Consumer complaint received 2023-02-02
Product: Checking or savings account — Checking account
Issue: Problem with a lender or other company charging your account — Transaction was not authorized
Company: WELLS FARGO & COMPANY (MA)

In XXXX of 2022, I noticed unauthorized activity on my checking account for {$200.00}. I contacted Wells Fargo as soon as i noticed and alerted them to this pretty obvious fraud activity. They then told me they were canceling my debit card and issuing a new one. They said that since the charges were still pending and hadn't cleared, that there was no action needed at that time and I could call back if something changed. 

Being very busy, it took me 3-4 weeks before I finally realized that this amounts had indeed cleared my account and I had never been reimbursed/credited for the unauthorized purchases. 

It should be mentioned that something very strange happened with the activity. The non-too sophisticated scammer actually sent one of the two unauthorized purchases to my house- this being a pair of shoes from Express.

I called Wells Fargo, told them these fraudulent charges were never removed from my account and the truth that I had received the pair of shoes which made up {$88.00} of the {$200.00}. They said they were starting a claim, but that I should get in touch with Express and see what Express wanted me to do with the shoes. I called Express... they said they didn't want the shoes returned and that I was free to donate them. I told this to Wells Fargo. 

Over the next several weeks I received letters from Wells Fargo regarding the claim, that more information was needed etc. I called them to answer all of their questions. At one point on the phone they asked if I did business with Express. Yes, I said, I have purchased things from them before, though not recently or regularly. All the while maintaining in my conversations to WF that this was unauthorized activity and reminding them that I had been banking with the instituion for over 30 years. 

At one point, Wells Fargo representatives made it clear to me that they didn't think I was trying to return the shoes. I told them ... if they wanted to provide free return shipping then I was happy to ship them back. I told them that after being the victim of fraud, I was not willing to get into a car and drive 30 minutes to the closest Express in order to return the shoes - that, obviously isn't fair. They tried to suggest that the fraud was somehow my responsibility to resolve for them and put the burden of proof on me that this had happened. 

I received a provisional credit for the {$200.00} while they continued to " investigate '' my case. Roughly 2 weeks after this, I received a letter in the mail informing me that they believed the shoes and ( unknown other ) were purchased by me and that I had " failed to provide sufficient information. '' There was never any detailed mention as to what I had failed to provide. If anything, I was the one constantly calling the company and trying to figure out what was going on. Spending hours telling and retelling my story and demanding accountability from Wells Fargo to resolve a simple case of fraud. 

So they denied my claim and considered it closed. There was mention on the letter that I could re-open a claim- which at the time seemed ludicruous because of all of the time I had already invested in simply trying to recover {$200.00}. I called up WF again and this time I told them how this all seemed very predatory and that I was going to make a complaint to the CFPB etc etc. They then asked- are you saying this was unauthorized activity. I said, yes. This time the representative said a credit was going to be issued to me and that they were considering the case closed.

The whole experience left such a bad taste in my mouth that I knew I needed to close my accounts with WF. If they, as a policy, reject and try to shift burdens of proof on their customers regarding fraud claims then they are unethical in their dealings. Someone like myself who knows enough to call them out on something appearing " predatory '' - I have plenty of resources, education and entitlement to face them. There are plenty of others out there who wouldn't have had the luxury of taking time out of their job and making various calls to try to get back their {$200.00}. I wanted to contact CFPB in case this was a rampant and widespread problem. 

Please let me know if you require any further details. 

Thank you