Tonight, I logged-in to my bank and tried to send a Wire Transfer. I've done this a couple times in the past and everything went fine. Tonight, I get a call from their FRAUD Department . . . things went downhill fast.
They call my cell phone which is the number I have on file with them.
They tell me they are calling to verify a transaction I am attempting. They ask if it is OK to verify my identity on the phone. I agree.
They first send me a notification to my phone (CHASE app) which I open and after logging in to the app, I get a screen saying "Are you on the phone with one of our Representatives right now?" I tap "Yes."
She confirms they received my response and then she begins asking me questions:
Which of the following Corporations have you ever been affiliated with?
A, B, C, D or none of the above. I replied "None of the above."
They then ask AGAIN which of the following corporations have you been affiliated with and one of the choices was Coldwell Banker. I worked with them as a Licensed Commercial Realtor in 1997, so I replied "Coldwell Banker."
She then asks, "Please add the last two digits on your Driver License number and tell me what they add up to."
I add the 2 plus the other 2 and reply "four"
She says, we CANNOT verify your identity, your account is locked until we can positively identify you. You will have to call this number to speak to our Fraud Department.
I get forcibly logged-out of my online account.
I call the number she gave. The guy goes through a similar procedure with the cellphone verification and then says, I am going to bring our automated system onto this call. Please have your Debit Card handy because it will ask you to key in some of the numbers. You have to key them in, you cannot verbally answer.
The automated system comes on to the call and asks the last four digits of the Debit card number. I key them in.
It then asks for the four digits of the expiration date. I key them in. It tells me they're WRONG.
My son is standing right next to me. I show him the expiration date. I key the numbers in again .. . . It tells me WRONG.
So now I have to GO INTO MY BRANCH and my account is locked until I do so.
I've sent wire transfers before, and for amounts much higher than tonight. . . . . Like seven times higher than tonight. Never a problem.
Tonight, they say I am not me and I'm cut off.
I wonder if the bank that reportedly got SEIZED by federal regulators at around 4:30 this morning because they couldn't make Margin Calls on Silver Shorts, maybe, might be, JP Morgan CHASE ? ? ? ? ? ? ? (Story HERE) Is it possible they won't send the wire transfer because they're broke?
Maybe I am not the only one being cut off from my Business account?
Now, I have to drive all the way back to New Jersey, to go into MY BRANCH where the Branch Manager knows me, to get access to my own money.
UPDATED 1:26 PM EST MONDAY, DEC. 29 --
This morning, I walked into a CHASE Branch in Scranton, PA, about 45 minutes away from my country home and everything is GOOD now. The people in the Branch were exceptionally helpful. My online access is restored. The wire Transfer has been re-submitted and will go today.
I thought it only fair that I update this article with these important facts.
