Consumer complaint received 2023-12-13
Company: WELLS FARGO & COMPANY
State: SD
Product: Credit card
Sub-product: General-purpose credit card or charge card
Issue: Problem with a purchase shown on your statement
Sub-issue: Credit card company isn't resolving a dispute about a purchase on your statement

Complaint:
On XX/XX/XXXX a charge was made to my Wells Fargo credit card account in the amount of {$6500.00}, and another transaction was made on XX/XX/XXXX in the amount of {$2500.00} to XXXX XXXX in XXXX, CA. I did not make these charges nor have I ever done any business with this merchant. I live in XXXXXXXX XXXX and XXXX, XXXX and was at or near these places during these dates. I have been working with Wells Fargo credit fraud department since early XXXX to get these charges cancelled, they have rejected my fraud claim twice now. I have not been able to find any information from this merchant to be able to contact them, other than a half built XXXX page with 2 followers. Wells Fargo has been completely unhelpful in providing me with any way to contact this party to get to the bottom of things. The reason given for Wells Fargo rejecting the claim is that : " The transaction point of sale code is XXXX which means that the bank issued EMV chip card was physically present at the merchant location and inserted into the card processing machine. Since the EMV chip card was in your posession during the times of the transactions it has been determined that the transactions are valid '' Basically their records show the the card was physically used for the transaction, and I told them in my report that I had the card in my possession at the time, it could not be fraud. 

The first that I heard about these transactions was a few weeks after the event when I checked my Credit Card statement online. Apparently Wells Fargo had sent a verification text to my phone at the time of the first charge, but I did not see it so did not respond. When I tried calling Wells Fargo to report the fraudulent charges, I was told that my account was locked out and that I would have to go in person to a Wells Fargo branch with a photo ID before I could do anything with my account. We were very busy with farm work at that time, So it was XX/XX/XXXX before I could make it to the XXXX Wells Fargo branch. While there, I presented my ID to a banker, he called in to the Wells Fargo Credit card department, the person on the phone told us that my account had been locked due to suspicious activity. My understanding was that someone, claiming to be me, had been calling multiple Wells Fargo branches trying to get account information, my understanding was that they were trying to find out account balance and credit limit information. I have since then requested that Wells Fargo provide me documentation of the suspicious activity but they have refused since. I reported the fraudulent charges at that time. We then cancelled the credit card ending in the digits XXXX, and I left it with the banker to destroy. Wells Fargo then refused my fraud claim in XXXX, giving the above statement. 

On XX/XX/XXXX I called in to Wells Fargo XXXX XXXX department, was transferred to XXXX different operators before being disconnected. I called back and finally got ahold of someone helpful that actually looked into my account. She told me that there was a card activation just before the XX/XX/XXXX transaction, looked up the XXXX XXXX, made notes in my file about the suspicious activity and submitted it for reconsideration. She also advised my to submit a police report. I filed a police report with XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX office on XX/XX/XXXX ( case # XXXX ). I then called in to Wells Fargo fraud claims assistance on XX/XX/XXXX, told them that I had filed a police report, gave them the report number, and was told that the fraud claims department would work with the police department and request a copy of the police report. I was told to wait 15-20 calendar days for the re-evaluation of my case. 
I called back XX/XX/XXXX to check the status of my claim and was told that my claim had never been re-opened. They claimed that the line was disconnected before the questions could be completed to re-open the case when I had called on XX/XX/XXXX. I later asked a supervisor why Wells Fargo never called my back to have me complete these questions if they had a request to reopen the case, and the supervisor admitted that someone should have called me back, but never did. 
XX/XX/XXXX my case was opened for re-evaluation and was told to wait 15-20 calendar days, I faxed in a copy of the police report from XX/XX/XXXX. Over the next several days, I called in to request a copy of documents regarding the denial of my claim. I also called to request documentation on why my account had been locked out in XXXX. I was repeatedly told that they could not provide me with these documents. I asked that a note be put in my file and passed on to the investigation to look into the reason for the account lockout, as my understanding was that it was locked out for suspicious activity of someone claiming to be me calling in and trying to access account information. I also called in and requested documentation regarding the card activation that had taken place prior to these XXXX charges. I was again told that they could not provide me with this documentation, but would make a note in my file to be passed on to the investigator. Wells Fargo had information regarding suspicious activity both immediately before and after these charges were made, but they have repeatedly refused to either investigate them, or provide me with the documentation necessary to support my case. 

Friday, XX/XX/XXXX, I called in to check the status of my claim re-evaluation, and I was told that my claim was again denied. I was able to gain more information about the card activation that took place on XX/XX/XXXX. And I asked for my case to be again re-opened for re-evaluation. 

What I have been able to find out, little by little, over the last few months of calling in to the Fraud Claims department and finding old email records, is that on XX/XX/XXXX someone requested a duplicate card to be shipped to the address : XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX ; XXXXXXXX XXXX I did not request this card, nor have I ever been to or resided at this address. My primary residence is in XXXX XXXX  and also have a home in XXXX, XXXX, and during this timeframe ( XXXX ) I was back and forth between XXXX and XXXX. I was never at any time, anywhere near XXXXXXXX XXXX  This card was then activated on XX/XX/XXXX. Wells Fargo claims that this card was activated using my phone number. I have checked, and there is no record of my cellphone calling any Wells Fargo number on that date, I believe someone may have used phone cloning software to activate the card. From the records that I have been able to find, the card issued XX/XX/XXXX ended in the digits XXXX, the same as my card that I have had in my possession for years, from my records that was activated XX/XX/XXXX. XXXXXXXX XXXX shows the address in XXXXXXXX XXXX  is approximately XXXX miles away from XXXXXXXX XXXX, where the transactions with XXXX XXXX took place. Again, I was in XXXX XXXX and XXXX at this time. 

I have never seen, touched, activated, or made any transactions with the credit card ending in XXXX that was shipped on XX/XX/XXXX, activated on XX/XX/XXXX, and used to make the transactions with XXXX XXXX on XX/XX/XXXX and XX/XX/XXXX. The credit card that I had in my possession on XX/XX/XXXX, that I left with a Wells Fargo banker in XXXX XXXX to destroy after first reporting the fraudulent charges, also ended with the digits XXXX and had been in my possession since it was issued on XX/XX/XXXX, from my records. To be clear, Wells Fargo shipped an exact duplicate of my credit card to a criminal in XXXXXXXX XXXX  then after I reported the fraudulent charges, Wells Fargo refused to admit that there could be a duplicate card, despite me repeatedly explaining to them that I had not been in California, despite me repeatedly telling them to look into the suspicious card activation. Despite me telling them to look into the suspicious phone calls near the time of the charges. 

I have passed this information on to Wells Fargo in more phone calls on XX/XX/XXXX requesting that this be passed on to the investigation. I have XXXX confidence in Wells Fargo actually doing the right thing on this matter. I have passed on information regarding the suspicious activity before and after the charges and they have ignored them. They have refused to provide me with information to support my case, the only information that I have been able to get from them was painstakingly getting slivers of information by asking just the right questions. This department of Wells Fargo is either completely incompetent, or is completely willing to XXXX over its customers in order to save Wells Fargo some money, and is failing to prosecute the actual criminals involved in this case. 

I have included an attachment, Wells Fargo Fraud Claims Department would not give me the email address of a supervisor or department manager when I called on XX/XX/XXXX, so I confirmed that the phone call was being recorded, and asked that the recording of me reading my request for information would be passed on to whoever needed to hear it.

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