Consumer complaint received 2026-06-02 00:00:00
Product: Checking or savings account — Checking account
Issue: Managing an account — Deposits and withdrawals
Company: WELLS FARGO & COMPANY
State: GA

Complaint narrative:
Formal Dispute Response and Demand for Reversal RE : Account Takeover Fraud Claim XXXX ; Provisional Credit {$4900.00} ; Accounts ending XXXX and XXXX To Whom It May Concern : I write to contest Wells Fargos latest denial of my fraud claim and the stated intent to revoke the {$4900.00} provisional credit. I am a victim of an account takeover. Your own correspondence confirms material facts consistent with my position and inconsistent with the denial. Statement of Facts and Procedural History : Account takeover acknowledged by bank operations. You reported my incident to the Account Takeover Operations group and placed a hard hold on my prior account ending XXXX on XX/XX/XXXX, then closed it XX/XX/XXXX, and opened a new XXXX Checking ending XXXX the same day. These actions are consistent with an account-compromise event, not authorized cardholder spending. Timeline and ongoing dispute. I have contested these charges since XX/XX/XXXX, including through the CFPB. Your letter notes I contacted Wells Fargo again on XX/XX/XXXX, and that XXXX reviewed the matter. Banks denial rationale. Your letter states : The card was in your possession at the time the claim was filed and during the time of the disputed activity. The disputed transaction ( s ) occurred at locations or with merchants like your normal card usage. The transactions were types or amounts like your previous purchasing pattern. You intend to deduct the {$4900.00} provisional credit from account ending XXXX because the account was closed on XX/XX/XXXX ( per your notice ). You assert compliance with all federal and state laws and that the claim is closed. You state the Fraud & Claims Management team will provide the documentation used to deny my claim within 30 days of my request. You state, regarding my report that further fraud occurred due to delayed security measures, that you were unable to determine the transaction in question, while adding that situations such as yours can still occur despite your security measures. My undisputed circumstances : I had continuous card possession, but the account was compromised by remote access. The disputed transfer ( s ) represent my entire monthly earnings. I have never transacted {$4900.00} or nearly that amount with the involved merchant. The bank has already provided evidence of unauthorized access from other states prior to the disputed transactions. Why the Denial Is Unsupported Under Regulation E? Card possession is not dispositive. Regulation E ( EFTA ) protects consumers from unauthorized electronic fund transfers initiated by third parties using stolen credentials or account access even if the physical card remains with the consumer. An account takeover with remote initiation squarely fits unauthorized under Reg E. Pattern-of-use assertions conflict with the record. Your blanket statements that merchant type, location, and amounts were like my normal usage are contradicted by : The size of the transaction ( s ) representing my entire monthly income. My history showing no prior transactions with the specific merchant. Prior evidence of out-of-state access to my account before funds were removed. Conclusory assertions are not evidence. I request the specific data, time stamps, device/browser IDs, IP addresses, geolocation, merchant category codes, and historical comparators used to reach these conclusions. Acknowledged account-takeover actions support my claim. Your involvement of Account Takeover Operations, imposition of a hard hold, and forced account closure/opening are consistent with a compromised account, which undermines the theory that the disputed transactions were mine. Investigation completeness and documentation. You state the Fraud & Claims Management team will provide the documentation relied upon within 30 days. Until that documentation is produced and reviewed, it is premature to consider this claim closed. Reg E requires a reasonable investigation ; refusing reimbursement based on unsubstantiated generalities does not meet that standard. Security measures and subsequent loss. You state you were unable to determine the transaction in question that would have been prevented had my account been promptly secured. Please identify which post-report transactions you reviewed, along with the dates/times and holds applied, so this can be reconciled with the logins from other states and resulting debits already documented. Harm and Ongoing Impact : Financial and emotional harm. The unresolved loss of my entire monthly earnings has caused documented mental distress, supported by medical reports. As far as customer relationship, I have been a Wells Fargo customer for over 20 years. The handling of this claim has eroded trust and left me unprotected during and after the takeover. Requests and Demands : Immediate restoration of funds. Reinstate and make permanent the {$4900.00} provisional credit and reverse all disputed transactions attributable to the takeover. Full investigative file. Within 10 business days, provide the complete documentation relied upon in denying my claim, including : Detailed transaction logs for all disputed items ( date/time, merchant descriptors, MCCs, terminal IDs ). Network and device telemetry ( IP addresses, device/browser fingerprints, geolocation, 3-D Secure results if applicable ). Access and authentication logs ( login attempts, password resets, SMS/OTP events, contact-info changes ). Internal notes from the Claims Department, XXXX, and Account Takeover Operations. The specific pattern of behavior analysis, including the baseline period, metrics, and comparators used to assert similarity of merchant, location, and amounts. Merchant recovery status. Provide a written accounting of all recovery efforts regarding the XXXX XXXX merchant, including dates, responses, and amounts recovered or offsets applied. Security remediation. Provide written confirmation of all security actions taken on accounts ending XXXX and XXXX ( dates/times of holds, closures, reopenings ), and assurance that multifactor authentication, alerts, and other safeguards are active. Hold on reversals. Cease any reversal of provisional credits or collections activity until the above documentation is produced and a good-faith review is completed. Notice of Escalation : If these requests are not met within 10 business days, I will : Supplement my CFPB complaint with this response and your failure to produce the investigative file. File complaints with the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency and my state attorney general. Pursue available legal remedies, including damages for financial losses and documented emotional distress. I request a written response addressing each numbered item above. Sincerely, XXXX XXXX Account ending XXXX ( closed XX/XX/XXXX ) Account ending XXXX ( opened XX/XX/XXXX ; referenced in proposed reversal ) Claim XXXX

Company public response: Company has responded to the consumer and the CFPB and chooses not to provide a public response
Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation