Consumer complaint received 2022-10-08
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:
I was at a work conference on XX/XX/2022 and my phone was lost. My phone disappeared from the conference room we were working at and showed up at security a few hours later. At some point, I received a few emails informing me that there were several XXXX transactions totaling in the amount of {$3500.00} to a recently created account within my Wells Fargo banking app - whoever got hold of my phone was able to add their banking information as a XXXX recipient and starting sending themselves money via XXXX from my Wells Fargo checking account. I have been in several claims discussions and have escalated this to the highest level of defraud department at Wells Fargo and they absolutely refuse to acknowledge or even help me in any way shape or form ..... I am so disgusted by this I feel completely violated and have no idea what to do. 

There's are several things that are very disturbing to note below - - the person who initially spoke with me regarding the claim asked very basic questions and did not really take my information with any sort of granular description or detail- they were very short with me and basically rushed me off the phone - about 2 weeks later, without any sort of phone call, communication work correspondence, I received a letter in the mail notifying me that my fraudulent claim has been denied- I escalated this even further to the highest level of the fraud department at Wells fargo, and they said that they did a thorough investigation and based on their findings, I would not be reimbursed... They literally did nothing to investigate and closed the claim without doing anything other than telling me it was my fault and that I was scammed out of {$3500.00} and it was not the bank 's fault for that situation happening- the agent who was supporting a claim told me that the person who fraudulently accessed my account and sent themselves money closed their bank account the next day so there was no way that they could be able or capable of getting the money from the fraudulent sender so therefore, there was nothing you could do and they would not be giving me a refund - my phone was compromised because there was no screen lock on my phone because I was giving a presentation that day and my phone kept locking up on me so I took off the security code and the chances of this happening during a day when I'm at a conference giving a presentation where I took off my biometric access is just completely insane to me... I have a very strange suspicion that somebody at Wells Fargo hacked into my account and did this, there is no way that they were able to know that a series of circumstances would allow me to be completely exempt from getting my money back so I am very very confused and feel violated - I have done limitless research over the past several months and I have come to find that the exact dollar amount of {$3500.00} seems to be the standard amount and the series of events of someone's checking account being hacked into and they're being money sent in a fraudulent way is happening by the millions every week or month... In the backs who are supposed to be our loyal money handlers refuse to give the money back and I strongly feel that this is a violation of federal law - I was gone to several different branches and communicated the details of the situation that happened .... Even the people at the local branches are completely XXXX  because when they took a look into my account and the fact that I do not even use XXXX in any capacity for things like this, even worse that the person added their recipient address and then cancel the account the very next day, it is so blatantly fraud that the people at the branch locations I went to in person sit there and are a completely dumbfounded as to why I have not got it in my money back I would like for someone to contact me and advise how I can go about escalating this or taking it further. I absolutely refuse to have {$3500.00} stolen from me when it is clear and blatant fraud. 

Thank you, XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX

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