Chicago veteran says he lost thousands of dollars after Cash app account hacked

CHICAGO - After serving his country for three decades, Chicago native Romere Ellis says he never expected to return home only to become the victim of an alleged financial crime.

What we know:

Ellis, a 30-year U.S. Navy veteran and 100% disabled service member, moved back to the Chicago area a little more than a year ago after retiring from active duty. 

He spent most of his adult life protecting information systems for the military — work that required vigilance, discipline, and trust.

Now, Ellis says that trust has been shaken.

According to Ellis, on Nov. 19, 2025, his Cash App account was compromised, setting off a chain of unauthorized transactions that ultimately drained $5,902 from his Navy Federal Credit Union account.

Ellis says the activity began subtly — with small transactions of one dollar — before escalating. By the time he woke up, thousands of dollars had been transferred out of his account.

"I immediately logged into my Navy Federal account," Ellis said. "They kept trying. They were sending out requests for four hundred dollars."

Cash App later acknowledged the breach. In a written statement sent to Ellis in December 2025, the company confirmed that his account had been compromised, according to documents he provided.

Ellis says he forwarded that confirmation to Navy Federal, expecting the credit union to reverse the unauthorized withdrawals. Instead, he received a letter dated December 22, stating that after a second review, no error had occurred and that he was responsible for the full amount.

For Ellis, the decision was especially difficult to accept.

"I’ve been a member for 35 years," he said. "I’m a little disgusted. I asked for a copy of the investigation."

Ellis says he has experienced minor account issues in the past, but nothing close to this scale. As a father of two young children, he says the financial loss has had a significant impact on his family.

A Chicago native, Ellis says returning home after decades of service was supposed to be a new chapter — not a new battle.

Consumer advocates say cases involving peer-to-peer payment apps can be complicated, often falling into gray areas between banks and payment platforms. Ellis is now calling for clearer answers and accountability from both Cash App and Navy Federal.

We have reached out to Cash App, the company is looking into the issue.

A spokesperson for the Navy Federal Credit Union said in a statement:

"Unfortunately, we can only discuss or disclose information about account-specific questions and procedures with the member in question. If the member has further questions to discuss with Navy Federal directly, they are always encouraged to call us at 1-888-842-6328 or send us a message online at navyfederal.org via our Online Banking services.

 Overall, scams can take many forms, often targeting individual through deceptive communication methods. At Navy Federal we take the privacy and security of our member’s financial information extremely seriously, and as the world’s largest credit union, we regularly work to educate members on how to avoid scams and fraudulent transactions. We also provide security tools to help members protect their accounts such as two factor authentication, code words, and transaction alerts."