Consumer complaint received 2023-02-02
Company: WELLS FARGO & COMPANY
State: VA
Product: Checking or savings account
Sub-product: Checking account
Issue: Problem with a lender or other company charging your account
Sub-issue: Transaction was not authorized

Complaint:
I had an old checking account with Wachovia bank that was supposed to be closed around XXXX. I had initiated that closure and believe the account to be closed. 

XXXX I get receive angry threatening phone call from Wells Fargo internal collections department. They claim I have a Wells Fargo account and that its balance is negative XXXX XXXX XXXX To my knowledge I have no business relationship with Wells Fargo at all so this is shocking to me. The angry threatening phone calls continue for a few days, pretty much escalates into shouting matches over phone. XXXX XXXX claims they will " ruin my credit and I will never be able to borrow or find employment again '' after they are done with me. 

Having had enough of the extortionary threats I go local branch on XXXX XXXX XXXX VA to resolve in a face to face manner. Branch manager pulls up my " account '', which never should have existed. What we see is that it starts off with a balance of like {$10.00}, gets hit with standard fees until balance goes negative and then Wells Fargo starts applying overdraft fees. According to these records, this went on for nearly 5 years. Note that no attempt was made to contact me or collect for 5 years. Until the call from collections mentioned above. Branch manager informs me " they have the goods on me and I have no choice but to pay ''. 

I return within days to same branch with cash in hand to pay balance just to make problem go away, then I am informed by same branch manager that additional charges have been applied to my account and the payoff amount is now greater than the amount of $ I have brought.

I again return the next day and ask to speak with branch manager. I am informed that that manager was " let go '' yesterday and I will have to speak with temporary manager. Which I do and this person tells me exact same story as above. I pay under the agreement that the account is forever and permanently closed, I have no business relationship with Wells Fargo in past or in future and they are never to contact me ever again. I think at this point I probably had paid $ XXXX to make bogus issue disappear. 

Didn't take but another week when I receive another anger threatening phone call from Wells Fargo internal collections. The story is now that I didn't pay off balance quickly enough and unbeknownst to the branch additional fees had been applied to account over the past week. Not sure how you can apply fees to account that should have been closed in XXXX, should not have existed from XXXX and definitely should be nonexistent after I paid the ransom to have the account closed. 

Collections person continues to aggressively hound me until I threaten to to drive to local FBI field office while they are on the phone and we try to get this resolved this way. Person continues with threats. I forcefully tell them I'm not kidding and they need to ask themselves if the risk of investigation is really worth the {$50.00} they'r trying to extort. They continue. I rattle keys and get in car and start motor and head on down to FBI field office when them on phone. We get XXXX way there and they relent. Agreement is that I don't owe them the {$50.00} and they are NEVER, EVER, EVER to contact me again or this is all going to law enforcement. 

Not too long after that story breaks in news about them opening the fraudulent accounts. 

Years go by and I try to put whole thing out of my head. Until about 2 weeks ago when I receive a letter from Wells Fargo with a check for {$5.00}. Guess court made them do that or maybe it's just PR. Don't know. I do know that the communication violates multiple binding agreements with company to never, ever contact me again. Last week I went to branch to complain. They commit to opening an internal investigation with their internal QA department. They say I will receive confirmation of investigation within 48 hours. I insist that not only do they need to contact me within 48 hours but they need to notify regulator/law enforcement of issue as well. 

Over a week goes by, they miss deadline, but I do receive a voice mail acknowledging investigation eventually. But no real status, no indication regulator or law enforcement has been involved. The person calling in charge of investigation does not give me real name. Says last name is XXXX. 

XXXX ... following up and doing what I said. Note that the {$5.00} dollar check is a full two orders of magnitude less than what was stolen from me. So not acceptable. 

Here 's transcript of last phone message received : " Hello this is XXXX with Wells Fargo XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX and the case specialist in our department and my role is to re-search and resolve your complaint I wanted to let you know that I've 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 and I am here to help if you have any questions I can be reached at XXXX Monday through Friday from XXXX XXXX to XXXX XXXX  central time thank you '' Also see previous email : " **Please do not reply to this message, as the inbox is not monitored. ** Wells Fargo case ID : XXXX Dear XXXX XXXX XXXX : I am a Case Specialist in the Wells Fargo XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX. 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 XXXX XXXX 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 '' Thank you CFPB for your attention in this matter. Obviously I'm very interested in this being forwarded to whatever law enforcement entity covers these types of crimes.

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