Consumer complaint received 2023-03-29
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:
At XXXXXXXX XXXX  on XXXX  I received a text message from Wells Fargo asking if I authorized a purchase at XXXX. I did not respond to the text as I was driving my children to school at the time. I then received two phone calls from a XXXX, both of which I ignored. I then XXXX  the number, verified that it was in fact Wells Fargo customer service and before I could return the call, the same number called again. I answered and was asked to verify my identity because the bank believed someone making fraudulent charges on my account. I was sent a another text message and the agent asked me to read the number I received. I have been a Wells Fargo customer for almost a decade and I had previously been asked to verify my identity in that manner, so I provided the information. I was asked to do this as the agent was purportedly disputing each charge, so I believe I read out at least 3 different verification numbers. 

The agent then requested that I change my online password so that I could prevent further fraud, which I believed I was complying with by texting CANCEL and my current password to the number provided. Finally, the agent stated that I needed to approve a wire transfer to protect the remaining funds in my account, at which point I became suspicious and added my husband to the call. We requested to speak to a supervisor, the agent then became agitated. We terminated the call and then immediately called the same number backwhere we were informed that we were never actually speaking to Wells Fargo and the agent was likely a scammer who was spoofing the customer service number. 

Our call to Wells Fargo began at XXXX where the fraud was discovered immediately, the accounts were frozen and a request for the return of the wire transfer was initiated. The wire transfer was made to a XXXX XXXX, and included bank information and location. According to bank records, the wire transfer was initiated at XXXX and the fraud was discovered and REPORTED at XXXX. I then visited a branch IN PERSON to transfer the frozen accounts over to new accounts. I did everything expected and required to report an ACTIVE fraud that was occurring on my account. I have provided documentation showing when the unauthorized recipient was added as a wire transfer recipient and when the wire began. At the time the accounts were froze, closed and transferred, the funds were still in the account. 

Less than one hour passed between the initiation of the wire transfer and the report of the fraud, and yet Wells Fargo was unable to terminate the transfer of funds, or contact the receiving bank to inform them of the fraud. I received confirmation of my fraud claim at XXXX, almost TWO HOURS after the fraud was reported. I was also informed by an agent that the funds were not requested back from XXXX XXXX XXXXXXXX for FOUR HOURS, at which time XXXX XXXX XXXXXXXX no longer had the funds to return. 

Furthermore, despite the closure of the account where the wire transfer was initiated, Wells Fargo ALLOWED the funds to be wired from the NEW accountfailing to protect the account from the EXACT fraud that was being reported IN REAL TIME. 

The fraud claim was denied on XX/XX/XXXX and I immediately filed an appeal with Wells Fargo, as well as a police report with the XXXX Police Department, an IC3 Complaint with the Federal Bureau of Investigations, and a formal Consumer Complaint Against Wells Fargo for mishandling the IMMEDIATE reporting of wire fraud resulting in the loss of {$23000.00}. 

The documents attached are as follows : the first doc is evidence that a wire transfer recipient was added ( fraudulently ) @ XXXX on XX/XX/XXXX. This includes the person 's name and XXXX XXXX  XXXX Account information. The second doc is my phone records showing that the call I received was from a Wells Fargo number which was being spoofed by the fraudster -- I was on the phone for 49 minutes, hung up and then immediately called Wells Fargo back to report that I had been scammed. The third doc is proof of the call to Wells Fargo at XXXX. I immediately reported what was happening and my accounts were frozen. The fourth doc is from Wells Fargo, acknowledging my fraud claim at XXXX -- almost two hours after I called them. I was later told by an agent that it took them FOUR hours to request the money back from XXXX XXXX XXXXXXXX, where it had been fraudulently transferred and at that point, XXXX XXXX XXXXXXXX no longer had the funds. The account detail for 90 days document shows that when I froze and closed my account, ALL of the funds were still there and were transferred over. The account detail " all transactions '' shows that the funds were transferred to the new account and then removed from the NEW account, despite the fact that the fraud had been reported and the previous accounts were closed.

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 monetary relief