The customer who was a victim of fraud was given money back by Chase Bank.
The city of Portland, Oregon. Lisa McIntyre is in San Diego. She had a phone that stopped working. What began as a small annoyance quickly turned into a nightmare.
She began researching how to fix her phone when she got home after running some errand. McIntyre did not know that a woman in Portland, Oregon impersonated her at the AT&T store. McIntyre’s real phone was disconnected and the imposter got a new phone in McIntyre’s name.
She told KOIN 6 News that her phone was off for three hours. There was serious damage done within that brief window.
She said she went to check her email at her house and saw that her wire transfer had gone through. I was like, what?
The Portland imposter stole over $50,000 from her and her husband. Her husband looked at his email and saw a message.
She said that he had an email that said his products have been picked up.
They rushed to their local bank branch to try and stop the bleeding after they were confused by both emails.
McIntyre told KOIN 6 News that he rushed to the bank. They were pretty nonchalant about it. It took so long to sit with someone. It was 30 minutes before I was able to sit down and talk to him.
The wireless number was added to Lisa’s account without the knowledge of AT&T. The unauthorized service was canceled by the phone company and McIntyre received a refund for the purchased devices.
Chase Bank employees told her to file a fraud claim. She received a letter from Chase Bank denying her claim because they determined the items were authorized or she benefited from them. We will not pay for your account.
McIntyre said she was powerless.
I believe my information was taken from the data breach. I don’t control that. I didn’t have anything to do with it. It was not my fault.
But she and her husband wondered how they would get their money back.
‘Googled Chase wire fraud, found an article’
The night it happened, McIntyre’s husband was frightened. He was researching Chase wire fraud when he found an article.
The articles documented how others had their money taken through Chase Bank wire transfers, and how they were helped to get their money back.
McIntyre said they watched some of the videos. He told me, like, ‘You gotta contact her.’ I was wondering, like, really? He’s, like, ‘Yes!’
After being contacted by the McIntyres, the paper trail connected to their situation was gathered by Koin 6 News.
The executives at Chase Bank were shown a confirmation from AT&T that someone had committed fraud in their store in Portland around 11:30 a.m.
A brand new iPhone was set up in the Chase Bank app hours before the wire transfer went through, according to records.
The San Diego branch of Chase Bank should have a record of Lisa McIntyre there before 2 p.m. that day.
It was not possible for Lisa McIntyre to be in those places to authorize the wire transfer.
Chase Bank officials said they would reimburse McIntyre after hearing about it.
Hours later, I got the phone call. McIntyre said they were like, “This is Chase executive branch”.
At a time when she felt so lost, Lisa McIntyre said she was grateful journalism could change the course of her life and get her money in her account.
Epilogue
McIntyre believes the criminals got access to her private information while she worked at the school district. The district attorney in San Diego is investigating the incident, but can’t comment on ongoing cases.
Chase Bank wouldn’t comment on anything else. The wire transfer was initiated on their app. McIntyre said she received a text reply from Chase employees that said “Yes, proceed” after they asked about the wire transfer.
Everyone agrees that the reply came from the thieves.
It is best for financial institutions to confirm intent and instructions for a wire transfer with the customer, according to other professionals in the financial industry. If a $48,000 wire transfer across the country sounds like something a customer would do, they suggest adding a trusted contact, like a parent or partner, who the bank can call to verify.
People can use a program called bitwarden to protect their accounts.
