Consumer complaint received 2026-05-29 00:00:00
Product: Checking or savings account — Checking account
Issue: Managing an account — Deposits and withdrawals
Company: WELLS FARGO & COMPANY
State: PA

Complaint narrative:
I am submitting a complaint regarding Wells Fargos denial of a fraud claim arising from a sophisticated Wells Fargo impersonation and account-compromise event. On XX/XX/year> I received a phone call spoofing Wells Fargos fraud/claims department phone number. The caller possessed my name, XXXX, address, Wells Fargo XXXX banking XXXX and the last XXXX digits of my Social Security number and falsely claimed that fraudulent XXXX XXXX and XXXX XXXX activity was occurring on my account. During the call, I was instructed to read back verification codes that I was told were necessary to lock down my compromised checking account and debit card. I later learned these codes were actually XXXX verification codes that allowed the impersonator to reset my Wells Fargo online banking XXXX and gain access to my accounts. I was also asked to repeat repeat " My voice is my password, please verify me, '' to verify my identity The caller then manipulated me through what I believed was a legitimate Wells Fargo fraud-remediation process involving XXXX XXXX. I was falsely told that a fraudulent {$9000.00} XXXX XXXX transaction had already occurred through a hidden XXXX XXXX account linked to my Wells Fargo account. The impersonator instructed me to recreate the transaction so it could allegedly be disputed and reversed. Believing I was interacting with Wells Fargo XXXX personnel during an active account compromise event, I sent a {$9000.00} XXXX XXXX transfer to a known personal contact, who immediately returned the funds to me after confirming he had not received any prior fraudulent transfer. The impersonator then instructed me to remove my Wells Fargo banking information from XXXX XXXX because my accounts were allegedly compromised. He further claimed that Wells Fargo had issued a temporary replacement debit card and provided debit card information that I believed belonged to Wells Fargo. In reality, the debit card belonged to the fraudster, and the {$9000.00} was transferred out through XXXX XXXX. During the same time period, an unexpected XXXX transfer was also initiated from my Wells Fargo account to another recipient already in my XXXX history, and that recipient immediately contacted me asking why funds had been sent. The recipient returned the funds. This activity further reinforced my belief that my Wells Fargo accounts were actively compromised during the event. It was also the trigger for me to transfer the XXXX out of my XXXX XXXX back to the temporary wells fargo account number i had been provided, so that i wouldn't loose that XXXX to the impending financial attack i felt I was under, with debit card fraus, XXXX XXXX fraud and now XXXX fraud occurring simultaneously across all my accounts. After the incident, Wells Fargo reset my online banking access and closed my compromised checking account, acknowledging the account-security concerns. However, Wells Fargo denied my fraud claim solely on the basis that the XXXX XXXX transfer was customer initiated, peer to peer I am requesting formal review of whether Wells Fargo adequately considered : the Wells Fargo impersonation attack, spoofed Wells Fargo XXXX, fraudulent XXXX harvesting, online banking credential compromise, concurrent unauthorized XXXX activity, and potential unauthorized account access/session activity. I do not believe this event was appropriately evaluated as a simple voluntary authorized payment dispute. my denied claim number is 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