Consumer complaint received 2024-12-10
Product: Checking or savings account — Savings account
Issue: Problem with a lender or other company charging your account — Can't stop withdrawals from your account
Company: WELLS FARGO & COMPANY (NJ)

XX/XX/2024 I received a call at XXXX from a phone number XXXX with the caller id of Wells Fargo XXXX The call lasted XXXX minutes. The person on the line said that there were fraudulent charges on my credit card, they were making sure that they were invalid. I told them they were invalid which is why they said they were declined. Then they said that they saw a wire on my account for {$49000.00} and that I needed to block that. The caller then proceeded to walk me through the process to block the wire transfer online. 

XXXX received a text from XXXX that readWells Fargo Bank : Auto Disable- To Suspend Credential Please Confirm Password. Which I did and also included the word Disable. 

After I got off the phone, I received an email at XXXX that they had added a wire transfer recipient by the name of XXXX XXXX XXXX At XXXX I received a wire submitted confirmation email. 

I immediately called the Well Fargo XXXX department at XXXX for XXXX minutes. I reported the fraud and what is going on and that this wire transfer should not be allowed to go through. They said they would do a recall, but it would take XXXX  days. They told us to go to the local branch and change our accounts and of course login and password to the online banking. 

I immediately went to the local branch and they created new accounts and transferred the money into the new accounts. The local branch told us that the wire transfer is still in a pending state at that time. 

XX/XX/2024 I called the FBI first thing in the morning and they opened a case file for it. I have filled out the XXXX online based on the FBI recommendation. Then called the Elder fraud divisions of the Department of Justice who told me that I should also contact the XXXX XXXX. Then I called the XXXX XXXX, and they said that I should contact the FTC. The FTC said they dont get involved unless it was over XXXX XXXX. 

Then I went to the XXXX XXXX police department and reported the fraud. As I was directed from the FBI. 

The wire transfer came out of the newly created accounts. 

Unknown Date Went to the local Wells Fargo branch after not hearing back within the XXXX  days they said it would take to do the recall. While at the branch they put in an escalation with the fraud department. The report received from Wells Fargo Fraud Department indicating that there was nothing they would do to resolve the issue. 

XX/XX/2024 XXXX Went to the Well Fargo local branch and they collected information to send to fraud department with an escalation. 



Receive a fraud report from Wells Fargo. 

ISSUES The bank was contacted immediately about the fraudulent wire transfer, within minutes. Even with the instant call and visit to the branch they said they couldnt stop the transfer. I never had Wire Transfers setup on the account. In the XXXX  years that i had my accounts with Wells Fargo, i never sent a wire transfer. I never authorized any of my accounts to allow wire transfer capability. That should have been a red flag for the bank to not send this wire transfer. I should have at least received a phone call from the branch to let me know that someone was trying to wire funds out of my savings account, which again, was never set up for wire transfer capability. 

The local branch said that my account was set up for {$25000.00}, but the amount in the wire transfer was more than that, yet another reason why this wire should have never gone through. 

Another note that I would like to add, when I alerted the branch about the email I received about the wire confirmation and they closed my account due to this fraud and opened new accounts, Wells Fargo allowed the funds to be wired out of the new account that was opened specifically due to this fraud. The wire was processed the following day, XX/XX/XXXX. 



Attached Original Phone Call Text Message asking to Decline the wire transfer Wire Transfer Recipient Added Email Wire Transfer is being Processed Email Call to Wells Fargo Fraud FBI Case Number Wells Fargo Fraud Response Letter Bank statements reflecting the wire transfer.