CHASE: HIS TALE
Hard to re-open hacked accounts
Dear John: I have been a customer of Chase Bank for 30 years and am a member of its private banking division. Recently, I found out that someone hacked into my four accounts and used all my full account numbers — not my ATM card number — to open a PayPal account.
Fortunately, I found this out and called PayPal, and it closed the fraudulent account.
However, I am being victimized twice, now by Chase.
I contacted Chase to report the hacking and froze my accounts.
Because I retired from New York City to Cape Cod, Mass., where there are no Chase offices, they are unable to open any new accounts, either by phone or online.
The only way I can get new accounts is to travel to a Chase office in person.
So next week, I have to go to NYC to do this! Their security protocols were already breached by the hacker getting into my online accounts and opening the PayPal account.
If I could do it without any more hassles, I would just close my Chase accounts and open new ones here. But with automatic direct deposits of my pension and Social Security, along with bill payment records of account numbers and addresses for so many years,
this would be more time-consuming.
I thought Chase would be more understanding than this. Shame onit! R.K.
Dear R.K.: As you know I tried to get a better outcome, but Chase wouldn’t listen to me either.
I suggested that it take care of your problem at a JPMorgan office closer to you — there is a headquarters in Boston. JPMorgan, of course, is the parent of Chase. But no dice. So now everyone knows that if Chase doesn’t have an office in your town or if you are planning to move to a place where the bank doesn’t do business, then you might want to consider taking your business somewhere else.
It’s nice in NY this time of year, but a4 ¹ /2 hour trip was unnecessary. Boston is about an hour away from you. Doing it remotely, of course, would have been best. I hear that some people do banking online these days.
You told me that Chase offered you $100 compensation that you turned down.
Chase told me it is trying to solve this problem for future victims, but added, “The reality is that anti-money laundering regulations put significant restrictions on banks like ours on what’s required to open a deposit account.”
Update: It turns out that Chase has since discovered that an account can be online, has updated its customer service staff and thanked me for helping it discover the oversight.
Chase will further reimburse R.K. for all his travel expenses.
Dear John: I’m having a big problem with Citibank.
I was having trouble getting my Social Security checks. Finally, I got one for $7,000, which covered several months. I took it to Citibank and the check was sent back tome because it wasn’ t endorsed.
The guy at the bank said I didn’ t have to endorse it. I’ve been five months without a check. Please give me the number of the executive office because I want to file a complaint. N.R.
Dear N.R.: Rather than give you a phone number, I contacted Citibank for you. And when we spoke the next day, you said the matter had been resolved.
I wish they were all that easy.