Consumer complaint received 2019-05-10
Product: Checking or savings account — Checking account
Issue: Managing an account — Problem using a debit or ATM card
Company: WELLS FARGO & COMPANY (ID)

MY COMPLAINT CONCERNS A SCAM WHICH OCCURRED ON XX/XX/2019 AS MY WIFE WORKED ON HER LAPTOP, WHEN XXXX FLASHED ON HER SCREEN REQUESTING SHE CALL XXXX XXXX XXXX, THEN BEING TOLD THAT A HACKER HAD ACCESSED HER COMPUTER. DURING CELLPHONE EXCHANGES WITH XXXX HE PROVIDED HIS NAME AND XXXX ID., THEN GAINED ACCESS TO HER COMPUTER CLAIMING THAT A PORNOGRAPHIC WEBSITE WAS TAKING {$6000.00} FROM OUR WELLS FARGO A/C. I IMMEDIATELY CHECKED OUR WF A/C ON MY LAPTOP, FINDING IT UNCHANGED, THEN CALLED WF EXPLAINING THE SITUATION, ASKING THAT NO MONEY BE WITHDRAWN, ONLY TO BE TOLD THAT IT COULD NOT BE DONE WITHOUT THE PAYEES NAME, NOT EVEN SUGGESTING THAT THE WHOLE XXXX INCIDENT COULD BE A SCAM. WE ARE RETIRED IN OUR XXXX AND XXXX, CONCLUDING THAT OUR ONLY HOPE WAS TO ACCEPT THE HELP OFFERED BY XXXX, WHO NOW CLAIMED TO HAVE WF ON A CONFERENCE CALL WITH US, ADVISING THAT IF WE OBTAINED XXXX XXXXS WORTH OF GIFT CARDS THE MONEY WOULD BE SECURED BY WF. 

ONE WOULD ASSUME THAT IT WOULD HAVE BEEN A PRIORITY OF WF TO  PROTECT A CUSTOMER 'S A/C, EVEN THOUGH IT MEANT BENDING THE RULES, IF THEY WERE INDEED THE RULES. HAD WF INITIALLY PUT THE {$6000.00}  ON HOLD AS I HAD REQUESTED AND BEEN ADVISED TO VISIT OUR LOCAL BRANCH TO DISCUSS THE SITUATION PRIOR TO FURTHER CONTACT WITH XXXX, WE WOULD HAVE CHOSEN THAT PATH. INSTEAD WE WERE COMPELLED TO CONTINUE SEEKING THE ADVICE OF THOSE WE UNDERSTOO0D TO BE THE XXXX & WF DUO, BEING TOLD THAT WE ONLY HAD 3 HOURS TO VISIT STORES TO PURCHASE THE GIFT CARDS BY DEBIT CARD AND RELAY THE GIFT CARD NUMBERS TO THEM, FINDING THAT EACH STORE HAD A MAXIMUM SALES AMOUNT FOR GIFT CARDS PER DAY. BY KEEPING THE PHONE LINE OPEN, THIS COULD BE ACHIEVED AS WE DROVE AROUND. 

THE FIRST GIFT CARD I ATTEMPTED TO SCRAPE THE SERIAL NUMBER OFF WAS UNSUCCESSFUL, THE NUMBER BEING UNREADABLE, SO WE PROCEEDED ON FROM STORE TO STORE, MY WIFE BEING ABLE TO SCRAPE OFF THE NUMBERS SUCCESSFULLY, READING THEM TO THE XXXX GUY AS WE OBTAINED THEM. AFTER VISITING THE FINAL STORE, WE WERE THEN ADVISED BY THE XXXX GUY TO RETURN TO THE FIRST XXXX STORE AND EXCHANGE THE UNREADABLE {$500.00} GIFT CARD. DURING THIS FINAL TRIP I DECIDED TO CALL THE WF SERVICE NUMBER ON MY CELLPHONE TO REVIEW EVENTS, THE CALL BEING AUDIBLE THOUGHOUT THE CAR, AS WE WERE BECOMING MORE SUSPICIOUS OF EVENTS. AT THIS STAGE MY WIFE NOTICED THAT THE LENGTHY CALL SHE HAD BEEN ON WITH XXXX HAD DISCONNECTED, WHICH INCREASED OUR SUSPICIONS, SUSPECTING THAT MY CONVERSATION WITH WF HAD PROBABLY BEEN OVERHEARD BY THE M/S GUY. WE THEN CUT OUR FINAL TRIP SHORT AND PROCEEDED TO OUR LOCAL WF BRANCH, BUT IT HAD ALREADY CLOSED. 

ARRIVING HOME, CONVINCED NOW THAT IT HAD BEEN ONE HUGE SCAM FROM THE START, AND ANGRY WITH WF FOR NOT HEEDING MY REQUEST TO PUT A HOLD ON A SCAM IMPENDING CLAIM TO WITHDRAW {$6000.00} FROM OUR ACCOUNT, WE FOUND THAT OUR ACCOUNT WAS {$6000.00} SHORT. IT IS ODD THAT THE SCAMMERS WERE ABLE TO WITHDRAW ALL OF THE {$6000.00} WHEN THEY DID NOT HAVE THE FINAL GIFT CARD SERIAL NUMBER. OUR SUBSEQUENT ATTEMPTS TO REASON WITH WF, INCLUDING THEIR RESOLUTIONS TEAM PROVED FRUITLESS, AS THEY KEPT BLAMING US FOR DEBITING THE AMOUNTS, EVEN THOUGH THAT WAS HOURS AFTER THE WITHDRAWALS COULD HAVE BEEN EASILY PREVENTED. WE HAVE SINCE CLOSED OUR WF ACCOUNTS AFTER ABOUT 20 YEARS BEING LOYAL CUSTOMERS