Consumer complaint received 2019-03-05
Company: WELLS FARGO & COMPANY
State: CA
Product: Credit card or prepaid card
Sub-product: General-purpose credit card or charge card
Issue: Problem with a purchase shown on your statement
Sub-issue: Card was charged for something you did not purchase with the card

Complaint:
This complaint is specific to Wells Fargo, a company that I have been banking with for a very long time. They are denying my claim for fraudulent charges on my Wells Fargo Business Credit Card. I was alerted to this issue on XX/XX/2019, almost two full weeks after the card was reported stolen, was closed, and I was told not to worry about the charges by the representative.

My complaint with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has many components which I have outlined below, but first and foremost it is regarding the denial of claim for fraudulent charges made on XX/XX/2019 totaling {$22000.00} USD that now I am being held responsible for. 

Helpful people from almost every other department and branch in Wells Fargo outside of the fraud the Wells Fargo Fraud Department, have expressed disgust, surprise, and utter disappointment that I am being held responsible for these charges. 

Given the evidence supplied in the Credit Card Fraud Evidence document attached to this complaint, as well as the simple fact that their own team approved the fraud claims on my Wells Fargo Business Debit card, there is no reason to close and deny my claim. The only acceptable resolution is that all of these charges be permanently removed from my account for the Wells Fargo Business Credit Card in dispute. 

I have further complaints in the matter regarding the manipulative, unhelpful, untimely, strong-arm tactics that that fraud team resorted to when the denial was issued. I was immediately made out to be the criminal, despite being the innocent party who has been a long a valued customer. Im asking for a full review and investigation of practices used to deliver or address customers who have had a denial of fraud claims and an apology for the conduct of the fraud team. It is my opinion and the opinion of those I have spoken to within Wells Fargo at various levels that this specifically due to the dollar value of the fraud and that my claim has been denied without a proper investigation of the facts before denying the claim. 

Additionally, in the case of fraud and a police investigation into the charges, time matters. After repeated questions to the representatives who handled my case on XX/XX/XXXX, I was repeatedly told that I didnt need to worry about anything and that the charges were obvious fraud and that Wells Fargo would take care of everything. Nearly two weeks later, after I called to inquire why the fraudulent charges were placed back on my card, they suggested that I would need to potentially provide unlimited and unspecified amounts of evidence to support my case. I was also told that no matter what evidence I supplied, there would be no guarantee of any results that would positively affect the decision in my favor. This is a tactic that I believe was used to stall and make the task seem insurmountable, demeaning, and potentially fruitless in order to scare and intimidate the customer from pursuing further action. However, I immediately supplied the evidence I could gather as a civilian and launched additional police reports beyond the initial XXXX XXXX Sheriff 's report for the theft of my wallet, cards, and phone from my vehicle on XX/XX/2019. There are currently several police departments across various locations where the charges occurred investigation the matter. The fraud team repeated claims theyre unable to supply the transaction times necessary to the ongoing investigation, hampering the multiple active and ongoing police investigations. Yet the fraud supervisor read off several transaction times to me on the phone when we originally spoke. I still have yet to receive a call back from the original supervisor I had called regarding the issue, nearly a week after leaving a message with him. 

On XX/XX/2019 I spoke to two representatives in the resolution department related to my case, who promised that it would be escalated and the team would be actively working to get the denial reversed and the investigation reopened. Yet, on Monday, XX/XX/2019 when I called again, the case had yet to be assigned. When I spoke with the new representative, she took on the case, but made no promises and was sorry someone told me incorrectly that they had the power to do what the previous representative had stated. After supplying all of the evidence, I called back two hours later, only to find the representative had still failed to contact the internal fraud department, and therefore I opted to begin contacting federal authorities and watchdog groups about the case. 

RESOLUTION : Again, the only acceptable resolution is that all of the fraudulent charges filed be permanently removed from my account for the Wells Fargo Business Credit Card in dispute and that any negative marks on my business or personal credit or accounts be removed. 

A resolution does not mean that I will not continue to pursue action against Wells Fargo for the losses and harm this has caused to my business, my family, and my health. Additionally, it does not mean that I will not also pursue action to stop the abhorrent practices of Wells Fargo related to denial of claims without proper investigation. What has happened to me should never happen to anyone again. 

I have attached the list of fraudulent charges, Credit Card Fraud Evidence supplied to Wells Fargo, and additional Well Fargo complaint documentation with notes I have been keeping to build the case against Wells Fargo and support my claim.

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 non-monetary relief