AN ELDERLY woman has had her life savings stolen by scammers and was left hanging out to dry by her bank’s fraud protection.

Shirley Ison-Newsome, 75, had her bank account drained by scammers of $51,000 and despite immediately notifying them, was told by JP Morgan Chase that they would not do anything to help.

Ison-Newsome, a retired Dallas Independent School District administrator, fell victim to a scam when her computer froze with a warning it had been hacked, according to Dallas Morning News.

A message appeared, seemingly from Microsoft, with a phone number to call. The person she spoke to told her they had staff who worked with Chase and could help protect her account.

Ison-Newsome thought she was being helped and so spent hours with the provided phone number seeking to protect her account.

“That night, I couldn’t sleep,” she said. “I woke up in the middle of the night and said, ‘Something was not quite right about that.’” 

Arriving at her local Chase branch as soon as it opened the next day, Ison-Newsome was told by employees that her funds were still in the account and that they would be moved to a new account as a precaution. 

“We hugged and said a prayer of thanks,” Ison-Newsome said.

However, this reprieve soon proved false because a few weeks later she logged into her new account and found it was empty. 

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“I realize now that Chase has a way of stringing you along over a period of time,” she said.

After pursuing the matter for weeks, Ison-Newsome was finally able to get in touch with Chase corporate who were not willing to help.

Chase maintained that since Ison-Newsome authorized the transfers, even if under false pretenses, there is nothing they can do about the scam.

“I worked all my life,” Ison-Newsome said. “I paid my bills on time. I tried to do the right thing. I’ve been with Chase for over 20 years, and I trusted Chase.” 

Ison-Newsome has sued Chase for reimbursement, claiming her bank account was drained of $51,000. She is seeking monetary relief of up to $250,000 from the suit.

Her lawsuit against Chase was met with a motion to dismiss filed by the bank on January 12.

The bank’s motion called the suit “scattershot pleading” because Ison-Newsome had approved the wire transfer.

“Chase and other institutions like Chase need to own up to their negligence,” she said. “In this society where the vulnerable are preyed upon – the elderly and women – they need to be much more sensitive to that and not add to the preying.”

“It has taken an emotional, physical and financial toll on me,” Ison-Newsome said of losing her life’s savings.

“It’s devastated me,” she said.

The U.S. Sun has reached out to JP Morgan Chase for comment but has yet to hear back.