A couple residing in Atlanta has come forward with a distressing tale of how a single phone call resulted in the depletion of their entire life savings from their JPMorgan Chase bank account. Gloria and Gary Moss shared their harrowing experience with FOX 5, explaining that they initially felt secure when Chase blocked a $100 purchase for chocolate a few months ago, requiring additional confirmation for the transaction to proceed.

However, on February 16th, the couple received two text messages that appeared to be from Chase’s fraud department, informing them that one of their debit cards had been compromised. Since the texts came from the same six-digit short code as all other alerts from Chase’s communications system, the message seemed authentic. Trusting the legitimacy of the situation, Gloria contacted the provided number and unknowingly spoke to a scammer who sounded professional. The imposter requested a one-time pin (OTP) code, which was sent via text message to Gloria’s phone, claiming that it was necessary to cancel her card.

Without hesitation, Gloria confirmed the OTP code, unknowingly granting the criminal full access to the couple’s life savings. In approximately 20 minutes, while the scammer kept her occupied on the phone, the perpetrator managed to drain around $49,000 from their account. Shockingly, the Mosses assert that the massive transfer occurred without any further contact, verification, or concern from Chase. The money was ultimately cleared through a wire transfer to Wells Fargo, which was only able to recover approximately $700 and return it to the couple.

Chase, in a letter, defended its security systems and refused to reimburse the Mosses, maintaining that the bank had contacted them and that an individual who answered the call had verified the validity of the wire transfer. Local law enforcement is currently investigating the incident and examining whether someone was able to gain control of Gloria’s cell phone.

In conclusion, this distressing incident serves as a reminder of the importance of remaining vigilant and cautious while dealing with sensitive financial matters. It is crucial to exercise caution when providing personal information and to verify the authenticity of any requests or messages received, even if they appear to be from trusted sources.