Furloughed Airline Worker Lost $1,200 In Back Pay After 'Error' With Chime Account; 'It Freaked Me Out'
CHICAGO (CBS) -- It's one of the most downloaded banking apps of 2020, but it appears Chime is starting off 2021 with a bit of a problem.
Social media posts thank customers for helping "catch the scammers," then a victim reached out to the Morning Insiders saying he was desperate for help. CBS 2's Lauren Victory took the case.
Jordy Comeaux used to fly the friendly skies. Now the furloughed flight attendant is stuck in the cruel world below.
"I'm usually a really positive, and happy-go-lucky person," Comeaux said.
He first talked to CBS 2 in September, days before he became one of 32,000 workers furloughed between United and American airlines, not expecting things would get so much worse.
Bills piled up.
"I am pretty much days away from my car being repossessed," he said. "I'm not going to lie to you, this month has been a rough month."
Then, a kick while he's already down. Comeaux received a strange text message: a security code for his online banking account with Chime.
"I thought, 'Well, this is odd, because I'm not trying to access my account.' It freaked me out," Comeaux said.
Panic really set in when he checked his transfer tab.
"The name was John Clark; someone I have no idea who they are," Comeaux said.
More than $1,200 was gone in an instant. The money was backpay from United. It recently came in thanks to the latest COVID relief bill.
"How many more hits can a person take?" Comeaux said.
Complaints on Chime's Better Business Bureau page show he's not alone. Complaints include:
- "My account was somehow hacked."
- "Someone fraud my account."
- "My account was !! Wiped out !!"
- "I've had money stolen from my Chime account."
Chime even alludes to problems on its own social media, responding to a tweet with fake account names by stating "thanks for chiming in to help us catch the scammers!"
"Without a doubt, there is no way they are unaware of this occurring," Comeaux said.
Yet, the company told Comeaux he was not the victim of fraud. Instead, "an error occurred."
He magically got his money back hours after CBS 2 got involved, leaving him relieved but confused.
"Somehow someone got into my account without that security code that was texted to me," Comeaux said.
We asked chime if they are investigating security issues with its two-factor authentication system. The company wouldn't provide specifics, but did confirm it is aware of rising fraud throughout the banking industry.
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