Consumer complaint received 2023-01-23
Company: WELLS FARGO & COMPANY
State: GA
Product: Checking or savings account
Sub-product: Checking account
Issue: Managing an account
Sub-issue: Funds not handled or disbursed as instructed

Complaint:
XXXX XXXX Wells Fargo case ID : XXXX On, XX/XX/XXXX higher attempt to reach out to XXXX by calling them from my cellular phone, what happened was, I end up calling a company that pretended to be XXXX and they asked me for information regarding my account with XXXX, And to verify who I am, I had given them my information, about who I am, because there are other fraudulent charges that may be on my account. The lady said, and in order to resolve this, I will have to download an app on my phone, and I did so with a confirmation number. and in doing so she assets with my account, in answering the two or three questions she starts making charges within a moment. 
She made one purchase on my account, I asked her to stop, she proceeded to make another charge on my account with the information that I provided from the first one.

I responded by saying to them, I believe this is a scam and before you know it, they have made two charges close to {$500.00} and were attempting to make another one for XXXX more dollars. I shut my phone off. Then I called my bank Wells Fargo immediately. I told them in detail as I described above in this letter. 
I called the XXXX XXXX number that was on my card and the gentleman immediately opened up a case regarding fraud. I was telling him about the two charges that were pending on my account. I asked him do you see more than one change on my account? He said, yes. I said to him, do not make those payments good, I am rejecting the payments, again I am rejecting those two payments. He said yes Sir, Please note : While I was on the phone with the banker they call me asking from that same number trying to get my attention to allow them to continue whatever transaction that they had started, the banker told me immediately while I was on the phone with him did not answer the phone because they are warning to seize your information by answering the phone don't answer the phone he said, all of this was part of the recorded call while I was on the phone with Wells Fargo. 
I can see them, they are on your account, and they are in a pending stage, at this point. He said thank you Sir, I am opening up a case for these two charges two and they will not be charged against your account. I responded back to him, thank you, he gave me a case number and along with a cast number along with that canceling my debit card. He recommended replacing my Debit card that I had at that time, I never did receive the new Debit card. I never received new debit card by mail. I called him back a few days later. 
At this point I felt that everything would be taken care of, and I was in good hands, and I had nothing to worry about but this was not the case at all. 
But This is when the problem began with Wells Fargo, a call back to the bank and acquired about my card and asked him about the update of the investigation are the keys regarding the fraudulent charges on my account. 
The person that I spoke to over the telephone said that the investigation is ongoing and they could not share any information regarding the investigation at this point, I said I understand, but the money has been withdrawn from my account anyway, I asked the person on the phone not to honor the charges to my account, from XX/XX/XXXX {$490.00} and {$490.00}. These charges cleared my account on XXXX the XXXX, I asked them why were these accounts honored? The response was it is under investigation. 
I called back a few days later after the money was still withdrawn from my account and I took it to another level in their investigation department. They looked at it and saw that everything had not been done properly, they put the money back into my account and said that it was only temporary. We will continue the investigation. 
At this point, I did feel better because the money was put back into my account. But I called back a few days later to see how the investigation was coming. They told me that my claim was denied. This was probably a week later, more likely on a Sunday afternoon, the person whom I spoke with on the phone with, saying the same thing over and over again, your claim has been denied and there is nothing we can do. I spoke with the woman on the phone and that told her that, I needed to escalate this to a higher level, and I am not satisfied with being a depositor and not able to receive information of how and why my claim was denied. I am Highest pressed to her that I am very uncomfortable with having my money in Wells Fargo and they are not able to protect my money when I am telling them when the money is being removed from my XXXX account. This hold thing is going on at times when Im on the phone and t what is taking place and yet not able 2 speak with someone with some kind of clarity and understanding of what took place and if everything was considered? 
she transferred me over to another person in her department a gentleman whom I do not have the name, he was very good at listening and trying to understand my position but I felt like that he was limited to his ability 2 answer questions as well as resolve the issue, his response was that he would send it up to the corporate level and someone from corporate will reach out to me the following week. 
Last week I received a letter from Wells Fargo : this is the letter that they sent me and this is the person that I spoke with today on the phone XX/XX/XXXX. 
Wells Fargo **Please do not reply to this message, as the inbox is not monitored. ** Wells Fargo case ID : XXXX Dear XXXX XXXX : I am a Case Specialist in the Wells Fargo Enterprise Complaints Management Office. My role is to research and resolve your complaint. I wanted to let you know that I have started my research and that my goal is to provide you with a resolution on or before XX/XX/XXXX. If additional time or more information is needed, I will contact you. 

Nothing is needed from you at this time ; however, I am here to help if you have questions. 

Were here to help We appreciate the time and effort you took to contact us. I can be reached at XXXX, Monday - Friday, XXXXXXXX XXXX. to XXXXXXXX XXXX. XXXX XXXX. We accept telecommunications relay service calls. 


Sincerely, XXXX XXXX. 

Case Specialist Enterprise Complaints Management Office For security reasons, please do not respond to this email with any personal or account information. 

This message may contain confidential and/or privileged information. If you are not the addressee or authorized to receive this for the addressee, you must not use, copy, disclose, or take any action based on this message or any information herein. If you have received this message in error, please advise the sender immediately by reply email and delete this message. Thank you for your cooperation. 

XXXX Wells Fargo Bank , N.A . All rights reserved. 
XXXX I did respond back to the person that is in the above letter we finally was able to make phone contact on today XX/XX/XXXX, it was a very lengthy conversation, after sharing with him a lot of the things are all the things that are outlined in the letter above, at the end of it he says, that he would just send me another letter to submit a claim. Just to start all over again, it will be escalated, I explained to him that this is not a resolve it, he is just a complaint specialist. He has no authority to deal with what's going on, he only makes recommendations to that department. further he does not resolve the issues he only listened to issues. Make notes, he was very reluctant to talk about the case at hand no avail having the ability to share any details regarding the incident most of the things that he shared with me. I understand from my conversation with him, he was not aware of it therefore he is asking me to start all over again. By the time the conversation was over, nothing was resolved, nothing was fixed, and nothing was moving forward with him, I asked him, was there anyone that I could speak to in another department that has the authority to resolve the issue? After he understood that I was not interested and went back and started over again. He said no, I asked him to what degree he can help me. He gave me virtually no response, only a sharing of his own personal experiences In conclusion : The money that was taken out of my account is there at this point, but it is subject to be withdrawn from my account at any time. I made my claim to Wells Fargo bank at the moment and time when everything was going down or happening. I did not wait 24 hours nor 30 days after, but no one seems to have a record of this, nor does anyone seem to have knowledge of what I called, within the window before the money had actually been withdrawn from my account. He called it a pending transaction should have been reversed back to the vendor which was seeking to get paid if I offered a stop-payment to Wells Fargo . From what I can understand Wells Fargo pay this vendor two transactions without my consent, when I adamantly ask them not to pay this vendor it is all wrong it is a scam I need your help to bring this case to a proper end, ask me being the deposit war of my money into their bank. We as depositors have to be protected and feel safe with depositing money into the bank. 
As well as we as a depositor half the field secure with our deposits into any bank this is the United States of America not a third world country, I understand the privacy of the bank but at the same time to hold in jeopardy of the depositor in which has no say so when circumstances are surrounded on a transaction it should be up to the person who deposit money into the bank, no one has investigated the vendor the same where did this merchandise go to, who received it I don't even know who the vendor is, the bank is saying I should call the police and do what investigate the bank. The banks are definitely in control because they have all the information I don't have anything to stand on at this point and if your agency wasn't here who as we as the consumer have any place to go.

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