Last week, a video on how to get free money from Chase ATMs in the United States went viral on TikTok. Now those who want easy money are facing charges.
The technique involved depositing a check for a large amount that the user does not actually have and withdrawing a smaller but significant amount before the transaction is processed. In fact, «failure» was better known as fraud. Predictably, JP Morgan Chase notified law enforcement about the people who tried to commit the fraud.
«As with any other fraud-related issue, we handle it internally and contact law enforcement if necessary. Regardless of what you see on the Internet, depositing a fraudulent check and withdrawing funds from your account is simple fraud,» said a Chase spokesperson.
It is not known exactly how many Americans believed in the impunity of money for nothing. The Wall Street Journal reports that thousands of people took advantage of the fraudulent scheme.
«Don’t believe TikTok trends, check fraud is a serious crime. You will be held criminally liable.If it sounds too good to be true…», — says the message US Postal Inspection Service.
At least some of the videos on TikTok have now been removed. They promised to withdraw $40-50 thousand for free. The heroes of some were rightly afraid of accusations and warned against such attempts. But others claimed that nothing would happen for using this «fail» nothing. Chase has now frozen some of the accounts from which this «life hack» was attempted. The bank has handed over camera footage and all other information related to the fraud to the police.
Sources: Wall Street Journal, Gizmodo