A New York state lawmaker is calling on Chase Bank’s CEO to do more to assist those who have been robbed through the payment processing service, Zelle, after patronizing LGBTQ+ establishments. Senator Brad Hoylman-Sigal has stated that several people have seen their bank accounts drained after visiting LGBTQ+ bars and being drugged and abducted. The senator believes that Chase should immediately change its fraud policy and implement stringent safeguards to protect customers.
Hoylman-Sigal, who is gay, claims that Chase Bank’s fraud policy should be changed so that victims can be reimbursed. In his letter to Jamie Dimon, the CEO of Chase, Hoylman-Sigal stated, “as these platforms are being exploited by wrongdoers in the most appalling of circumstances, creating a heightened level of public concern, I hope you hasten action to change your fraud policies and reimburse these victims and their families as soon as possible.”
This is an urgent issue as the death of a 25-year-old Julio Ramirez has recently been attributed to an incident in which approximately $20,000 was stolen from his accounts through the platforms ApplePay and Zelle. In addition to immediate changes to Chase’s fraud policy, Hoylman-Sigal is calling for the implementation of two-factor identification on platforms like Zelle for large transfers.
