A major US bank refused this San Francisco woman’s $1,500 refund for fraudulent withdrawals — here’s the bank behind it and why they denied her request

The local branch alerted the woman, who asked to be identified by her only first name, Katrina, to the unauthorized withdrawals. Still, when she filed a claim, corporate denied her request for reimbursement, stating she had either authorized the transactions or benefited from them.

"It's been absolutely ludicrous," Katrina told ABC 7 News.

She says she's never even been to the Orinda Chase branch where the thief withdrew her funds.

Still, the scammer managed to withdraw money twice before finally raising suspicion with a third attempt.

How did this happen?

In December, a woman using a fake driver's license managed to make two separate withdrawals from Katrina’s Chase account, totaling $1,500.

The fraudster didn’t use a debit card or PIN — just a convincing ID that fooled the tellers. The bank became suspicious when the thief attempted a third withdrawal and asked for additional verification through multi-factor authentication.

"They said, 'OK, I need you to confirm your identity with a code that we'll send to your cell phone.' She said, 'Oh, OK. I forgot my phone in the car. Let me go get it.’ And that's when she never returned," Katrina told reporters.

The bank then immediately called Katrina to confirm that she had been at the bank branch. When she told them she hadn't, the branch informed her of the fraud. Katrina quickly filed a police report and opened a claim with Chase's fraud department.

She expected the bank to resolve the issue quickly but was instead met with resistance from Chase.

Why did Chase deny her refund?

Despite the evidence, Chase initially denied Katrina’s claim. In a letter, the bank stated that she had either authorized the transactions or had somehow benefited from them.

"I was gobsmacked," Katrina said. "Even the branch — the Chase branch’s word — was still not enough," she told ABC 7 News.

Frustrated and out of options, she contacted 7 On Your Side, a consumer advocacy news team. Within 24 hours of their inquiry, Chase reversed course and refunded Katrina's account.

But she had already spent over $200 on an identity theft protection subscription to safeguard herself in the future. Meanwhile, Orinda police are investigating the case, and Chase has provided video footage of the suspect.

Chase says it has ID checks in place to prevent this type of fraud but declined to share the measures they use.

How can banks deny refunds for fraud?

Many banks have strict fraud policies that require consumers to prove they are the victims. This can be challenging — how do you prove you weren't somewhere and didn't do something?

Under the Electronic Fund Transfer Act (EFTA), banks are required to refund fraudulent transactions on debit cards and online transfers when there was no loss or theft of an access device — depending on when the event is reported.

Under the EFTA, customers must report the fraud within 60 days of receiving their bank statement, according to the Federal Reserve. If too much time has passed, the bank may deny the claim. Some banks may have shorter timelines for reporting suspected fraud.

But fraud that occurs in person at a bank branch may be treated differently. Because the thief presented a form of ID, Chase may have determined the teller had a reasonable basis to believe the withdrawal was legitimate.