A Chime customer has gone viral after alleging that the company closed her account, then refused to send her the money that was in it.
In a clip with over 2.3 million views, TikTok user Shamel Sequoya (@1sequoya) says she had been using Chime as a second bank account for around a year and a half, mainly utilizing the bank for direct deposits. Accordingly, she decided to get her tax refund deposited into her Chime account.
About a week later, her account was closed without warning, and an email detailing the reasons behind the closure did not provide any evidence for what had allegedly occurred to spur this action.
This is when Sequoya’s several-month-long headache began.
“So I’m reaching out and I’m like, ‘OK, since my account is closed, when am I gonna get my money?’” Sequoya explains. “After going back and forth, speaking to five different people, someone finally tells me that I should receive a refund check in the mail within 30 days… It’s been, well, over 30 days—it’s been about 60 days—and I still have not received my money.”
Frustrated, Sequoya reached out to the Better Business Bureau, which, from this point forward, served as a mediator between her and the company.
Following this, a Chime representative contacted her and asked her to confirm her mailing address. This confused Sequoya, as she had previously been told that Chime would be sending her a check within 30 days, and they had not performed this action prior.
Regardless, she confirmed her mailing address—and still did not receive a check. Additionally, all attempts to contact the company have been fruitless.
“I cannot speak to a real person through Chime,” she says in the clip. “I keep getting auto-generated responses. I keep getting transferred to different people. The calls are being mysteriously dropped when I call them in mid-conversation…I’m getting hung up on.”
“I just wanna know, where is my money?…Like,do I need to take legal action?” she asks. “Can I speak to a real person? Can someone actually help me and tell me where is my money? I had a baby a month ago. This is not the time to be playing with my money.”
This isn’t the first time Chime has been accused of such behavior. Back in 2021, ProPublica reported that the company was suddenly closing a massive number of accounts, and occasionally failing to return their customers’ funds back to them.
@1sequoya Where are my funds???? @Chime Financial #fyp ♬ original sound – Mel 💕
In the comments section, users advised against using Chime.
“My new employer has blocked chime from direct deposit,” said a user.
“I get my deposit and within 5 mins it’s moved,” declared another. “I keep zero money in my chime account.”
“You need to file a complaint with the FDIC. Give them all of your emails and notices and all of your records and let them go after chime,” stated a third.
“As a small business owner, I’m glad I saw this,” detailed a further TikToker. “I was considering moving my payroll account over to Chime and encouraging my employees to open an account with them. Definitely will not after this.”
The Daily Dot reached out to Chime and Sequoya via email.
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