Couple says they were scammed $49K through Chase phone number
SAN DIEGO — A Vista couple said they were scammed out of $49,500, but the number the scammers called from? Chase Bank’s phone number, the couple claims.
“I would have never thought this would have happened,” Kristal Kuhn said.
On Feb. 15, Kristal said she got a phone call from someone claiming to be with Chase Bank, alerting her of recent alleged fraud on her Chase account.
“They told me that they had some suspicious activity that they wanted me to verify. It was a purchase from a Walmart in Cleveland, Ohio for $2,043. She wanted to know if that was a purchase that I had done, and I said no, and so she said, let me verify a few others, so she went and read off three other purchases that were actually my accounts,” Kristal said.
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Kristal said she didn’t give the caller any personal information, but the caller knew about three purchases she had made with her debit card, and knew the last four numbers of her debit card.
Still, Kristal was a little concerned, and asked her daughter who was with her to call the phone number that had called her, to ensure it was a legit phone call from Chase Bank.
Her daughter Googled the phone number, which came back as a Chase number, and also called the phone number, which went to Chase, too.
“So I said OK, it’s got to be OK,” Kristal said, so she kept on the phone call.
The caller said she flagged the charge, and needed to verify her account by sending her an access code, a common practice from Chase.
“Many thousands of times, I always get access codes from Chase, she sent me the access code, I looked at it, it followed through the threads of about 30 other access codes that I have that are from Chase, it all has the same exact number at the top of it, so I went ahead and proceeded and gave her the access code.”
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Despite Kristal double-checking, trying to make sure she wasn’t being tricked, it was a scam.
Kristal said she opened her Chase account, and saw money being moved between her personal and business accounts. She said the scammers were moving money into the one account they had access to, trying to get one lump sum.
She said she immediately called the phone number on the back of her Chase card, who reportedly directed her to go into a Chase Bank. She said was already nearby a Chase Bank branch, and was at a Carlsbad branch within five minutes.
“I went right up to a teller, there was nobody there, I said have to talk to somebody, there’s active fraud happening on my account, I need an immediate freeze,” Kristal said.
While on the phone with Chase – and inside the branch in Carlsbad — Kristal said they told her they didn’t have anyone available to help and said to come back the next day. She said she left, and drove to a branch in Vista, who she said told her the same thing. She said she went to a third branch in San Marcos, where she said they flagged her account, and called their “back office,” but said they were on hold and transferred several times and the bank employees even had a hard time getting through to freeze the account. When they finally got through, it was too late.
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“I was there for probably about 45 minutes to an hour, with her still trying to get a freeze on my account. She couldn’t do it, she goes, ‘I cant believe this is happening, I cannot get anybody to try to put a freeze.’ She said, ‘I don’t mean to alert you, but there’s been $49,500 wire transfer initiated from your account.’ I said, ‘are you kidding,’ and so I really started to panic,” Kristal said.
The Kuhns claim despite proactively trying to stop the fraud, Chase’s red tape slowed the process and they didn’t get a freeze on their account until the money had already come out, which the victims said was 4 1/2 hours after she alerted Chase of the fraud.
“Had the accounts been frozen in the first five minutes when I asked for it to be frozen, we would not be — or even in the second bank, or even at the beginning of the third bank — we would not be in this situation, and now we’re out $49,000,” Kristal said.
The Kuhns said they are in contact with the FBI, lawyers and have opened a case with Chase, who claim Kristal approved the wire transfer, she said.
“I am more angry with Chase Bank than I am with the scammers because of how much Chase Bank failed us as a customer,” Dean Kuhn said.
JPMorganChase sent this statement to FOX 5/KUSI in response Wednesday afternoon:
“These types of scams are heartbreaking. Beware of new contacts asking you for codes, access to your device, or to send them, yourself, or anyone else money to prevent fraud. Chase, other banks, law enforcement, and technology companies won’t ask you to do this, but scammers will. Like cash, wires are final payments and are rarely successfully recalled, once sent.”
Chase also listed what consumers and business should remember to protect against scams:
Protect your personal account information, ATM pins, passwords and one-time passcodes. If someone contacts you and asks for this information, especially if it’s someone claiming to be from your bank, do not share it with them.
If you want to be sure you’re talking to a legitimate representative of the company that contacted you, call the number on their official website.
If you want to be sure you’re talking to a legitimate representative of your bank, call the number on the back of your debit or credit card or visit a branch.
Scammers can “spoof” phone numbers. The caller ID can say the call or text is from Chase even though it’s not. Even if your caller ID says a call or text is from Chase, it could be a scam. When in doubt hang up and call us directly.
Never click on suspicious links in a text or email or grant anyone remote access to your phone or computer.
Do not respond to phone, text or internet requests for money or access to your computer or bank accounts. Banks will never call, text or email asking for you to send money to yourself or anyone else to prevent fraud.
Don’t let anyone pressure or threaten you into giving them personal information or money. Hang up or don’t respond.
If anyone says you must act right now, stop and ask yourself, “Is this how a legitimate company would act?” If something seems “off,” it probably is.
If you see unauthorized charges on your account or believe you’ve experienced fraud, report it to your bank.
To learn more about common scams and ways to protect yourself visit: www.chase.com/securitycenter
The FBI issued the following statement:
“To protect the privacy of people who contact the FBI, we cannot confirm or deny any particular contact or the potential existence of an investigation. As an overall trend, the FBI San Diego Field Office has seen an alarming number scams involving financial institutions. Knowing the basic steps to take to protect yourself or your loved one from fraud is important.”
The FBI also recommended these resources:
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