Consumer complaint received 2024-05-14
Product: Credit card — General-purpose credit card or charge card
Issue: Other features, terms, or problems — Problem with convenience check
Company: WELLS FARGO & COMPANY (CA)

On XX/XX/XXXX, I logged on to my Wells Fargo account. There were two amounts that surprised me. One amount was for {$4500.00}, called balance transfer, and the other for {$220.00}, called balance transfer fee. I called customer service immediately. My phone record shows this phone call to be at exactly XXXX XXXX. 

I requested the Wells Fargo Fraud Department representative to look at these unauthorized transactions as there must have been a mistake. I informed her that I did not ask for a balance transfer and had not requested any kind of transfer to be made. I told her that someone must have pressed the wrong button and allowed this large transfer into my account. The representative said that even though the description read balance transfer, it was actually due to a supercheck having been used. I asked, What is a supercheck? She explained that superchecks get mailed to customers. When the check is signed, the amount will appear on the credit card account in addition to a fee. I informed her that I did not see any superchecks in the mail, I didnt have a need to utilize a supercheck, and I have not used any superchecks. Most importantly, I had never heard of the term supercheck or how a supercheck worked. 

The representative said she would have my case investigated. No case number assigned. I waited and did not hear back from Wells Fargo. I wanted to give Wells Fargo the necessary time and space to do their work and for them to get back to me. I waited patiently with full confidence that I should be protected with zero liability for unauthorized transactions. I never had any problems before, and I suspected the resolution would come out in my favor in no time. 

I did not hear back from the Wells Fargo Credit Card Company since my phone call on XX/XX/XXXX. 

On XX/XX/XXXX, I went to XXXX with my husband. Sitting in the car, I didnt have anything to do. I scrolled through my XXXX as I always do, being a paid content creator. Then, I logged in to my Wells Fargo account on my phone. I was alarmed to see an outrageous amount of {$9200.00} in my credit card account. 

At XXXX XXXX ( on XX/XX/XXXX ), I called Wells Fargo Customer Service. 

On the phone with the Wells Fargo representative, she informed me that my claim about the unauthorized transactions was denied. She explained that because it was denied, Wells Fargo posted the amount of {$4500.00} and {$220.00} back to my account. I told her that the outstanding balance was {$9200.00}. Why were there two amounts of {$4500.00} being posted on XX/XX/XXXX? Did someone sign another supercheck forging my signature again for the same amount? Why was this allowed to occur when the account was already suspended? A new card was being mailed to me, which I had not received yet ; therefore, the account was not activated yet. How can Wells Fargo send out more superchecks and allow another fraudulent transaction to go through? She said she didnt know what I was talking about since she could only see one amount of {$4500.00}, plus the amount of {$220.00}. I explained to her that {$4500.00} + {$220.00} does not equate to {$9200.00}. On my end, I could see {$4500.00} showing up twice and the amount of {$220.00} appearing once. If you add those numbers, you get a balance of {$9200.00}, which was the amount I was staring at on my phone. The representative was rude and unhelpful. Her attitude and tone of voice suggested that I was the perpetrator and she had no interest in helping me even though I was a victim and felt helpless, being caught up in this mess created by Wells Fargo. If these superchecks were not created and sent out for marketing purposes, I would not be dealing with this troublesome situation. Our phone conversation was going nowhere. 

The phone call ended, and I told the representative I would try to get better assistance from my local Wells Fargo bank. 

My husband and I abandoned our trip to XXXX and went to a local Wells Fargo XXXX at XXXX XXXX XXXX, XXXXXXXX XXXX XXXX. 

Branch manager XXXX XXXX assisted me. Amid this chaotic and stressful situation, XXXX went out of her way to help me handle it, for which I was extremely grateful. She said she would escalate my case to a resolution team, which, she explained, is separate from the fraudulent department. 

I was with XXXX XXXX at this local branch for at least three hours. We spoke with the Wells Fargo credit card company on the phone. There was some good news! This time, the representative on the phone admitted that the additional {$4500.00} posted to my credit card account was a mistake. There should have been only one amount of {$4500.00} posted. My thoughts : Why would you do that to your customer and pretend you dont know whats going on? It is not a light mistake. This can cause serious stress and have negative effects on someones health. 

The representative on the phone said that she would have someone look at the additional {$4500.00} that Wells Fargo posted erroneously on my credit card account. She did not say that they would be able to correct their mistake immediately but she did say she would have someone look at it making me believe that she had very little power to do anything. As for the original amount of {$4500.00} and the {$220.00} ( totaling {$4700.00} ), the representative said she would have that case re-opened for investigation, as I requested. 

It was very unfortunate and irresponsible that Wells Fargo Credit Card never informed me of a resolution in the first place, after they had already decided that I was at fault. If I hadnt called in on XX/XX/XXXX, I would not have known this. 

I made a police report at the Wells Fargo branch and gave XXXX XXXX the case number before leaving. 

I was told a supercheck was made to someone named XXXX XXXX. Is this person real? 

Where did he or she cash the check? 

What does his or her face look like? 

Was there a video recording of him or her at the bank? 

Did he or she cash the supercheck at a bank? 

Does Wells Fargo have access to this kind of information? On the phone with the representative, she knew very little and could not answer my questions. 

I requested a copy of the supercheck with my forged signature on it, and I was told Wells Fargo would provide a copy to me after XXXX calendar days. It was very disheartening to hear the representative say that Wells Fargo denied my claim about the unauthorized transactions because the signature on the supercheck matched my signature. Of course, signatures can be forged. People can mimic signatures. People can trace signatures. 

I had so many questions flooding my mind. 

Who has access to my signature? Hundreds of people! XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX  Lots of people know me in my community. They know where I live. Mail theft has been prevalent in the area where I reside, too. 

If it is honestly a supercheck that has been signed and not some kind of internal theft being done by Wells Fargo Credit Card Company themselves to steal money, then someone must have got a hold of these superchecks by mail theft either at my address or at the post office. He/she must have handled the check with their hands and fingers. It should not be too difficult to get fingerprints on the check. I would be so happy to provide my fingerprints and cooperate 100 % to assist Wells Fargo in this manner. 

I wrote a letter and faxed it to the Wells Fargo Credit Card company with the help of XXXX XXXX at my local XXXX branch. In my letter, I let XXXX XXXX XXXX employees know I would be happy to help them in any way possible to clear up this mess. 

Since the representative asked for any additional information or evidence I may have to offer them ( sounding as if I needed to prove my innocence and help them work this case ), I faxed the following materials to Wells Fargo Credit Card Company : 1. Copy of the police report with assigned case number.

2. I have a receipt of my airline tickets showing my travels and whereabouts with dates printed on the receipt. I could not have signed a check in a certain city when I was far away. Wells Fargo did not share with me where the check was cashed, but I wanted them to know my whereabouts during this incident so that they could understand my distance from the perpetrator. 
3. Four letters written by public service professionals describing my character, personality, and ethics. I am not the type to cheat and steal and lie. I used to work as a XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX but now I am a XXXX XXXX with XXXX bright kids. My husband is retired XXXX XXXX. We have stable incomes, solid assets, and are financially responsible people. We donate to nonprofits yearly in addition to cooking and feeding all the hardworking kids in XXXX, including our son. We volunteer our time and we hand out FREE plants to plantlovers. We are gardeners who prefer a stress-free life. Wells Fargo has made our lives pretty stressful.