Florida woman, 32, was saving to buy a house. Scammers posing as Chase Bank convinced her to hand over $50,000 instead

Florida woman, 32, was saving to buy a house. Scammers posing as Chase Bank convinced her to hand over $50,000 instead Aditi Ganguly Thu, July 30, 2026 at 12:20 PM GMT+2 8 min read JPM Felix Mizioznikov, Shutterstock/WFLA Moneywise and Yahoo Finance LLC may earn commission or revenue through links in the content below. You pick up a call that appears to be from your bank.

The voice knows the lingo, claiming fraudulent charges are hitting your account and tells you to move fast to protect your money. That call is where the story starts for Dahiana Ponce. Must Read Jeff Bezos backs a platform that lets anyone invest in rental homes for as little as $100 — 6 ways to build wealth like a landlord without actually being one JPMorgan still sees gold hitting $5,000/oz by Q4 — and savvy investors are protecting their wealth with a tax-advantaged Gold IRA.

Learn more with a free guide from Priority Gold The tax breaks in Trump's 'big beautiful bill' expire after 2028 — and experts say most people won't act in time. What to do before the window closes The 32-year-old from Plant City, Florida, had been setting money aside for her own home. "I wanted to buy a house, you know, start making my own family.

Yeah, that was the plan," she told WFLA (1). On the morning of July 9, people posing as Chase — the U. S.

consumer and commercial banking business of JPMorgan Chase & Co. — talked her out of more than $50,000 of it (2). How a morning phone call cost her more than $50,000 "Around 9:19 I received a phone call, stating that some fraudulent account transactions had been going through my account," Ponce told WFLA.

"They gave me the bank account information to link their account to mine on my phone. " The story they told her was that both her personal and business accounts were compromised and she needed to move the money somewhere safe — into an account they provided. She sent $4,524.

13 from her personal account through Cash App first. And then, they asked for something bigger. "They told me I had to take out all the money that I had in my business account and that's around $45,000, so I did," Ponce said.

That withdrawal came to $45,803. The two transfers together exceeded $50,000. The scammers pushed for one more — a $25,000 wire — before backing off and sending her an email stamped with the Chase logo to cancel the request.

Read More: Millionaires under 43 hold only 25% of their wealth in stocks. Here's where their money is actually going How common this scam has become Imposter scams were the most commonly reported fraud in the U. S.

in 2025 — nearly one in three fraud reports — and people reported losing $3. 5 billion to them, according to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) (3). Business impersonators took nearly $1 billion of that and within that group, the highest losses were from criminals pretending to be a bank.

Story Continues The FTC describes the same sequence Ponce lived through. These scams tend to start with an alarming message about your account, then steer you into moving your savings somewhere you're told is safe. That's what makes it work.

The victim believes she's protecting her money at the very moment she's losing it. Why the money is so hard to get back The money is hard to get back because Ponce moved it herself. A payment you're tricked into approving doesn't carry the same protection as an unauthorized charge on your card — Chase's own guidance says recovering money you willingly send is unlikely even if you were tricked into it (4).

After she realized what happened, Ponce reported it to law enforcement, who told her to ask Chase to place a hold on the account. She says the bank told her it couldn't — "Because it wasn't my account. " Chase says its staff tried to warn her.

"We confirmed that our branch employees asked this customer multiple questions before the transaction, including the purpose of the transaction and attempted to educate her about potential scams," the bank said. "Our bankers are trained to spot scams and we urge customers to be truthful so they can help protect them. " But Ponce says they didn't.

"They did not tell me anything, they just let me withdraw the money," she said. Chase reached out again while WFLA was interviewing her. Ponce said the representative asked clarifying questions and told her the bank would look into what happened.

Chase makes efforts to protect its customers from this problem. The bank claims it prevented $12 billion from being lost to fraud and scam attempts in 2024 and it runs prevention sessions at its more than 5,000 branches (5). What this means for your money One rule you should keep in mind is that a real bank will never tell you to move your money to keep it safe.

Chase says, "Reputable banks won't ask you to move money to resolve fraud" (6). So if a caller tells you to send funds to a new account, even one showing your bank's real number on the screen, that is a scam. A few habits make you a harder target: Hang up, then call the bank yourself.

Scammers can make your caller ID show your bank's real name and number. Don't trust the call you received — end it, then dial the number printed on the back of your card to reach your real bank. Once you send the money, it's gone.

Cash App, Zelle and wire transfers are usually hard to reverse once you authorize them, so they're closer to handing over cash than paying by credit card (7). Slow down. "Just stop for a minute and end that call and that transaction and ask questions and verify information before you send any money," Bryan Oglesby of the Better Business Bureau of Florida told WFLA (1).

Get added protection Imposter scams are no longer the occasional nuisance and thanks to advances in artificial intelligence, today's scams often look and sound remarkably authentic and even personalized to you. Fraudsters can spoof legitimate phone numbers and create convincing emails that mimic banks and government agencies, making it easier than ever to catch victims off guard. The financial impact reflects just how effective these tactics have become.

Americans reported about $16 billion in total fraud losses to the FTC in 2025, the highest on record and climbing roughly 25% year over year (3). Protecting yourself now requires more than simply being skeptical. As scammers become more adept at using tech, so too can tech work on your behalf.

Platforms like Aura can make all the difference. Aura offers a way to manage device and identity protection in one place. Aura's AI-powered platform is designed to help protect your household from identity theft, phishing attempts, scams and malware across multiple connected devices.

It can even alert you to potential fraud up to 650 times faster than traditional monitoring tools. Aura also monitors spending activity for unusual transactions and can notify you when something looks out of the ordinary. If identity theft does occur, eligible users may qualify for up to $1 million in coverage for eligible losses and related fees.

Getting started is quick and easy. Plus, you could save up to 68% if you sign up today — and Aura even offers a 60-day money-back guarantee if you're not satisfied. Protect yourself further The rise in imposter scams isn't limited to fake bank employees or tech support calls.

Government impersonation scams have also become increasingly lucrative. Americans lost roughly $920 million to government impersonation scams in 2025, up from $789 million in 2024 (4). Having access to trusted advice after a scam — or even before one happens — can help you respond more confidently when suspicious messages or phone calls appear.

Organizations like AARP provide that extra layer of support. Their free Fraud Watch Network Helpline offers guidance for fraud victims and practical advice to help prevent future scams. The organization also hosts online support sessions where victims can share experiences and learn from experts.

Beyond fraud prevention, AARP members can get access to guides that can help you make the most of Social Security , choose the right Medicare plan and receive discounts on prescriptions, insurance, travel, entertainment and more. Sign up with AARP today and get 25% off your first year . - With files from Godwin Oluponmile.

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WFLA (1) ; YouTube (2) ; Federal Trade Commission (3) , (7 ); Chase (4) , (5) , (6) This article provides information only and should not be construed as advice. It is provided without warranty of any kind.