Consumer complaint received 2022-04-12
Company: WELLS FARGO & COMPANY
State: FL
Product: Checking or savings account
Sub-product: Checking account
Issue: Managing an account
Sub-issue: Problem making or receiving payments

Complaint:
On Monday XX/XX/XXXX @ XXXX XXXX I received a call from # XXXX stating Wells Fargo Fraud dept. The woman said they had detected suspicious activity on my acct. She wanted to know if we had traveled lately to NY. I said no. She said for verification purposes she was sending a code on my phone. I got the code on a Wells Fargo text thread # XXXX @ XXXX pm ( a text # and thread that I have received text from WF since XXXX ) I gave her the code and she proceeded to tell me that it looked as if someone might be trying to change something on my bank acct or opening an acct in my name. I told her that I had done none of that and she said they would put a security alert and flag the account. I ask if I should stop using my debit card or get a new one and she said no, I did not have to do anything since they had flagged the acct. We hung up. There was never any exchange of personal info or acct # info. I looked at the acct and nothing had been taken. On this same day, My banker whose name is XXXX XXXX too said that she got that same call. She informed them that she worked for Wells Fargo and was on her way in to work and she would look into it. She said the woman on the phone said a banking term to her in which she felt was a legitimate call. She never received any more calls that I know of. On Thursday, XX/XX/XXXX @ XXXX pm I received a call again from XXXX stating WF fraud dept and saying this was a follow up on the recent suspicions and for verification purposes they sent a text again via my phone on the same text thread with a code. I gave her the number and she proceeded to tell me they had not seen any further actions but would keep the acct. flagged for security purposes. She asked if I had seen any actions that were not mine and I said No. Again, no personal info or acct. # s was ever asked for or given. I arrive home approx. XXXX after some time my husband was in the office and went online to Wells Fargo. Once online he saw that 2 transactions had taken place on our personal savings accts. He asks me why I transferred {$4700.00} out of his personal savings and {$4700.00} out of my personal savings and put into our business acct. I responded that I had not. He then came into the room where I was to talk to me about it. I told him we needed to contact Wells Fargo. We both went into the office and in the time that he went in to talk to me and back, {$25000.00} had been online withdrawn out of our business acct. ( {$5000.00} into 5 different accts. ) We immediately called Wells Fargo to report and hopefully stop but the withdrawal was done. WF fraud dept. took our complaint and filed a report for investigation. He told me that it would take about 10 days for the result. He suggested we go to our bank and change accounts. I went the next day and spoke with my banker and we changed accounts. She asked me while I was there if I had ever signed up for Online Business Bill pay. I had not. She said that someone had set it up on my account and that's how the money was taken. The online bill pay had been set up on XX/XX/XXXX, the day of the 1st call I got from the fraud dept. I did not set that up or authorize it. I called on the 10th day of investigation and was told my claim was denied. She could not tell me why. She gave me another dept. to call and I called. He told me that my claim was denied because after their investigation they came to believe that I made the transactions or authorized someone to. I again told him what happened and also about the Banker XXXX XXXX getting the same call the same day I did and that in the years that I have done business with them I had never done business bill pay or made a transaction withdrawal of that amount. Also, the fact that all of that was done in a 3-day period. I also said to him that since they were claiming that I had made the transaction or authorized it that I in fact would be the scammer or committing fraud because I was making a claim to get our money back. He said he did not say that, but that is what is implied by not refunding our money and denial reason. My banker had told me that they had had 2 other people that she knew of that had happened to and they got their money back. I made a dispute report and the lady said it would be 2 days before it would show. I called to check on it and there is no record or notes stating I was disputing the charge. The man at the Fraud dept. said the only way that they would look at the case any further was is I had any documents to support my case. I told him all that I had was the phone # and text thread that was sent to me. He told me to have my phone and computer scanned for spyware or virus. I told him that we have XXXX and he said that would not do. I need to take it to someone professional and get a report. All IT people that I have talked to said they do not do forensic scans and no one seems to know anyone that does that except for the FBI. I am begging, please for your help.

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