they were this slow.

    Some consumer advocates recommend that the banks should require some kind of digital ID before a wire transfer could be made. Others suggest the banks should institute a 24-48 hour delay for wire transfers. While these may sound like good ideas, practical application of them could be a headache for customers.

    What these banks really need to do is to prevent scammers from opening the accounts where the victims’ funds are being wired to. They could even institute a delay when an account tries to close out suddenly.

    At least for now, it’s up to the consumer to protect themselves from these scams.

    In case you receive a text message that appears to be from your bank inquiring about fraudulent activity, avoid using the callback feature provided in the message. Similarly, if someone calls you claiming to be from your bank and asks about fraudulent transactions, it’s best to end the call and directly contact your bank through the phone number provided on the back of your debit card.

    If you’ve been the victim of this scam, don’t hesitate to file a police report. While it’s not a guarantee of getting your money back, it does go a long way in helping.

     

  • Geebo 9:00 am on March 1, 2023 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: , Chase, , , ,   

    Bank to scam victim: “This is on you. We’re out.” 

    By Greg Collier

    Just the other day, we posted a story about how banks are reluctant to reimburse scam victims. This was after stories we posted about how one bank accused a scam victim of being the scammer, and another where scam victims were suing their bank for failing to protect their accounts. The question we keep asking is why can’t the banks stop or reverse these transactions?

    The usual M.O. of scammers involves contacting their targets through calls or messages, inquiring about recent significant transactions. Subsequently, the scammers coerce the victims into believing that transferring their funds to a different account is the sole method of safeguarding their bank accounts. Invariably, the account that the money is relocated to is under the control of the scammer. The bank accounts utilized by scammers are typically not offshore accounts. Instead, they are often regular checking accounts that are available through major banks.

    In a recent bank impersonation scam, two of the nation’s major banks were used. A woman from Seattle got a text that appeared to come from Chase Bank. The text asked her if she had just made a $99 purchase in Florida. The woman called the number back where the text came from and thought she was talking to Chase, but was actually talking to a scammer. The scammer told that to protect her account, she would need to make two $15,000 wire transfers to a Wells Fargo account.

    After realizing she had been scammed, she immediately called Chase Bank and was transferred between eight different departments before someone could help her. By the time she got somebody on the line, the transactions to Wells Fargo had already gone through. Chase told her she would need to fill out paperwork before they could investigate, and that would take at least a week. Chase then allegedly passed the buck, no pun intended, to Wells Fargo. The victim was essentially told that it would depend on Wells Fargo on whether she would get her money back. When she asked Chase for some documentation, she was reportedly told, “We don’t provide that, and we’re out. This is on you.”

    Banks contact customers all the time if they believe a fraudulent purchase or transaction has been made. So, why weren’t either bank suspicious about two wire transfers that totaled $30,000? Why aren’t these transactions being put on hold when a customer claims they’ve been defrauded? And again, why are the banks allowing scammers to open and close bank accounts so quickly?

    If you get a text that looks like it came from your bank asking about a fraudulent transaction, don’t use the callback feature in the text. If someone calls you claiming to be from your bank about fraudulent activity, hang up. Then dial your bank directly at the phone number on the back of your debit card.

    The only way to try to prevent financial loss from these scams is to protect yourself, since it doesn’t appear the banks will go out of their way to help.

     

  • Geebo 9:00 am on January 27, 2023 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: , Chase, , ,   

    Scam victims sue bank for failing to protect accounts 

    By Greg Collier

    In the past year or so, some of the nation’s largest banks have been notoriously ambivalent when it comes to helping their customers who have been scammed. For example, many of the victims who were scammed through Zelle have been told their money can’t be recovered since the customer authorized the transfer. Although, some of the victims have gotten reimbursed after going to their local media.

    One bank that seems particularly obstinate in helping their customers is Chase bank. A number of incidents have been reported in the media lately where Chase customers have been scammed in a similar way to the Zelle scam. Chase customers have reported receiving phone calls that appear to come from Chase, but are spoofed calls from scammers. The scammers tell the customer there’s been some kind of fraudulent activity on their account before getting the customer to transfer the money in their account to the scammer. This is typically done through the guise of ‘protecting’ the customer’s account. Not only has Chase refused to assist some customers, but in at least one instance have accused the customer of being the scammer themselves.

    Now, two customers from the Dallas area have decided to take Chase to court. One of the customers lost $51,000 in a tech support scam. She went to her local Chase branch for assistance, and they allegedly told her that the transfer was caught in time, and she won’t lose the money. A few weeks later, the money was gone from her account.

    The other victim lost $3500 to a fake Chase representative who also claimed they were trying to protect the account. This caller was said to have the customer’s account information already. Like the first customer, she went to her local Chase branch and closed her account and opened a new one. She was told the bank would launch a fraud investigation. A week later, she was told the claim was denied since she authorized the transfer.

    So, even after notifying the bank of the scams and being told the transfers have been caught, Chase allegedly failed to protect their customers. Instead, they’re unintentionally, at least, supporting the scammers.

    While you may have been a loyal customer to your bank for decades, these days, most of us are just numbers to them. They’re not in the business of trying to protect you. If you receive a call from your bank asking about fraudulent charges, hang up, and call them back at their customer service number from the back of your debit card. If you receive a text message, don’t respond. Instead, call your bank or go to your local branch.

     

  • Geebo 9:00 am on January 13, 2023 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: , , Chase, , , JPMorgan Chase,   

    Bank accuses customer of being scammer 

    By Greg Collier

    A man from Spokane, Washington had been running a one-man business making out of his home making skis and snowboards. However, his business recently took a financial hit after the man fell victim to what sounds suspiciously like a Zelle scam.

    He received a text message that appeared to come from his bank, JPMorgan Chase. The text message stated that someone was trying to withdraw a large amount from his bank account and asked if it was him. The man responded no to the text and received another text that said someone from Chase Bank will call you.

    The call appeared on the man’s caller ID as Chase Manhattan Bank. The man was told by the caller that he would need to fill out to keep his money in his account. The man was directed to open his Chase Bank app and was walked through several steps until a form popped up. The man agreed to the form, and before he knew it, scammers had transferred $29,000 out of his account to a couple of banks in Florida.

    We can’t say for sure that this was a Zelle scam, but most Zelle scams start out the same way, with scammers posing as the victim’s bank. Coincidentally, JPMorgan Chase is part owner of Zelle’s parent company Early Warning Services, along with several other major banks.

    And Chase is said to have reacted similarly to when a customer of any bank is scammed through Zelle. Actually, according to the victim, Chase went beyond just denying the man a refund. According to him, the bank accused him of being the actual scammer. His local branch manager allegedly accused the man of setting up the scam with the man’s buddies, so they could make a claim on the lost money.

    Victims of similar scams are usually told since they authorized the transfer of funds, even under false pretenses, they would not be eligible for a refund. But to be accused by your bank that you’re trying to scam them is just reprehensible. The man had no choice at this point to go to his local media to try to get some form of recompense. After such an accusation, one might think that legal proceedings will begin at some point against Chase.

    Even though you may have been using the same bank for however many years, they are not your friend. Their main goal is to be profitable, even if that means losing a loyal customer now and again. To put it bluntly, they’re looking after themselves.

    To best protect yourself from this scam is to not respond to any text messages that claim to be from your bank or any other financial institution. If you do receive one of these texts, call your bank directly at their customer service number from their website or the back of your debit or credit card.

     

  • Geebo 8:00 am on May 24, 2022 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: , , Chase, ,   

    You don’t have to be scammed to lose money through Zelle 

    By Greg Collier

    We’ve been discussing the problems with Zelle for the better part of over six months now. When we started, we were bringing attention to a very specific scam that took place through the money transfer app. This was when the scammers pose as a victim’s bank and gets the victim to transfer money to the scammers through Zelle under the guise of protecting their bank account from hackers.

    Then, as the months passed, we started seeing more reports of Zelle being used in more and more scams. Where the scammers used to ask for money in gift cards, they were now telling their victims to use Zelle.

    To compound matters, the victims’ banks have largely been refusing to refund the victims’ money when lost in a Zelle scam. Then add to the fact that Zelle offers little to no protection to its users in general.

    More recently, we’ve come across a report from Florida where a man claims to have lost $9000 from his bank account through Zelle, and the man did not fall for a scam. The man claims that he was looking at his bank account and saw his money being transferred out of his account to someone he doesn’t even know.

    He called his bank, which was Chase Bank, and asked that they stop the Zelle transfers. He also requested to move money into a new account that was not attached to Zelle. According to reports, that new account was also hit for the sum of $4000 through Zelle. Chase Bank allegedly denied any refunds, stating that the transactions appeared to come from the man’s device.

    It’s unclear how the thieves were able to gain access to the man’s accounts. It almost sounds like a SIM Swapping attack, since the transactions looked like they were made by the victim. Or it could have been an old-fashioned phishing attack.

    However, the most disturbing part of this story is that if thieves can access a bank account through Zelle without the user noticing, a large portion of banking customers could be vulnerable. Zelle is attached to many of the most popular banking apps without many users even knowing.

    To make matters worse, there isn’t anything account holders can do proactively to prevent these losses through Zelle. If you lose money through Zelle either in a scam, or like the instance mentioned above, the only thing you can really do is file a police report and hope the bank deems you worthy enough to be given a refund.

     

  • Geebo 8:00 am on May 18, 2022 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: , , Chase, , , ,   

    Is Zelle siding with scammers? 

    Is Zelle siding with scammers?

    By Greg Collier

    As we’re sure you’re well aware of, Zelle is a money transfer app that’s co-owned by several large banks in America. Its primary purpose is to transfer money between friends and family directly from your bank account. The most popular example given about these apps is splitting the check at a restaurant. Rather than several different people pulling cash out of their pocket, they can instead just send their portion of the bill to one person who picks up the tab. However, since it involves sending money online, scammers are using every opportunity to use Zelle, so they can steal from their victims. The banks that own Zelle aren’t helping matters either, since they tend to tell scam victims that their money is lost forever, even if the bank is the one who noticed the scam.

    A woman in New Jersey recently fell for a rental scam. She was sending money to a phony landlord for a rental property the landlord didn’t own. At first, she was asked to send a $160 through Zelle for an application fee to someone with a Wells Fargo bank account. She was then asked to send $1000 through Zelle, to the same person as a deposit. The scammer then asked her to send $1000 as another deposit and an additional $1000 as first month’s rent. This time, the money was sent to two different Zelle users, the first one mentioned and a new one with a Chase bank account. Again, all done through Zelle.

    When sending the last $1000 through Zelle, the woman’s phone locked up, and she wasn’t sure if the payment went through. The fake landlord told her to call her bank to resolve the issue. When she called her bank, Bank of America, they notified her that this was a scam. The bank representative put in a request to have the payments stopped. The woman then did the proper thing and notified both the police and the FBI. Six weeks later, Bank of America denied the request, allegedly claiming that Chase and Wells Fargo did not want to give the money back.

    All three of the banks mentioned in this post are co-owners of Zelle. Since they all share a payment transfer system, you might think that there’s a way to get money back from scammers. Instead, the banks claim that since sending money through Zelle is like sending cash, users should be careful who they send money to. No refund was offered to the victim by any of the three banks.

    While it is true that apps like Zelle should only be used between family and friends, why are the banks so reluctant to help scam victims? The bad press they’ve been receiving over Zelle can’t be helping, so why not put in protections that help the users instead of the scammers? The more these scams get reported on, the less Zelle will end up being used. So, which one would be more costly to the banks, helping scam victims, or shuttering Zelle?

     

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