Consumer complaint received 2021-04-03
Company: WELLS FARGO & COMPANY
State: CA
Product: Checking or savings account
Sub-product: Checking account
Issue: Managing an account
Sub-issue: Deposits and withdrawals

Complaint:
I want to give a brief summary of what led up to the incident. I have been corresponding with XXXX XXXX XXXX about financial assistance, Primarily rental assistance. XXXX XXXX XXXX has a n affiliation with XXXX XXXX. I applied months ago but recently have been asked to submit outstanding bills and so forth. A few weeks later I get a check in the mail form XXXX. I found it odd that I would be receiving a check of {$3500.00} from this company as I am not XXXX. Skeptical, I looked up the company XXXX 's website and noticed the same logo that I saw on the XXXX XXXX XXXX webpage -the XXXX XXXX logo- I thought my prayers had been answered and this was actually a legit check. 

The following morning, I drove myself to the Wells Fargo Branch at XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX, CA XXXX. 

I asked the banker XXXX XXXX to deposit the check from XXXX XXXX and XXXX and to deposit {$3000.00} into may my checking and for {$500.00} cash back. XXXX was okay with my request and asked me if I did a job for the company listed on the check. I told her that it was for charity and for financial relief. She said that her system was going to put a 7day hold on the check, but told me to wait, as she would try to verify the check manually. She couldn't verify it and because the hold time was too long and XXXX handed me back the check. So I never even deposited the check and never cashed it. 

She asked for my drivers license so she could scan a copy of it. I waited a good 15 minute. Then, XXXX XXXX  ( the Branch Manager ) sat down to speak with me about the check. He told me he wanted to cash the check for me but, just needed to be sure that it was a valid check. Then saying, '' If I were to deposit it and came back fraudulent, then the consumer would be responsible ''. At this time, I still believed the check was not fraudulent, but instead, a donation from XXXX XXXX and XXXX. 

XXXX XXXX asked me if the check was mailed to me by XXXX. I told him yes, and he asked me to go home and grab that envelope, and if I show him that, he would deposit the check for me. So I left the bank with the Check in question still in hand to go hunt for the envelope. 

I found the envelope and noticed the sender 's address was a the XXXX XXXX in XXXX, MI, and XXXX is located way over in Massachusetts. I called the XXXX XXXX, and asked them if there would be a reason that someone from XXXX would be sending me a check through them. She told me that it was fraud, and they have had someone sending fraudulent checks from their company before. 

So after hearing the unfortunate news that this check wasn't any good, I destroyed the check. I also thought why bother going into Wells Fargo to try and prove the check was legit when it wasn't as I figured they would find out as well. 

While I was on the phone with XXXX I had received a phone call from the Fraud Department to please return their call. I did not notice this voicemail until a few hours later. I received an email from Wells Fargo that completely caught me off guard. The were closing all of accounts, and all deposits are now blocked, and my accounts will one permanently closed XX/XX/2021 When I called Wells Fargo, the Fraud department had already been closed for the day. I ended up getting a hold of them on the following Monday and explained everything that happened and why I thought the check was real etc.. 

The Lady at Wells Fargo told me coldly, that she " had been advised to inform me that this decision, to close all my accounts with Wells Fargo, was final! '' She also told me that I am " no longer to bank with Wells Fargo ever again and to find another bank for my banking needs. '' I couldn't believe that Wells Fargo didn't even allow me to defend myself. I have all the documentation to prove why I thought the check in question was legit. 

I went into the XXXX  XXXX Wells Fargo AT XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX CA XXXX TEL ( XXXX ) XXXX to speak with XXXX XXXX. I brought all of the evidence including the envelope the check came in, proof of my correspondence with XXXX XXXX, and showed him the XXXX XXXX Logo on all three websites. I asked him if I could record our conversation, he anxiously told me " no, you can't record me ... '' Wanting to know if there was any way to fix this problem that I was not guilty of, I asked him if he could call the Fraud department and tell them that I provided all the evidence supporting my innocent role on this matter and why I believed it to be a real check since I am expecting a real check any day now. He told me " no, that there was nothing he could do. '' Had XXXX XXXX told me this on XX/XX/2021 that if I couldn't bring back the envelope and provided proof of correspondence with XXXX XXXX, that will be accused of fraud and my accounts would be closed. On there XXXX XXXX made it seem like he didn't want me to be held accountable if the check turned out to be fraud if I deposited it. The fact is, I never even deposited the check, or cashed it, they handed the check in question back to me to deposit elsewhere at my own risk. 

on XX/XX/2021 when XXXX XXXX told me there was nothing he was willing to do, or could do, I felt surprised that he didn't even take copies of the evidence that I provided to him. Wouldn't this evidence be useful to possibly use, to find the real criminal behind all of this. And why wouldn't a branch manager of Wells Fargo not want to correct a mistake he made, by accusing an innocent customer of fraud, damaging their credit and financial future, then soon after, realizing, the customer, was, in fact innocent, and not guilty of such damaging, allegations? 

So my accounts were scheduled to close XX/XX/2021, but Wells Fargo closed them on XX/XX/2021, and my long awaited PPP Loan, that was to be deposited to my Wells Fargo Bank account, was Blocked, as a result of this false allegation. 


That {$12000.00} would have been extremely useful to me right now. 

I would like my accounts reopened and whatever negative information they provided XXXX XXXX XXXX  and XXXX XXXX to be removed immediately. 

I also want some compensation for blocking the deposit of my {$12000.00} PPP Loan that I have now missed the deadline on and am unable to open a bank account to receive the funds, as a direct result of Wells Fargo placing me in check systems and putting me through unnecessary stress. 

If you only knew what has happened as a result of Wells Fargo Closing my accounts unexpectedly, you would feel a empathetic I am sure of it. 

I also would like an apology for not allowing me time to explain myself on this matter before making any permanent decisions in regards to my relationship with Wells Fargo. 

This has caused so much stress and unnecessary problems, that I can barely handle the issues I had before all of this. It just isn't right to falsely accuse an innocent customer of fraud, especially when the customer proved that he was, without a doubt, innocent and actually believed it was a legit check from a legit company.

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