(Us)Scammers spoofed Chase, moved my dad to WhatsApp, and stole $4,500 through Zelle
I’m posting this to warn others about a convincing Chase/Zelle impersonation scam that happened to my dad while he was abroad.
It started with a call displaying a real Chase fax number. The scammers had spoofed the caller ID, so the number looked legitimate. They claimed someone named “Jessica Martinez” was attempting Zelle transactions of $2,000 and $500 using my dad’s information. They asked whether he had recently lost documents or used his card while traveling, which made their story sound believable.
After the initial call, they moved him to WhatsApp through an account using Zelle’s name and logo. They claimed they were the “Zelle fraud department.” The first video call lasted two and a half hours.
While speaking with him, they obtained his debit-card details, PIN and Chase verification codes. Chase generated codes for $2,000 and $500—the exact transactions the scammers claimed they were helping him stop. We now believe the scammers were inside his account initiating those transactions while pretending to warn him about them.
They contacted him again two days later through a second fake Zelle WhatsApp number. During a 47-minute video call, they made him share his screen, open the Chase app and follow their instructions. They told him that confirming another $2,000 transaction was necessary to protect his account.
Chase sent a fraud alert clearly asking whether he had scheduled the transaction and warning that replying “YES” would allow it to be paid. The scammers were watching his screen and instructed him to reply YES, falsely claiming it was part of the account-protection process. He followed their instructions because he believed he was communicating with Chase and Zelle.
The total loss was $4,500.
We reported everything to the real Chase fraud department. Chase opened a claim and issued $4,500 in temporary credit while it investigates. The credit is provisional, so the final outcome has not been decided.
I’m intentionally not posting the phone numbers or verification codes because numbers can be spoofed, recycled or assigned to unrelated people. Please warn family members, particularly anyone who may not understand how caller-ID spoofing and screen-sharing scams work