Consumer complaint received 2023-02-17
Company: WELLS FARGO & COMPANY
State: TX
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:
To whom it may concern, I learned about the existence XXXX credit cards my mother had opened up fraudulently in my name on XX/XX/XXXX. In the following days, I contacted each credit card company and each one said the accounts were clearly fraudulent as they were opened with an address, phone number, and email that were not mine ( but in fact my mother 's address, phone number, and emails my mother used ). 

XXXX of the cards were closed and reported as fraudulent to the credit bureaus promptly ( see below ), however I learned two months later that Wells Fargo did not close the credit card ( XXXX ) that they had stated " Was clearly fraudulent and will be closed '' on XX/XX/XXXX. 

I then received a phone call from Wells Fargo Collections on XX/XX/XXXX stating that I had not paid my balance due and late fees would soon be charged to my account. Surprised, I called the Credit Card Fraud department back and inquired as to why I was receiving that phone call. They stated ( and later sent me a letter, see attached ), that due to a XXXX XXXX ticket purchased in my name with the credit card in XXXX and a XXXXXXXX XXXX account ending in XXXX making regular payments to the credit card made them believe the credit card was mine. I then sent them a fax from XXXX on XX/XX/XXXX explaining that the account ending in XXXX was my mother 's XXXX account and that I had never had an account ending in those numbers, and the XXXX XXXX flight was never a purchase I authorized, and my mother originally told me it was a " birthday gift from her ''. I did not hear back from the fraud department until another month later. 

On XX/XX/XXXX I got another notice stating I was being charged late fees to an account that was supposed to be under investigation ( a violation of Wells Fargo policy ) when I asked the Fraud Department about this again they claimed they " must have lost the fax '' I had sent previously. So, I went to a Wells Fargo Bank near me ( XXXX XXXX XXXX, XXXX TX ) and XXXX XXXX, an agent with the bank there, said I had " indisputable proof that the card was fraudulent '' and offered to raise an internal complaint for me and fax the fraud department my proof immediately. He faxed the info on XX/XX/XXXX and received confirmation of receipt from the fraud department via XXXX ID XXXX ( see attached ). The attached info had a printout from XXXX with my bank account information proving that never had I had a bank account with XXXX ending in XXXX and I could not have had the credit card for a purchase in XXXX as I was living at my university and not the address they had on file. However, the Credit Card Fraud department also claimed they " must have lost the fax '' even though myself and XXXX received their proof of receipt. 

For the next notice from Wells Fargo in XXXX ( see attached ) they conveniently left off any and all " reasons we think the card is yours '' information when I received the conclusion that they were going to keep the card open. I then got back with XXXX XXXX and he forced them to re-open the case with an internal complaint escalation. 

In XXXX I received the same feed back from the Fraud department and a Wells Fargo Corporate Investigation saying they thought the card was mine while providing no actual evidence or reason. I then made another visit to the Wells Fargo branch above. It was during this visit that XXXX noticed that the fraud department had then also changed the credit card number on the account twice ( coinciding with both times he escalated an internal complaint ) without informing me they were changing the number. He stated " This was likely so they could hide information from the Corporate Investigations people behind different credit card numbers '' since Wells Fargo is supposed to notify individuals when their credit card number changes. He also gave the proof of them changing the number in the attached documents. 

Since then, Wells Fargo is now conveniently claiming again that the reason they believe the account is mine is due to the XXXX XXXX ticket and XXXXXXXX XXXX account, even though I had already submitted, in their own words " Indisputable Proof '' that those were completely invalid reasons to claim the account is mine. 

The Fraud department then sent a " mediation packet '' in order to " try and settle the debt so both parties are happy '', but in the process sent proof that they had sent statements to my mother 's old address prior to me gaining access to the account in XXXX ( see attached, mother 's address is XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX TX XXXX ). 

It was at this time that I contacted the XXXX  to escalate the issue, and Wells Fargo refused to deal with them. So the XXXX sent me to the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency to further escalate ( case # XXXX ). The OCC was able to force Wells Fargo to re-open the case on my account, but they informed me that the CFPB would be better equipped to help with this issue. It is my belief that they are trying to force me to pay this due to Wells Fargo 's losing {$3.00} XXXX to the CFPB last year for operating in the exact same manner they are doing with me now. 

Please see attached supporting documents I provided to the OCC, and if there is any other information needed please let me know. 

XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX

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