Consumer complaint received 2022-04-08
Company: WELLS FARGO & COMPANY
State: AZ
Product: Money transfer, virtual currency, or money service
Sub-product: Domestic (US) money transfer
Issue: Fraud or scam

Complaint:
On XX/XX/XXXX I received a text supposedly from Wells Fargo ( WF ) saying they declined a purchase at XXXX for XXXX with my debit card, was this you yes or no? I replied no and started to call WF when I received a call from what I believed was from some type of 1 800 number ( Actually 878 ) saying they were from WF confirming that the purchase of the XXXX was not me. I said yes, that wasn't me and while discussing where this purchase happened I received six more text messages saying a person tried to transfer XXXX  each time using XXXX through WF. I asked for the persons name and he said it was XXXX XXXX and again he was from WF said that someone apparently got one of my or my wife 's debit card numbers and we need to destroy them and that he was in the process of ordering new debit cards for me and my wife, that it would take 7-10 days to deliver. If I didn't receive them after 10 days I needed to call WF back. Then he said that apparently someone had hacked into our on-line account and had made transfers trough XXXX and to only get the money back was to resend for the money to and from myself. I told him that I'd never used XXXX and had no idea how that it worked. He said that I need to use my email address and phone number to make the transfer. He said that they will be i various amounts because that's how XXXX works. After sending over {$40000.00} ( XXXX transactions over the XXXX days of various amounts from XXXX ) I received another text that I'd reached the XXXX for sending money for the month. So I reconfirmed that are debit cards had been sent and the person said yes. on XX/XX/XXXX for some reason it just didn't sound right so I called WF and asked them if they had been assisting me with this XXXX process and they reported that they wouldn't do anything like that. I then said that I had been talking with a representative from WF and they said no that they wouldn't call me or assist making money transfers over the phone. They transferred me to the WF Fraud department and I talked with a Virginia and she took my report and that I needed to give them 10 days to investigate. I then called the fraud department back on XX/XX/XXXX tand talked with XXXX and asked if they had any other information so I could file a police report they gave me a confirmation number of XXXX. XXXX said since I transferred the money and the person impersonating a WF banker that it wasn't considered fraud since they didn't actually get into my account. He said that this was an on-line matter and that he was going It was said that I transferred the money from myself to myself from WF to XXXXXXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX. I was transferred to online customer service ( Virginia ) where they had to cancel the fir confirmation number and reissued number XXXX and she said she was processing all the claims, that again we need to give them 10 days to investigate my case. I then called XXXXXXXX XXXX  XXXX bank on XX/XX/XXXX and talked with an representative and she said that they couldn't find any account in mine name, however they were able to find the transfers using my cell number and email address. She then said that the money had been transferred to an account and I asked if there was any way they could put a hold on the account, she put me on hold. When she came back on, she asked if I knew anybody by the name of Presly and I said no, she put me on hold again, When she came back on she said that she couldn't provide me any other information due to privacy concerns, I then aske again if they could put a hold on the account where my funds were fraudulently sent to. She said they couldn't off my word, but WF can see all the same transactions and if during their investigation, they could take actions but it was up to WF since I'm a member of their bank. I gave WF a few days and I called back on XX/XX/XXXX and talked with XXXX and asked her how the investigation was proceeding and when I gave her the confirmation number of XXXX, She went on to say that WF was putting in a claim to XXXX for this issue that we would receive a letter once the claim was filed and a decision was made. We contacted XXXX XXXX XXXX and he said that since the account was through WF, they had no obligations for the transfers that come from a bank institution that they only get involved if using the XXXX app. On XX/XX/XXXX I contacted on-line customer service and asked XXXX, XXXX number XXXX he said that it had been closed that the open confirmation number was XXXX and I said that XXXX was reported to be closed as well. After getting the confirmation numbers squared away, I how the investigation was going and he said that I should be receiving a letter stating the WF has closed the case as of XX/XX/XXXX and that the payments was processed as requested. I requested to get my money back since WF knew where it went and that I didn't send it intentionally, that under the instruction of someone I thought was from Wells Fargo. I then said that after doing some research at www.consumerfinance.gov and that If reading correctly that this may fall under the regulations for Electronic Fund Transfers. XXXX then transferred me to XXXX in the Customer Advocacy Group to start a new case number as a back office complaint file XXXX and they said this could be another 10 days to investigate. I then tried to contact XXXX @ XXXX PCT on XXXX and left a message for a call back so I could ask some questions and requested a call back and instead received an email on XX/XX/XXXX, saying that the transactions were processed correctly and that there were no violations with the regulations involving Electric transfers. The the letter goes on to take our concerns to XXXX and we have already done that, and XXXX said it was a WF matter. I then tired to call back on XX/XX/XXXX with no call back but received another email on XX/XX/XXXX apologizing for any inconvenience hat we experienced.

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