Consumer complaint received 2018-09-26
Company: WELLS FARGO & COMPANY
State: NY
Product: Money transfer, virtual currency, or money service
Sub-product: Mobile or digital wallet
Issue: Fraud or scam

Complaint:
On XX/XX/2018, I saw an advertisement on XXXX advertising the selling of baseball tickets. The add did not appear to be suspicious at the time. The add had a telephone number listed as the primary contact. I contacted the telephone number via text message. The person on the other end responded back to me. I asked the person if he had two ( 2 ) tickets available for three different games I wanted to go to and the person responded back saying " Yes ''. The person said the total would be {$650.00} USC. I asked the person how I should pay and he said via XXXX/XXXX XXXX. The person advised once he received the money he would transfer the tickets to my XXXX ticket account. The person sent me his name and email address to send the money to. I was only able to transfer {$500.00} USC to the person due to a maximum limit per day. The person advised he would still send me the tickets. A few minutes went by and I never received the tickets. I contacted the person multiple times within 15 minutes and did not receive any responses. About 15 minutes later, I contacted my bank, Wells Fargo, to report a fraud/scam. The representative I spoke to asked what happened and I explained everything. I told the representative I wanted to put a hold/stop the transaction that was currently pending. The representative told me to wait 24 hours to see if I receive the tickets before I report the fraud/scam. After the representative told me this, I felt assured I would receive my money back. The representative told me this happens all the time and that I should be " okay ''. After 24 hours later, I did not receive the tickets. I contacted Wells Fargo again and spoke to a representative. I told the representative I called the night before to report a fraud/scam and I was advised to call 24 hours later if I did not receive the tickets. I told the representative what happened and provided all the information. I told the representative the contact number that was listed on XXXX was fake and was a VOIP ( Voice of Internet Protocol ). I told the representative the person was still advertising tickets and the person changed his number to a different number. I told the representative I have never filed a fraud/scam claim before and that I'm a Premier Account holder with Wells Fargo. I've been with Wells Fargo for 15 years and is in good standing. The representative told me I will hear something within 10 business days. On XX/XX/2018, I received a letter from Wells Fargo. The letter advised Wells Fargo would not be able to do anything. Wells Fargo advised they followed my instructions when I initiated the transfer but they can not guarantee any goods or services provided by the recipient. I contacted Wells Fargo and spoke to a manger. I advised him I received the letter and disagreed. I told the manager I contacted Wells Fargo right after I made the transfer because I suspected fraud/scam. I told the manger, Wells Fargo told me to wait 24 hours before I report the fraud. The manger told me to contact the person who I bought the tickets from and I told the manger the number was fake. I told the manger the person changed his numbers multiple times. I told the manger there was no one to contact. I told the manger I contacted Wells Fargo due to these reasons. The manager told me it was not a fraud and he could do nothing else. I hung up the phone and decided to walk into a branch to discuss in person. The first week of XXXX I went to my local Wells Fargo in XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX  XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX, NY ) and spoke to a representative. The representative was very helpful. I advised the representative about the situation and explained what Wells Fargo response was from the letter and the previous manager I spoke too. The representative told me he/she was pretty certain the bank would refund me the money due to my good standing as a customer and being a Premier Account holder. I told the representative I have never reported a fraud/scam before. I also advised I contacted the bank a few minutes after I suspected it was a fraud when I never received a response from the person selling the tickets. I also told the representative that Wells Fargo told me to wait 24 hours before I report the fraud/scam to see if I received the tickets. Because of this I felt assured the transaction would be stopped and the money would go back into my account. I told the representative I have pictures of the texts, XXXX postings, and different telephone numbers the person was using as evidence. I told the representative I would provide copies of the evidence as proof. The representative told me he would let me know a decision in a few days. Around XXXX, the representative contacted me. The representative told me Wells Fargo could not do anything. The representative told me he was sorry and disagreed with Wells Fargo. Wells Fargo did not attempt to see the evidence or reach out to me. The representative told me that Wells Fargo said to contact the owner of the tickets and try to get a refund. The representative told Wells Fargo there was no owner and the telephone numbers were fake. The representative told me to not give up and keep contacting Wells Fargo. Every phone call I have made to Wells Fargo has been documented by the 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