Consumer complaint received 2019-05-17
Company: WELLS FARGO & COMPANY
State: ID
Product: Checking or savings account
Sub-product: Checking account
Issue: Managing an account
Sub-issue: Funds not handled or disbursed as instructed

Complaint:
WITH RESPECT, I AM MAKING THIS RENEWED COMPLAINT FOLLOWING A RESPONSE FROM CFPB INFORMING ME THAT THE SUBJECT OF MY COMPLAINT, WELLS FARGO, HAVE RESPONDED TO THE EFFECT THAT THEIR ACTIONS WERE IN ORDER, WHICH IS A COMPLETE LIE, SUBSEQUENTLY CLOSING THE CASE. HOWEVER, WELLS FARGO HAVE NOT ADDRESSED THE CAUSE FOR MY COMPLAINT, BEING THAT THEY FAILED TO PREVENT {$6000.00} BEING WITHDRAWN FROM MY WIFE AND MY JOINT CHECKING ACCOUNT AFTER I HAD REQUESTED IT. I REPEAT, MY WIFE RECEIVED A MESSAGE FLASHED ACROSS HER LAPTOP SCREEN BY XXXX ASKING HER TO CALL XXXX XXXX XXXX AS HER LAPTOP WAS BEING HACKED. HER CELLPHONE CALL WAS ANSWERED BY BY A MAN WHO GAVE HIS NAME AND XXXX ID TO CONFIRM HIS LEGITIMACY, THEN ACCESSED HER COMPUTER TO PROVE HIS POINT, INDICATING SEVERAL EXAMPLES OF A SCAM AND SAYING THAT A PORNOGRAPHIC WEBSITE WAS ATTEMPTING TO WITHDRAW {$6000.00} FROM OUR WELLS FARGO ACCOUNT. I IMMEDIATELY CHECKED OUR ACCOUNT ON MY LAPTOP, FINDING OUR ACCOUNT UNTOUCHED, I THEN IMMEDIATELY CALLED WELLS FARGO ON MY CELLPHONE WHICH WAS ANSWERED BY A LADY, TO WHOM I PROVIDED THE INFORMATION GIVEN TO MY WIFE BY THE XXXX MAN, REQUESTING THAT SHE PREVENT THE WITHDRAWAL OF MONIES FROM OUR ACCOUNT. SHE CLAIMED THAT THIS COULDN'T BE DONE ACCORDING TO WELLS FARGO RULES, BEING INFORMED LATER THAT THE PAYEE 'S NAME WAS REQUIRED. I WAS FLABBERGHASTED AND ARGUED WITH HER, BUT ALL IN VAIN. BY THEN THE XXXX GUY HAD ADDED A CONFERENCE CALL SUPPOSEDLY WITH WELLS FARGO AND A LADY CAME ON MY WIFE 'S LINE AND AGREED A METHOD IN WHICH TO SAFEGUARD THE MONEY. THIS MEANT BUYING {$6000.00} WORTH OF GIFT CARDS AND PASSING THE CARD NUMBERS TO THE XXXX GUY, THE IDEA BEING TO TRANSFER THE MONEY TO WELLS FARGO VIA THE LADY AND PREVENT THE SCAMMER FROM ACCESSING IT. AT THIS STAGE WE WERE VERY ANGRY THAT WELLS FARGO HAD REFUSED TO HALT ANY WITHDRAWALS FROM OUR ACCOUNT, WHICH WOULD HAVE PREVENTED THE SCAM, ASSUMING THAT OUR ONLY HOPE WAS WITH THE XXXX GUY WHO WE THOUGHT WAS TRYING TO HELP US. WE THEN PROCEEDED TO DRIVE AROUND TOWN VISITING 3 XXXX STORES TO PURCHASE THE GIFT CARDS, THE PROCEDURE TAKING HOURS, PASSING ON THE CARD NUMBERS TO THE XXXX GUY AS WE WENT, ONLY TO LEARN LATER THAT THE XXXX GUY AND HIS SUPPOSED WELLS FARGO ACCOMPLICE WERE THE SCAMMERS. WHILST ALL THIS WAS GOING ON, XXXX KEPT MY WIFE 'S LINE OPEN FOR HOURS WHILE WE BOUGHT THE VARIOUS GIFT CARDS. 

THIS ACCOUNT IS A SHORTER VERSION OF MY INITIAL COMPLAINT FILED WITH CFPB, BUT THE FACT REMAINS, THE REASON THAT THE SCAMMERS WERE ABLE TO ACCOMPLISH THEIR MISSION WAS WELLS FARGO 'S REFUSAL TO COMPLY WITH MY REQUEST TO PREVENT ANY WITHDRAWALS, AN IMPORTANT POINT WHICH THEY HAVE FAILED TO MENTION. HAD THIS BEEN DONE, THE SCAM WOULD HAVE ENDED THERE. 
WELLS FARGO 'S EXCUSES REPEATEDLY REFER TO OUR PURCHASING THE GIFT CARDS WHICH WAS WELL AFTER MY REQUEST WAS DENIED. ADDED TO THIS, OF COURSE, OUR COMPLETE IGNORANCE OF ANY KNOWLEDGE OF SCAMS. ANOTHER FACTOR REGARDING THE COMPLETE WITHDRAWAL OF THE {$6000.00} WAS, ON OUR FIRST GIFT CARD PURCHASE I ATTEMPTED TO SCRATCH THE CARD AND OBTAIN THE RELEVANT NUMBER, BUT MESSED IT UP, MAKING IT UNREADABLE, THEREAFTER ALLOWING MY WIFE TO DO THE SCRATCHING. YET THE COMPLETE {$6000.00} WAS WITHDRAWN WHEN THE SCAMMERS ONLY HAD {$5500.00} 'S WORTH OF CARD NUMBERS READ TO THEM. NEEDLESS TO SAY MY WIFE AND I HAVE CLOSED ALL OF OUR ACCOUNTS WITH WELLS FARGO. 

ANY FURTHER INFORMATION IS AVAILABLE ON MY FIRST WRITTEN COMPLAINT AND SHOULD BE ADDED TO ANY PUBLISHED COMPLAINT.

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