Consumer complaint received 2022-07-23
Company: WELLS FARGO & COMPANY
State: FL
Product: Checking or savings account
Sub-product: Checking account
Issue: Managing an account
Sub-issue: Problem using a debit or ATM card

Complaint:
1. XX/XX/XXXX - Bought TV at XXXX. Tried to activate XXXX XXXX XXXX using the usual code from computer. Did not work, but XXXX presented message that I had to call a XXXX. 
Person answered : " XXXX, Fraud Dept. '' Person the remotely got my XXXX XXXX connected and asked me to check it. It worked. He then provided me his " name '' and " phone number '' ( XXXX, XXXX ). 
He said that someone in XXXX was hacking all my accounts, to include Wells Fargo and that he could help me. He said to do that, he would need to block transactions to the offender over a period of a couple days due to time differences. He said the best way to do that was " live '' transactions- XXXX. He said it was safe and I would not lose any money at all. XXXX would block the offender. 
He ( XXXX XXXX had me install " XXXX '' on my XXXX. 

XXXX XXXX. Over the next 3 days, XXXX would call me back in the evening/afternoon and he would tell me what to put in XXXX. Since I was unfamiliar with XXXX, I did not understand the ramifications. I had only used it one time several months before to send money to my brother. 

XXXX was adamant that all the money would be returned to my account. He said several XXXX people had this issue and they got their money - so not to worry. 

XX/XX/XXXX ( evening ). I began to get suspicious since the money was adding up and I was not getting anything back. I discussed with my wife. 
I tried to call XXXX ( it is very difficult to get ahold of a person ) but I finally did to see if " XXXX '' existed at XXXX. I finallly got ahold of them the next day. In the meantime, I called and let voice mails for XXXX asking WHY none of my money was returned in my Wells Fargo account! 

XX/XX/XXXX : Finally go ahold of the " real '' XXXX - called XXXX Fraud XXXX. It is nearly impossible to get a " real '' person but I finally did. I reported the fraud and XXXX said a " letter '' in the email would be sent. The email was a form letter that was not helpful and I will provide it. They did not ( to my knowledge ) initiate any investigation. I further asked if there was a " XXXX '' who worked in " Fraud ''. They said no. 

XX/XX/XXXX : Call/Phone conversation with hacker while the Police were here ( they also responded ) ( XX/XX/XXXX ). Police talked extensively with " XXXX '' - who swore he was only trying to help. XXXX XXXX ( XXXX Police ) asked XXXX to immediately have his XXXX come to the phone. Obviously, XXXX could not and said he could have " someone '' call back. 

XX/XX/XXXX : Police XXXX Name and Report # ( XX/XX/XXXX ) XX/XX/XXXX : FTC.gov correspondence I sent to FTC.gov ( XX/XX/XXXX ) XX/XX/XXXXXXXX : Calls to Wells Fargo Online Fraud Department ( XXXX ) to report all the transactions on XX/XX/XXXX XX/XX/XXXX : List of all the transaction # 's and claim # 's I was given by Wells Fargo XXXX from Wells Fargo acknowledging the claim ( I have XXXX of these but only included the XXXX ). I can scan all XXXX if you want. 

XX/XX/XXXX- XXXX XXXX Banking XXXX called me back since I had told them I wanted updates immediately and wanted my money back. They said that this was sad but that they state to not send money to anyone but friends and family through XXXX. I tried to tell them I was hoodwinked. It fell on deaf ears. The woman I talked to was very unsympathetic at the end. When I said " I don't want to argue now ( my wife was getting a Colonoscopy at the time and I was in the lobby and they had just told me the results ), the Wells Fargo lady raised her voice and said " I don't want to argue either '' and reiterated something to the effect that Wells may not refund or recover the money. 

XX/XX/XXXX : Letter from Wells Denying Reversal and XXXX Letter from Wells Fargo saying they could not help me get the money back that I lost. 
This was only for one of the claims, but I anticipated this is what they will say for all them. 

XX/XX/XXXX : Called Wells Fargo Online Fraud Department again ( XXXX ) Told them I wanted all correspondence involved in the dispute. Asked them what they did to get my money back. They just indicated to see the form letter they sent which indicated that they could not retrieve it. 
The letter defers any bank liability - I tried to remind them about Regulation XXXX that the FTC has. To no avail. The person was not in a decision-making position. 

XX/XX/XXXX : Received letters ( 30 ) from Wells Fargo that they " as a courtesy '' would still try to recover the money from the " other institution '' but that the XXXX transaction ( s ) looked like they were successfully executed. 

Since XX/XX/XXXX was " 10 business days '' after the reporting, per Reg E, if these transactions were I was " induced '' are fraud, why am I not getting credit back in my account for the {$6000.00} I have lost? I have contacted the news organizations in my area and I'm going to report this. I've also filed an FTC report. I have filed the police report. I will file an OCC report if I do not get my money back. 

The Banks ( 5 large ones ) created XXXX. There are insufficient safeguards to protect consumers. My research shows that many ( elderly like me ) people are being attacked through this service.

Company public response: Company has responded to the consumer and the CFPB and chooses not to provide a public response
Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation