Part 2: Chasing Out Holiday Fraud in Harlem

By THT Business Desk, with reporting by Rev. Diahne Parsons

The holidays are coming, and so are the scammers. This year, 125th Street gets a head start.

On Tuesday, November 17, at 11 a.m., Chase will hold a free fraud and scam prevention workshop at the Chase Harlem Community Center, 55 W. 125th Street. According to the bank, attendees will learn how to spot the latest scams, pick up practical tips to protect their money and put their own questions to the presenters in a live Q&A.

The session is part of what Chase calls its first Fraud and Scam Prevention Month. The bank says its Community Managers will host hundreds of free workshops across the country throughout November, including several in New York City.

More than half of New Yorkers have been hit

The timing is no accident. New York findings from JPMorganChase’s first Community Outlook survey, conducted by Morning Consult, show that 52% of New York residents reported facing at least one financial problem such as identity theft, a scam call or online fraud. Scam calls (25%) and online scams (22%) were among the most common, according to the bank.

The survey also points to what helps. Almost one in three New Yorkers (32%) said their bank or preferred financial institution had helped them recognize a scam before they sent money or shared personal information.

“Scammers thrive during the holidays when New Yorkers are busy, distracted, and feeling generous,” said Sherlyn Santana, Chase Community Manager in the Bronx, in the bank’s announcement. “Awareness is one of the best defenses there is, and our workshops help neighbors recognize, avoid, and respond to fraud and scams threats.”

What Part 1 taught us

Last December, Rev. Diahne Parsons reported for The Harlem Times from a JPMorganChase workshop held with the NYPD. Tanisha Ritter, the bank’s Harlem Community Manager, and police representatives walked neighbors through the schemes thieves use most. Read Part 1 here. Her list is worth a second look before Black Friday:

• Ghost tapping. A scammer with a portable payment device gets within inches of your tap-to-pay card or phone, often in a crowd, and triggers a charge.
• AI-generated personas. Digital identities that look and sound human, sometimes built to mimic a loved one, press you with false urgency.
• Cash trapping. A device in an ATM’s cash dispenser traps your money while the bank’s record shows it was paid out.
• Fake bank alerts. A text or email claims fraud on your account and sends you to a look-alike login page that captures your password.
• Check fraud. Checks stolen from the mail are erased with solvents and rewritten.

Six habits for the season

From Part 1 and from this year’s program, which Chase says teaches residents to slow down high-pressure situations:

• Slow down. Urgency is the scammer’s favorite tool.
• Confirm the vendor and the amount before you tap to pay.
• Pull on an ATM’s card reader before you use it, and cover your hand when you enter your PIN.
• Write checks in permanent ink and mail them from inside the post office.
• Turn on transaction alerts and check your accounts often.
• Review your credit report at least once a year.

If you are scammed, contact your bank or card issuer right away, wherever you bank. Dispute the charges, stop all contact with the scammer and file a report with your local police. Chase customers can visit a branch or call 1-800-935-9935. If the person affected is elderly, the National Elder Fraud Hotline is 1-833-372-8311.

Sources: Chase media advisory and JPMorganChase news release, November 9, 2026; “Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Protection” by Rev. Diahne Parsons, The Harlem Times, December 2, 2025. According to JPMorganChase, the Community Outlook survey was conducted online by Morning Consult between August 24 and September 11, 2026, with a margin of error of about plus or minus 4 percentage points. Share this story and tag us @HarlemTimesNews on X and @theharlemtimes on Instagram.

Prepared by THT Business Desk at THT Media Lab and published under the editorial direction of The Harlem Times.