Emilie Kostecka of Logan Square was watching an NBC 5 Responds story that resonated with her. The story explained how a woman thought she was donating $10 to a young victim of gun violence when instead she was charged $4,000 for an alleged catering service. She said it was a scam.
“It can happen truly to anyone,” Kostecka told NBC Chicago.
She said she knows this because she was the victim of a similar scam. Kostecka showed us where it happened: on a sidewalk along the side of a Logan Square Target store.
Kostecka explained that three men approached her holding a binder containing pictures of a child. They told her the little boy was a victim of gun violence and they were asking for donations for the family.
As Kostecka looked through the hefty binder, one of the men offered to hold her phone. A donation was never made.
Soon after, a $5,000 charge showed up on her bank account for carpentry services, something Kostecka says she never inquired about or paid for.
Around the same time, she noticed warnings from neighbors about similar encounters posted in Logan Square and West Loop community groups on social media.
Kostecka filed a police report and a fraud report with Chase Bank. The bank determined Kostecka was responsible for the transaction and closed the investigation.
“They said that I had gotten benefits from it, so I’d gotten points from it,” Kostecka told NBC Chicago.
Around the same time, she saw NBC 5 Responds’ past reporting on similar fraud. She decided to reach out to us and sent a link of our past reporting to Chase Bank.
The bank reopened Kostecka’s case and eventually determined she is not responsible for the $5,000 payment.
Chase Bank told NBC 5 Responds: “We approved Ms. Kostecka’s claim and credited her account. As always, we remind customers it is their responsibility for protecting their credit or debit cards — avoid handing your card or phone to others to process transactions, and always verify the dollar amount before completing any transaction or donation.”
It also said it escalated Kostecka’s dispute before hearing from NBC.
Kostecka is relieved she’s off the hook for the charge she never approved. And she’s rethinking the apps she’s willing to have available on her phone.
Target told NBC 5 Responds the safety of its guests and team members is its top priority and it will assist law enforcement with any investigation.
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