Couple lost $42K in an elaborate scam 2 years ago, and they’re still fighting with the bank to get it back. How to protect yourself from online fraud

In January 2024, the Hills were targeted by a sophisticated impersonation scam that resulted in $42,000 being taken out of their bank account. Two years later, the couple is still fighting to get that money back from their bank, JPM Chase, which recently denied their claim and closed the case.

Since the Hills are in their 70s and live on a fixed income, their story serves as a cautionary tale for older Americans who are often targeted by these elaborate schemes.

How the scam unfolded

The ordeal began when Ann received a text message to confirm a wire transfer nearly two years ago. According to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), texting is a common tactic that scammers often use to make initial contact with their targets (2).

As Ann shared with News4JAX, she did not reply to the text and instead decided to call the phone number on the back of her debit card to speak directly with a JPM Chase representative. Knowing better than to reply to a random text message, Ann took a safer route of investigation that consumer advocates often recommend.

But that, unfortunately, wasn’t enough to protect the Hills from this scam. After her call with the JPM Chase rep had ended, the Hills received a call from someone else claiming to be from the bank. That supposed JPM Chase rep was reportedly the scammer who had sent the initial text message that got this ordeal started. Investigators say the caller had “spoofed” JPM Chase’s real phone number, making the call appear to be legitimate on caller ID.

According to News4JAX’s review of the police report, The Hills’s bank account was flagged on January 18, 2024, and should have been suspended. A portion of the police report notes that “Ann advised that she inquired about the text, and was told the account would be suspended.” But later that day, $22,000 was transferred out of the Hills’s bank account, with another $20,000 transfer occurring the next day on January 19, 2024.

Fraud investigators shared records with News4JAX that show the calls to the bank that requested the transfers did not come from Tom or Ann. “Most likely the fraudster(s) called JPM Chase while impersonating Ann Hill, they spoofed the Hills number(s) also,” states the police report.

After months of back and forth with the bank, JPM Chase eventually closed the case, telling Tom in an email that “we sent a One-time pass code (OTP) to the number on the file ending in 8157. Our records show that we were provided the proper OTP, which is the reason the wires were sent.”

But there’s one big problem with that explanation. “That’s not our phone number,” Tom shared with News4JAX. In fact, Ann’s phone number ends with 8158, while Tom’s ends with 8151.

“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 fraud detective wrote in the police report.

“When they pull that money out of your savings account, it gives you a real bitter taste,” Tom told News4JAX.

Meanwhile, JPM Chase provided a statement on the matter, saying, “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.”

How to protect yourself from similar scams

Imposter scams are now one of the most financially devastating types of fraud in the U.S., according to the FTC. In 2023 alone, Americans reported billions of dollars in losses to impersonation scams, with bank and government imposters at the top of that list (3).