Consumer complaint received 2025-09-29 00:00:00
Product: Money transfer, virtual currency, or money service — Domestic (US) money transfer
Issue: Fraud or scam — 
Company: WELLS FARGO & COMPANY
State: AL

Complaint narrative:
I am writing to file a formal complaint regarding a wire fraud incident that occurred in XX/XX/year>, in which I was scammed out of {$2500.00}. The funds were sent via wire transfer to a Wells Fargo account, which has since been confirmed by Wells Fargo as valid. However, the bank has failed to take responsibility or cooperate meaningfully with law enforcement, despite clear violations of its own published wire transfer policies. 

I am a XXXX  mother, and the {$2500.00} I sent was money I had carefully saved over a long period to help my daughter purchase her first vehicle. This was not a small amount to meit represented a significant sacrifice and a milestone for our family. Losing it to fraud has caused not only financial hardship but emotional distress, especially given the lack of cooperation from Wells Fargo in resolving the matter. 

Summary of Incident On XX/XX/year>, I wired {$2500.00} to an individual I know personally in Indiana, believing the transaction to be legitimate. 
The recipient account was held at Wells Fargo, and the transaction was processed without the required verification steps outlined in Wells Fargos own wire transfer policies. 
Initially, Wells Fargo claimed the account was invalid. Later, they acknowledged it was valid but refused to disclose any further information. 
I received a written response from Wells Fargos fraud investigation team acknowledging that their wire policy requires specific information to process incoming wire information that was not provided in this case.

In Wells Fargos written response dated, they confirmed that to receive a domestic wire, the following information is required : routing transit number, bank name, city and state, account number, beneficiary name, and residential address. This matches their published policy, which I have also attached as a screenshot. However, this required information was not provided, and Wells Fargo acknowledged that the name and address did not match any records in their system. Despite this, the wire was processed via XXXX XXXX XXXX ( XXXX ), without manual review or rejection. This directly contradicts their stated policy and raises serious concerns about their internal safeguards. Despite this acknowledgment, Wells Fargo has refused to explain why the wire was processed without meeting those requirements, nor have they taken any responsibility for the failure to enforce their own safeguards. 
Wells Fargo also cited Section 8 ( c ) of their Online Access Agreement, which states that wires may be processed based on the account number even if the beneficiarys name does not match. However, this section applies only to outgoing wires initiated by Wells Fargo customers, not to incoming wires being received by Wells Fargo. My wire was sent to a Wells Fargo account, making this clause irrelevant. Furthermore, the section includes a disclaimer at the bottom stating : Note : among other things, this section does not apply to wire transfers that debit or credit a consumers account. Since my wire transfer did debit my consumer account, this policy does not apply. Wells Fargos use of this language to justify their actions is misleading and inconsistent with their own published terms.

Despite Wells Fargos own published wire transfer policywhich requires that the account number, account holder name, and account holder address match, they processed the wire even though none of these details aligned. Wells Fargo confirmed that the account number and beneficiary name did not match any active customer, and the address provided was also incorrect. Additionally, the bank address listed in the wire instructions did not match the actual accounts bank location, which is another required field under their policy. Under standard banking protocols and their own XXXX XXXX XXXXXXXX ( XXXX ) system, this wire should have been rejected or flagged for manual review. Their failure to do so suggests either a breakdown in automated safeguards or a manual override without proper verification. 
Additionally, the Indiana XXXX Police were informed by Wells Fargos XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX, XXXX XXXX, during a phone call that the account holder name and address I provided did not match any records in their system. While I do not have written documentation of this call, I believe Wells Fargo maintains recordings or logs of such communications, especially those involving law enforcement and fraud investigations. 

Law Enforcement Involvement The case is being actively investigated by Detective XXXX of the Indiana XXXX Police. The Indiana XXXX Police report number is XXXX. Detective XXXX has issued three subpoenas to addresses provided by Wells Fargo. Additionally, Detective XXXX was instructed by Wells Fargo to send a fourth subpoena to XXXX  instead of Wells Fargo to obtain information, which he is in the process of contacting them today. 
Each time, Wells Fargo redirected the subpoena to a different location, requiring a new subpoena to be issued, delaying the investigation and obstructing progress. 
Most recently, Wells Fargo instructed law enforcement to send the subpoena to XXXX, suggesting that XXXX may have been involved in processing the transaction. This raises further questions about Wells Fargos role and oversight. 
I also filed a report on XX/XX/year>, with the XXXX Police Department in Alabama, where I reside. The report number is XXXX. 
Submitted a complaint on XX/XX/year>, to the FBIs XXXX ( XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX  ). This submission number is XXXX. 

Wells Fargos Pattern of Avoidance Based on Wells Fargos repeated failure to provide clear answers, their redirection of multiple law enforcement subpoenas, and their decision to close my case without addressing the core issues, I believe they are actively avoiding responsibility and hoping I will simply go away. This pattern of behavior is deeply troubling and unacceptable, especially given the financial and emotional harm this has caused.

Broader Pattern of Wire Transfer Issues Wells Fargo has faced prior scrutiny and legal challenges related to wire transfer handling and customer complaints. My experience appears to reflect a broader pattern of inadequate safeguards and lack of transparency in resolving fraud-related wire transactions. This reinforces my concern that Wells Fargo is not taking appropriate responsibility and may be failing to protect consumers from preventable financial harm.

My Request I am requesting the following : 1. A full investigation into Wells Fargos handling of this wire transfer and their failure to follow their own policies.

2. An explanation for the repeated redirection of subpoenas and lack of cooperation with law enforcement.

3. Restitution of {$2500.00} that was lost due to Wells Fargos failure to enforce its wire transfer safeguards. 

I am prepared to provide all documentation, including : Wire transfer records Communications with Wells Fargo The fraud teams written acknowledgment of policy violations Police report numbers from both Indiana and Alabama My XXXX complaint confirmation This situation has caused significant financial and emotional distress. I am seeking accountability and resolution, and I urge your office to investigate this matter thoroughly. 

Thank you for your time and attention.

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