Consumer complaint received 2017-05-01
Product: Debt collection — Credit card debt
Issue: Attempts to collect debt not owed — Debt is not yours
Company: WELLS FARGO & COMPANY (AK)

In   XXXX   my husband and I opened a joint checking account at the  XXXX ,   XXXX    Wells Fargo  branch. At the time, they were pushing hard for extra accounts like savings, loans, and various lines of credit. We were struggling financially to get back on our feet after moving for medical reasons, so agreed to the credit card as a line of credit, we chose just a {$500.00} line. A few weeks later, a credit card came in the mail. We tossed it in a drawer and figured, if we did n't use it unless we had to, and paid it off as quickly as possible, we would be   fine.
In 2009 we discovered Wells Fargo had been misdirecting some of our direct deposits to other people 's accounts. I figured this out when our Permanent Fund Dividend checks failed to show up. I double checked with th  e PFD
office to ensure the right account information was used and we found that it had been an error on the bank 's side. I physically went into the bank and had to meet with the branch manager with paperwork showing the information used for direct deposit and the amounts that were missing, along with confirmation that the PFD checks had been delivered. They said it was an accident, located the money and returned it. This bothered us and we no longer felt safe leaving our money in the bank. However, when I tried to close the accounts, they told me it would be a terrible mark on our credit score. I closed t  he savings accounts we had opened for our  XXXX  sons, and pulled all but approx {$500.00} from the checking account and put the rest into a local credit union.     In   XXXX   we paid a substanti al portion of the credit card bill in the amount of {$1500.00} ( having used it when finances were tight and during a medi cal trip to  XXXX   XXXX . The ending balance was {$26.00} after that paymen t ( Exhibit A & B ).      I received an invoice for a company called ID  XXXX  that showed a payment received for {$19.00} using a credit card. At the time we only had the  Wells Fargo card and I immediately called them and told them I did n't  authorize the payment and to cancel any subscription service with them. They told me to report my card stolen and I did  XXXX  Exhibit C ). This was  XXXX  and I was told that doing so would render the credit card unusable which I understood, but was fine with since I had stopped using it anyway. I heard nothing further from  Wells Fargo. I quickly noted that there had been quite a few small purchases not authorized by me and figured they were testing ( Exhibit D ).      In   XXXX   XXXX  , we were about to move to Montana to assist in end of life care for  XXXX  family members. My husband decided we should just pull out of  Wells Fargo completely, so he went to the local branch and was told that the accounts had been closed due to inactivity. H e did n't ask for any more information and figured we were better off without them and figured the little money that had been left in the account had been absorbed by the various minor fees. We thought it was odd that they closed it without notification. We never received a call, email, statement or letter about the account. There was also no indication at that time there were any issues with any accounts we had with them. I admit I was not good about looking at any bank statements for errors during that time as I was preoccupied by moving. Maybe if I had, I would have caught the issues sooner.     Just  a couple weeks from leaving  XXXX , I received a call from Wells Fargo about the credit card. I told them I had n't used it and had reported it stolen. They told me they had no  record of it being stolen and I had a balance that would need to be paid. If I did n't, it would be sent to collections due to non payment. I told them I had n't use the card since reporting it stolen and due to moving, I did n't have time to deal with it. I told them I would try to figure it out once we moved.     When we arrived in  XXXX , we went immediately to the local  Wells Fargo  in  XXXX  and inquired about the account. They told us we did n't have any current accounts with them and proceeded to invite us to open accounts. We declined. For a while we cashed checks with them until we got an account with a credit union locally. Never were we asked about the credit card and I assumed it had been determined it was a mistake. I should have pursued it, but was taking care of my  XXXX  grandmother and her estate so I was distracted and just let it go. In  XXXX  I received a postcard in the mail that there was a class action lawsuit agai nst Wells Fargo for various predatory actions as well as fraud. I assumed this was what had happened to us. The card indicated that there was no further action needed from us and in th e event of a judgment, we might be contacted for further information and possibly a minor settlement. I set that aside and figured it was handled.     We moved to take care of my husband 's family in Washington in  XXXX , and in   XXXX   received notice that there would be a garnishment of wages if we did  n't settle our debt. I was panicked. We went to the local Wells Fargo and asked them to provide us with any statements from the   credit card to see how we could possibly owe so much having never used the card after reporting it stolen. They could n't find the account and were just as confused as us. I utilized the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau to file a dispute. They disputed my dispute, simply saying that they had decided the debt was ours, with no proof provided. I disputed that. Then we moved back to  XXXX .     I was sent a couple letters from a debt collector  (   XXXX   XXXX  ) in connection with  Wells Fargo,  in the amount of {$1400.00}. At this time I filed  XXXX  more disputes. Finally, after disputing the claim that we owed {$1500.00} for the third time,  Wells Fargo finally sent transcripts to prove we did. However, I discovered that even though the card had been reported stolen, and I had been told the card would be rendered unusable ( frozen  ), they had allowed nume rous small charges as well as a balance transfer to go through ( Exhibit E & F ) and we did NOT have any other cards in our possession at that time to even do such a transfer. I also noted that the address for Wells Fargo Card Services ( where you can mail a check ) changed   from   XXXX   XXXX   XXXX   to   XXXX   XXXX   XXXX   right after the card is reported stolen and fraudulent charges show up AFTER the card is suppose to be frozen ( Exhibit G ). It is worth noting that no other charges are local. Only minor online items that I have no account with.