Consumer complaint received 2023-09-09
Company: WELLS FARGO & COMPANY
State: NY
Product: Credit card
Sub-product: General-purpose credit card or charge card
Issue: Problem with a purchase shown on your statement
Sub-issue: Credit card company isn't resolving a dispute about a purchase on your statement

Complaint:
On XX/XX/, I noticed that my Wells Fargo XXXX XXXX was not in my wallet. I went to lock the card in my banking app because it had it been stolen. While checking my account, I saw that the card was used without my consent for three fraudulent transactions at a XXXX in XXXX New Jersey. The three transactions amounted to {$530.00}, {$400.00} and {$1.00}, totaling to {$930.00}. 

I live in XXXX XXXX XXXXXXXX, and was in the City at the time these charges were made. It would have been impossible for me to make these charges as I was not in the state where the charges occurred. 

I immediately called Wells Fargo to notify them of the fraud and they took down my statement. I indicated that the card was not in my possession when the fraud occurred. The person on the phone told me they would review my claim over the next 10 business days. Wells Fargo then reversed the fraudulent transactions, so I assumed that they had accepted my claim and the issue had been resolved. 

Then, on XX/XX/XXXX, I noticed that the charges had been added back to my account. I found this confusing - I did not receive any communication from Wells Fargo regarding my claim ( email, text, or mail ) stating that additional information was needed or that they planned to deny my claim. I called the fraud department who told me that they had tried to get in communication with me via a call, but they left me no voicemail. They also said they had sent me a letter, but my apartment 's mail system is very bad so I did not receive the letter. I specifically told them in my prior call that I can not receive mail at my apartment and they will need to call me. 

On this call, they then asked for additional information, including whether the card was in my possession when the fraud occurred, to which I told them the card was in not my possession. They told me they would re-open my claim and get back to me within 10 - 20 business days. 

One weeks later on XX/XX/XXXX, I had still heard nothing from the fraud department - not via mail nor via email or call. I then decided to call them back to ask on the status of my claim. The operator on the phone notified me that they again closed my claim and would not be reversing the fraud. They did not notify me of this. They indicated that the reason they could not reverse the fraud was because I said that my card was in my possession when the charges occurred. I was shocked- this was not the truth and I had never told any operator this. The card was not in my possession when the fraudulent charges occurred. I asked if they could pull the recording of my initial call, to which they said it was not possible. 

I then opened yet another claim with the fraud department over these charges on XXXX. In this claim, I emphasized that I did not have the card in my possession. I called them back 48 hours later to hear if there was any update, to which they notified me that they had closed the claim. They again did not notify me again that they closed the claim. When I asked them why the claim was closed, they said that my story was inconsistent. In my first claim I said I did have the card, and in my second claim I did not have the card. This was shocking - someone incorrectly wrote down what I had said, and there was no way for me to correct the misinformation. They told me there was no way to remedy the situation, unless I wanted to make a police report they could potentially reopen the claim. 

I plan to continue to submit this claim as fraud with Wells Fargo and file a police report, but wanted to share the gross incompetence of Wells Fargo with the CFPB. I called less than 24 hours after the fraud charges had been made. They were initially reimbursed, and then without notifying me, Wells Fargo denied my claim. They then blamed me for my claim being denied, when it was their operator who wrote down my information incorrectly and their company who severely under-communicated.

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