Consumer complaint received 2019-08-14
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:
RE : Wells Fargo Claim # : XXXX On behalf of my mother we are responding to the recent communication your Wells Fargo branch representative sent to advise our mother, Mrs. XXXX XXXX XXXX that the Wells Fargo bank has closed the case investigation concerning the money your Bank allowed someone to blatantly steal money from her account. The unauthorized theft of over {$11000.00} was neither made nor authorized by XXXX s. It is apparent that you have made the decision to refuse to restore the funds to her account.

Therefore, we ask that you explain by providing unimpeachable and substantive proof/evidence how you found XXXX and/ or an authorized person ( s ) had her permission ; to make these  unauthorized relatively excessive, recognizably unusual, and uncharacteristically frequent transactions. Especially since they were made during the times, she was hospitalized. Your bank allowed on several occasions transactions in excess of {$11000.00}, stolen from the account. Again, most of the funds were stolen during the times she was admitted into the hospital, and unable to conduct personal business transactions. 
You should recognize this communication as our intent to exercise her right to request copies of available documents, proof of her providing authorization, you relied upon to make your decision. We also expect you to clarify, in much more than a taciturn and cursory perusal of available documents, as to why a financial institution of Wells Fargos reputation and sophistication did not utilize safeguards or customer notifications when uncustomary, unusual, and flagrant transactions began on the account of a Senior Citizen and longtime customer. 
Our mother has been a consistent and conscientious customer of this bank Wells Fargo for over 50 years. She is an XXXX-year-old retired widow, who manages her financial responsibilities and expenses consistently and conscientiously because, like many Senior Citizens, her income is limited ; so, her financial stability is critical to her mental, physical health, safety and well-being. As our mother informed your officer/bank representative, she did not give anyone permission to regularly withdraw multiple hundreds of dollars of cash from her account in the frequency at which the events of this situation show. The obvious circumstances of the charges/withdrawals of over {$11000.00} from her account in this manner is an uncharacteristic pattern of her 50-year historical  account use. There is no doubt of that! 

XXXX, the account holder is seriously upset because of what appears to be an absence of due diligence by your branch office regardless of whether it was intentional or unintentional has caused our mother undue and extreme hardship. We believe you have a responsibility to restore the {$11000.00} to XXXX account without delay. Restore the funds to the account, as we believe was Wells Fargos initial inclination. 
Mrs. XXXX is willing to declare through a written attestation, and on approval of her representatives, that she did not herself nor did she authorize anyone else to withdraw sums of money in the amounts stolen from the account. 
We will await the documents and information we have asked you to provide. Please forward them to her so that she can forward to the police officer that is handling this investigation in process. Your cooperation is obligatory. 
We presume Wells Fargo is earnest in its professed commitment to assure customers that they can trust Wells Fargo Bank to safeguard the deposits of money individuals place in its branch banks. So, my family questions why there doesnt seem to have been any attempt by Wells Fargo Bank to alert our mother ( or to interrupt the account use for her safety ) once the abnormal, blatantly unusual, and noticeably uncharacteristic transactions involving the account began in frequency and in high dollar withdrawal amounts. In contrast, your records should reveal our mothers account use has been often interrupted by Wells Fargo Bank on occasions wherein relatively small charges were attempting to be made, e.g., purchase of medications, household items and food. Its baffling that your bank allowed uncharacteristic charges, yet declined her transaction for food and medication putting her health in jeopardy? 
In fact, recent experience shows, even after your bank has issued replacement bank cards that have different account numbers, our mothers account use has been blocked because attempts were being made ( obviously by unauthorized users ) to use the newly issued bank card in various locations the city. 
I remind you ; our mother is XXXX years old. Her health and well-being are literally at stake in this matter. Your bank is solely responsible for correcting this situation.

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