A Texas woman is accused of spoofing JPMorgan Chase and ripping thousands of dollars from an elderly couple’s bank account.
Audrey Michelle Townsend is facing multiple years in prison after being found guilty of scamming a Georgia-based couple out of $49,000 through a bank spoofing scheme early last year, reports Fox 5 Atlanta.
According to the report, the scam began in February of 2024 when Gloria Moss received a text message that appeared to originate from JPMorgan Chase. The message claimed there was possible fraudulent activity occurring on her account and that she needed to act.
Gloria called the number and was instructed to verify her bank account, unaware that she was speaking to a scammer.
By sharing the verification code as instructed, Gloria unwittingly handed access to her account, leading to the transfer of approximately $49,000 from the JPMorgan Chase account to a Texas-registered bank account belonging to Townsend.
Though Gloria did not authorize the transfers, the trillion-dollar bank initially refused to reimburse the funds. Gloria then contacted law enforcement officials, who began an investigation. In July of 2024, after the matter had already caught the attention of the media and investigators, JPMorgan Chase reportedly reimbursed the full amount.
Out of the 20-year sentence, Townsend will serve five years in prison and 15 years on probation.
According to the American Bankers Association, elder financial exploitation is the fastest-growing form of elder abuse. Annual losses arising from the financial exploitation of U.S. older adults are now estimated to be approximately $28.3 billion.
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