A retired Chicago city worker named Thomas has fallen victim to a sophisticated wire transfer scam, losing over $19,000. The incident highlights the growing sophistication of scams and the importance of being vigilant against fraud.
Thomas received an email in June 2023 that appeared to come from Chase Bank, alerting him about a platinum credit card he allegedly signed up for with a $499 annual fee. Suspicious of the email, Thomas called the customer service number provided, unaware that he was speaking to a scammer.
During the phone call, the scammer gained remote access to Thomas’ computer while he logged into his bank account. The scammer then claimed to have accidentally deposited $20,000 instead of the intended $499 refund for the unwanted credit card.
In a panic, the scammer convinced Thomas to remove the overpayment, resulting in the disappearance of both the $20,000 deposit and $19,450 of Thomas’ own money.
Thomas immediately realized something was wrong and ran to the closest Chase branch to report the incident. He stayed until the branch closed, but neither bank employees nor the employees at the bank’s downtown headquarters were able to stop the wire transfer.
Thomas has filed reports of his scam with the FBI, the Chicago Police Department, and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. He has expressed confusion as to why the bank’s algorithms for stopping crime and fraud had not picked up and stopped the wire transfer.
Chase Bank responded to Thomas’ complaint to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau saying it would not be refunding any of his money because he ‘compromised’ his account ‘by providing sensitive account information to a third party.’ The bank said it tried to stop the wire transfer six times.
Chase has called the scams ‘heartbreaking’ and has urged all consumers to protect their accounts by never sharing personal information with someone they don’t know. Banks will never call, text, or email asking customers to send money to themselves or anyone else to prevent fraud, but scammers will.
Another Chase Bank customer lost $19,000 in a very similar scam to Thomas’. The U.S. Sun has contacted Chase Bank for comment.
