Chase Bank is Providing Excellent Customer Support Against Phishing Scams!

A Monkey Bob - Consumer Crusader Post

"Customers don’t expect you to be perfect. They do expect you to fix things when they go wrong." - Donald Porter

I recently received an e-mail that claimed to be from Chase Bank. It indicated that I was going to be charged $121.44 by an Internet porn company, unless I immediately responded with verification of my Chase credit card information. I suspected that this was a phishing scam because:

1) This e-mail was not signed by anyone.

2) There was no customer service number to call.

3) If the e-mail actually was from Chase, then they would already have my credit card information, so I wouldn't need to submit it again.

Wikipedia defines phishing as: "a criminal activity using social engineering techniques. Phishers attempt to fraudulently acquire sensitive information, such as usernames, passwords and credit card details, by masquerading as a trustworthy entity in an electronic communication. eBay and PayPal are two of the most targeted companies, and online banks are also common targets. Phishing is typically carried out by email or instant messaging, and often directs users to give details at a website, although phone contact has been used as well. Attempts to deal with the growing number of reported phishing incidents include legislation, user training, and technical measures."

Phishing is currently one of the largest consumer frauds in the world . No one knows exactly how much money is being stolen, but it is estimated to be in the billions -(that's "illions" with a "b"). And the rate of phishing incidents appears to be growing exponentially. Recent government reports indicate that this activity is being taken over by organized crime.

Anyway, back to Monkey Bob. After I suspected that this e-mail was a scam, I sent a copy of it to abuse@chase.com, which is the conduit that Chase recommends for reporting suspicious e-mails. Then I sent a letter to Mr. Jamie Dimon, who is the President and COO of JP Morgan Chase and Co. Today I received a response from Eloy J. Mosley, who is in the Chase Card Service Executive Office.

Mr. Mosley confirmed that I had received a phishing e-mail. He indicated that none of my Chase credit card accounts had been charged. He then went on to explain Chase's guidelines for contacting customers online.

"It is not our practice to:

• Send (an) e-mail that requires you to enter personal information directly into the e-mail
• Send (an) e-mail threatening to close your account if you do not take the immediate action of providing personal information
• Send (an) e-mail asking you to reply by sending personal information
• Send (an) e-mail asking you to enter your User ID, password, or account numbers into an e-mail or non-secure webpage

You should never reply to, click on, or enter any information if you receive a suspicious e-mail."

These are excellent guidelines for any suspicious e-mail.

I lump companies into two categories - 1) those that actively work to support their customers, and 2) those that don't. Chase Bank definitely falls into the first category!

Here I am - Monkey Bob - a regular working guy living in New Jersey. I am not wealthy, have no special connections, and don't possess any political influence. Yet Chase Bank - one of the largest financial institutions in the world - took the time to respond to my letter with comprehensive and helpful information. Kudos to you, Chase Bank for actually caring about your customers, and by backing it up with action! You have moved to the top of my Christmas Card List.

In the twenty first century, no company has "a lock" on their customers. The Internet and related technologies allow customers to have more information and to make more choices about who they will do business with. Chase Bank has embraced the concept that providing excellent customer service is the key to their company's success. I am certain that this philosophy will serve them well in the future.

"If you don't take care of your customers, someone else will."

- Unknown

Note: Neither I nor any of my primate friends received any compensation from Chase Bank for publishing this post. I felt compelled to do this because I believe that excellence in business should be promoted and rewarded!