Consumer complaint received 2023-11-27
Company: WELLS FARGO & COMPANY
State: CA
Product: Checking or savings account
Sub-product: Checking account
Issue: Managing an account
Sub-issue: Funds not handled or disbursed as instructed

Complaint:
On or around XX/XX/2018 i have won a XXXX jackpot at the XXXX XXXX XXXX playing XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX aparently the machines are owned by a company call XXXX and sure enough a lady flew in from Nevada to congratulate me. She brought my winners papers m and as well as the initial payment of XXXX in a form of a check drawn on Wells Fargo Bank and asked me to provide her with an account number and routing number where i want the remaining funds to be wired to, i said i will get back to her with the information. 
Following morning i went to Wells Fargo XXXX XXXX to cash the XXXX check they said they can not cash to a non customer and offered to open an account to become a customer. I agreed as i needed bank account anyways to provide to XXXX for the money transfer before i leave for XXXX and my departure was coming shortly there after. I put XXXX into my new checking account and XXXX into saving rest of the money i took in cash as i needed it with me as i decided to use the XXXX to buy a house for my grandmother in XXXX a house costs around that much over there. I also gave XXXX woman my account and routing number and was told that after XXXX is paid in taxes remaining XXXX something XXXX will be wired into my account. And they sure have. I went to XXXX and came back only to see statment showing the money were wired in them withdrawn by a person that was added to my account as signer without my knowledge or consent. I have told the bank about what happened they said nothing can be done. 
I did my investigation as the additional signers name was familiar to me so it did not take me long to realise what has happened. My uncle was also at the casino when i won and pretty much knew what i was doing when was i leaving etc. The person added to the account was his girlfriend whom i could not stand pretty much as much as my uncle. But most importantly they had help from my cousin XXXX who is a Wells Fargo XXXX and remains to this day and it is he who added my uncle 's gf as an additional signer and facilitated the theft of XXXX out of my account. When i confronted them they threatened my life and i got scared to pursue my claim. Anyways i knew XXXX has helped my uncle opening accounts for him at the branch where he worked and helped him and girlfriend XXXX XXXX XXXXXXXX XXXX through various accounts at Wells fargo and was giving money to manager there so when he told me that there is nothing i can do all was done right i knew he was not lying. 

Shortly after i read in the XXXX XXXX that my uncle his gf and others were all XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX case and were released just recently. No offer to give me my stolen winnings was made only more XXXX. About a month and a half ago i opened a claim with Wells Fargo XXXX claims and was appauled to hear a blatant lie that i never had an account with Wells Fargo and with my ss # they cant find any closed acct period. 

That is a blatant lie. You see i had a debit card etc i had placed my things in storage as i am estranged from my family and for a good reason. I was homeless in away and stayed with my gf till we broke up so before i left my things all paperwork was placed in storage. When i came back i brought papers i had when i closed my empty account there and a few days later my storage was emptied out and thats why i dont know my account XXXX  and WF pretends they cant find it. You see when i gave them my ss # they asked me public record questions to verify my identity which i did answer correctly then they proceeded asking me for the email address i had when opened my acct i said i dont recal and gave them the most recent one i been using they clearly said in a recorded conversation thats not matching the one we have on file same they said about my phone number. That tells you they were looking at something on a computer screen for it not to match. 
With that said they closed my inquiry again i had it opened again and this time i turned to XXXX to please share with WF rep the account # i gave them to which they wired the money to and to my surprise XXXX refused to give it to me not sure if they shared it with WF. 

So as you see i feel a complete looser without a cent aside the XXXX i spent in XXXX on a house for my grandmother and XXXX that the state took for taxes, to show for my XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX  win. 

My life could of been completly diffrent if WF did not decide to cover up for their employee. I believe they now owe me more then just the money stolen out of my account. 

Sincerely, XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX case # XXXX case worker XXXX XXXX i attach denial letter and for newly opened one they did not even bother to acknowledge. The address i gave is my friends address where i get my mail and phone number is his but he can get in touch with me and provide you with my number because i am busy day time helping out here and there with various jobs and not always there to answer the phone.

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