Scammed Out of $32,000-Husband, Teacher, and Victim of Fraud

Story:

My name is Russell Leahy. I’m a high school history teacher in Fort Worth, Texas. I got married just two years ago to the love of my life. Last year, we bought our first home together. We weren’t rich, but we were proud. We worked hard, budgeted carefully, and finally felt like we were building something stable, a future.

Then, everything changed.

In April 2025, I was manipulated and scammed by individuals impersonating Chase Bank’s fraud department. These weren’t random messages, they used Chase’s real protocol, spoofed Chase phone numbers, quoted my exact bank balances, and called me with “This call is being recorded for quality and training purposes”, just like real Chase employees do.

They convinced me my account was compromised and that I was helping them with an internal investigation. I believed I was protecting our money.

They walked me through “manual fund transfers” at ATMs, provided temporary debit cards, PIN numbers, and made it feel like a professional fraud operation was underway. They told me not to alert the tellers that they were investigating the branch for leaks.

In just a few days, over $32,000 of our life savings, my most recent paycheck, and everything we had, was gone.

I filed a fraud claim with Chase immediately. I provided:

• Police report

• Screenshots of the texts and impersonation calls

• IRS documentation showing my identity was compromised

• ATM receipts

• Even Chase’s own PSA email, issued days later, describing the exact scam I experienced

Chase denied my claim without even sending a proper denial letter. Instead, I received a check for $2,247.85 and silence.

I’ve hired a lawyer. I’ve filed complaints with the CFPB, the Texas Attorney General, and the FTC. I’ve done everything a person can do and I’m still left trying to survive on what little I have left.

My story was featured on WFAA Channel 8 News in Dallas/Fort Worth to help prevent this from happening to others. And while I fight this with every ounce of energy I have.

⸻

Why I’m Asking for Help

I’ve never asked for help like this in my life. I’m a teacher. I show up every day for my students, because I believe history teaches us how to stand back up when the world knocks us down.

But right now, I can’t do this alone.

Your donation will help me:

• Cover essential bills

• Keep our new home from slipping away

• Stay afloat as I fight Chase to make this right

• Heal emotionally from the trauma this has caused me and my family

If you’ve ever trusted your bank… if you’ve ever thought “this could never happen to me”… please know, I thought the same thing.

This isn’t just about money, it’s about feeling safe again. About proving that someone who did everything right shouldn’t be left with nothing.

Whether you can give or share, thank you for reading. Thank you for caring. And thank you for reminding me that I’m not invisible and not alone.

—

Russell T. Leahy

Fort Worth, TX

High School Teacher, Husband, Victim of Fraud

Story featured on WFAA

https://www.wfaa.com/article/news/crime/north-texas-teacher-says-he-lost-32000-life-savings-sophisticated-banking-scam/287-56d2efea-c99b-41b3-a216-078aa2714c31#