Chase Bank is warning its customers against a new viral trend that has emerged on TikTok and X, involving a supposed system “glitch” that awards free money. The trend encourages users to deposit large sum checks into ATMs, then withdraw the funds in cash before the check has a chance to bounce.

The only problem? This is not a “glitch” – it’s a check fraud scheme and those who participate will be on the hook for all the money they withdrew. A Chase spokesperson emphasized that “depositing a fraudulent check and withdrawing the funds is fraud, plain and simple.”

The trend began on the social media site X, where a user showcased an unrealistically high account balance, sparking discussions and misleading claims about the banking glitch as a legitimate source of money. Videos also depicted lines forming outside Chase branches as people tried to exploit the situation. As the trend spread, many online users quickly realized that the “glitch” was merely a fraud scheme, with several posting screenshots of their negative balances and warning others.

Critics on TikTok have denounced the activity, with one popular video garnering over a million likes for calling out the fraud and warning participants of potential legal consequences.

This brief saga is proof that social media is not a reliable source of solid information. And that young people just learning how the world works are sometimes susceptible to bad actors making unrealistic claims. Anyone who participated in the scheme will be required to pay restitution to the bank. Plus, it doesn’t take a genius to know that concealing any sort of fraud is difficult when you use your own accounts to execute criminal transactions in plain view of ATM security cameras.