In 2024, TikTok fads are par for the course. The app boasts more than one billion monthly users and has become increasingly popular amongst younger people.

While TikTok holds great information about travel, lifestyle, and other interesting topics, it's not without its downsides. In recent years, there's been a series of risky trends on the platform that users carry out for views and boosting their follower counts. Some, such as eating Tide Pods, come with consequences that are less than desirable.

One of the latest fads circulating on the platform is the "Chase glitch" or the "Chase bank glitch." Days ago, various TikTok users discovered if they wrote themselves massive checks, cashed them at Chase ATMs, and then quickly withdrew the funds before the bad check bounced, they'd get "free money."

Unfortunately for these individuals, what they discovered was not really a "glitch," but a form of check fraud which constitutes a third-degree felony.

The truth about the so-called "Chase glitch"

Multiple TikTokers have gone viral for boasting about the hundreds or even tens of thousands of dollars they procured from Chase by writing bad checks to themselves. These folks were then in for a rude awakening when the bank deducted the cashed tab's value from their checking accounts.

Some TikTok users have thus returned to the platform, showing their checking accounts overdrawn by thousands, if not tens of thousands, of dollars. These people will not only have to pay back the money they stole from Chase. They'll also be on the hook for subsequent overdraft fees, account freezes, and legal problems.

As the "Chase glitch" backfires on those who participated, other TikTokers are weighing in. These folks are wisely pointing out there's no such thing as free money. They've also noted the criminality of intentionally cashing bad checks, while pointing out that Chase has everything it needs to legally pursue individuals who've done this.

After all, their names, Social Security numbers, personal addresses, and other details are attached to their bank accounts. Don't forget that Chase ATMs have security cameras showing each person's face when they deposit or withdraw funds, too.

This information, along with the perpetrators confessing online to check fraud, is a slam dunk for any prosecutor who decides to go after them.

Chase bank warns people against the latest TikTok trend

Earlier this week, Chase released a statement urging people against committing check fraud. According to the bank, the system that allowed folks to withdraw money via bounced checks has been "addressed."

Chase likewise stressed to its customers that fraudulent check deposits followed by withdrawal of funds constitutes a crime. Convictions for cashing bad checks are no joke either. They come with hefty fines and one to five years in prison.