TikTok viral Chase Bank money glitch is just bank fraud. Don't do it.

A viral TikTok trend has rebranded bank fraud as an exploitable "Chase Bank glitch" offering unlimited money for free. Unfortunately, it seems some people couldn't smell the rot on this highly suspect scheme, seemingly prompting them to commit a crime and rack up a shocking amount of debt.

The Chase Bank "glitch" has gained widespread attention on TikTok over the past few days, though thankfully most creators are talking about how ill-advised it is rather than trying to take advantage of it. Nevertheless, several photos and videos circulating on social media show people boastfully showing off stacks of cash after apparently using this ostensible real-life money "glitch" — or panicking over bank balances now deep in the red after the error is rectified.

The Chase Bank money "glitch" is simple. Chase customers would write a bad cheque to themselves for an obscene amount of money, deposit it, then quickly withdraw the cash from an ATM before the bank clued into the fact that the funds didn't exist. 

This is similar to cheque kiting, a form of bank fraud that has been around for over a century. However, if there's anything we've learnt from living in a capitalist hellscape, it's that branding is everything. Simply calling bank fraud a "glitch" was apparently enough to prevent people from seeing the crime for what it was, tempting them to try it out for themselves.

Of course, because people are using their own bank accounts to do this "glitch," it should be ridiculously easy for Chase Bank to track them down.

"We are aware of this incident, and it has been addressed," Chase said in a statement shared with Mashable and multiple publications. "Regardless of what you see online, depositing a fraudulent check and withdrawing the funds from your account is fraud, plain and simple."

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It's unclear exactly how the Chase Bank "glitch" trend began, or how many people actually tried it. Chase Bank declined to comment on such details when asked.

It's entirely possible that people are creating fake screenshots or skits to take advantage of the viral moment, which seems more plausible than them believing they could scam the largest bank in the U.S. out of thousands and get away unscathed. We can only hope that the majority of people are just joking around, and that they didn't actually commit bank fraud based on a TikTok.

With the cost of living soaring, many people are looking for ways to earn a bit of extra cash. As such, easy money hacks such as this Chase Bank "glitch" can seem very enticing. However, it's prudent to remember that if something seems too good to be true, it probably is. 

UPDATE: Sep. 4, 2024, 3:27 p.m. AEST This article has been updated with comment from Chase Bank.