ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. – A St. Augustine couple says they did everything their bank told them to do and still lost their entire life savings.
Nearly two years after falling victim to a sophisticated impersonation scam, Tom and Ann Hill are still fighting to recover $42,000 taken from their Chase Bank account. The bank officially denied their claim last month, closing the case.
The I-TEAM obtained records and interviews that show the scam began with what looked like a routine text message on Jan. 18, 2024.
Ann Hill says she didn’t respond to the number in the message. Instead, she called the customer service line on the back of her debit card. Minutes later, a scammer posing as a Chase representative called her back.
That’s around the same time the Hills’ savings vanished.
“They ended up taking $42,000 total out of our banking account,” Tom Hill said.
Emails reviewed by the I-TEAM show the first $22,000 wire transfer attempt was denied, but a second attempt was approved minutes later. The Hills say they notified the bank within 10 minutes of receiving the scam text, but the money was already gone.
Police reports indicate the Hills’ account had been flagged for fraud the day the text message was sent and should have been suspended. Despite that alert, a second wire transfer for $20,000 was authorized the next day.
According to St. Johns County fraud investigators, the calls instructing Chase to move the money didn’t come from the couple. The ITEAM reviewed recorded phone calls obtained as evidence in the case and heard someone with a Caribbean accent requesting Chase complete the wire transfers.
Ann Hill called Chase Bank at 2:31 p.m. Jan. 18, 2024 flagging her account for fraud after receiving the scam text. The first attempt at a wire transfer was denied at 2:53 p.m. and not even an hour later a second $22,000 wire transfer was sent successfully at 3:39 p.m.
Detectives say an imposter likely spoofed the Hills’ phone numbers, making the fraudulent requests appear legitimate to bank representatives. The incoming calls to the Hills also appeared as a real Chase number, a level of spoofing that led them to believe they were speaking to the bank directly.
At no point, the couple says, did they give any personal information to the scammer.
Chase told the Hills their claim was denied because the wire transfers were authorized using a one-time passcode sent to a phone number ending in 8157. The Hills point out that neither of their numbers ends in those digits, and police records support that. Their numbers instead end in 8158 and 8151.
A fraud detective reviewing the case wrote, “It is my professional opinion that after hearing the voices of the real and fake Ann Hill, there is no way that JPM Chase should have authorized the two wire transfers of $20k and $22k.”
The couple, now in their 70s and living on a fixed income, says losing their savings has been devastating.
“Why would we be fighting for two years if we did this?” Ann said. “This wiped out our savings.”
In a statement to the I-TEAM, Chase said the funds were moved after the correct passcode was entered and that by the time the bank attempted to recall the money, it had already been depleted. The bank urged customers not to respond to unsolicited calls, texts or internet requests related to moving money or accessing accounts, saying legitimate institutions will not make those requests.
When asked about the consumer fraud protections Chase offers customers, a bank representative wrote: “Unfortunately, the Hills were victims of scammers who tricked them into sending their money. We confirmed that two online wire transfers were completed from the customers’ device and were authorized using one-time passcodes sent to their phone number.
“We urge all consumers to ignore phone or internet requests from unsolicited sources to move money or provide access to their computer or bank accounts. Banks and legitimate companies won’t make these requests, but scammers will.”