Consumer complaint received 2026-04-26 00:00:00
Product: Checking or savings account — Checking account
Issue: Managing an account — Problem using a debit or ATM card
Company: WELLS FARGO & COMPANY
State: CT

Complaint narrative:
On XX/XX/XXXX, two unauthorized transfers of {$2500.00} each ( totaling {$5000.00} ) were made from my Wells Fargo XXXX XXXX account XXXX XXXX XXXXXXXX ) using my debit card ending in XXXX, which I did not authorize. These transactions were the result of a bank impersonation scam. On the same date, I received what appeared to be an official Wells Fargo XXXX alert from the same number ( XXXX ) I had legitimately interacted with in XX/XX/XXXX for a prior fraud alert, asking whether I recognized a declined transaction of {$600.00} XXXX XXXXXXXX on card XXXX. Because I had previously used this exact SMS channel to respond to a real Wells Fargo fraud alert, I had reasonable cause to believe this message was legitimate. Shortly after, I received a phone call from an individual posing as a Wells Fargo representative. He stated my card had been compromised and instructed me to provide my card number so a replacement could be issued. I complied, believing I was speaking with my bank. The caller then used that information to execute XXXX {$2500.00} transfers from my account. Upon realizing I had been deceived, I immediately contacted Wells Fargo to cancel my card and dispute the transactions. I submitted a formal claim on XX/XX/XXXX, within XXXX business day of the incident. I am disputing Wells Fargo 's denial of this claim ( Claim # XXXX ) on the following grounds : XXXX. THE TRANSACTION WAS UNAUTHORIZED UNDER REGULATION XXXX. The card number was obtained through impersonation of a Wells Fargo employee. Consent obtained through deception does not constitute legal authorization. The scammer had no actual authority to initiate these transfers. XXXX. THIS WAS A BANK IMPERSONATION SCAM USING XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX The fraudulent SMS was sent from number XXXX, the same number Wells Fargo had used to contact me in XX/XX/XXXX for a legitimate fraud alert. This gave me every reasonable basis to trust the message. Notably, the fraudulent SMS specifically referenced card XXXX, the same card used to execute the unauthorized transfers, demonstrating that the scammer had already targeted this specific card before the phone call was made. This was a coordinated, deliberate impersonation scheme targeting my specific account. The spoofing of Wells Fargo 's own communication channel represents a security vulnerability that I, as a consumer, had no way to detect. XXXX. WELLS FARGO IMPROPERLY REVOKED THE PROVISIONAL CREDIT UPON DENIAL. Wells Fargo issued a provisional credit to my account during the investigation, as required under Regulation XXXX However, upon denying the claim on XX/XX/XXXX, Wells Fargo XXXX that credit without providing a proper written explanation of the denial or the legal basis for the reversal. Given that the denial itself is being disputed, and that Wells Fargo 's investigation was procedurally deficient, this reversal is improper. XXXX. WELLS FARGO VIOLATED REGULATION XXXX 'S INVESTIGATION TIMELINE. My claim was submitted on XX/XX/XXXX. It was not closed until XX/XX/XXXX, which is 99 days later. Regulation E requires investigations to be completed within XXXX business days ( or 45 days where provisional credit is issued ). Wells Fargo exceeded even the extended timeline with no updates provided during the entire investigation period. XXXX. THE DISPUTE WAS MISCATEGORIZED BY WELLS FARGO. Wells Fargo recorded my dispute reason as " Don't remember this transaction. '' This is factually incorrect and does not reflect what I reported. I explicitly reported this as an unauthorized fraudulent transaction resulting from impersonation. This miscategorization may have directly caused the denial by misrepresenting the nature of my claim in their review process. XXXX. INCONSISTENT CLAIM REFERENCE NUMBERS PREVENTED MONITORING. The claim confirmation email dated XX/XX/XXXX assigned Reference Number XXXX, while the Wells Fargo online portal showed Claim # XXXX. These numbers did not match, making it impossible to track my claim status, compounding the lack of any updates over 99 days. I am requesting a full refund of the {$5000.00} in unauthorized transfers. Because I reported this incident within one business day, my maximum liability under Regulation E is {$50.00}, meaning Wells Fargo is responsible for no less than {$4900.00} of this amount. I am also requesting reinstatement of the provisional credit that was improperly reversed, and a written explanation of the denial that accurately reflects the fraud and impersonation nature of this claim. Wells Fargo 's handling of this claim, including the 99 day investigation with no communication, the miscategorization of my dispute, the improper reversal of provisional credit, and the unexplained denial, represents multiple violations of Regulation XXXX and federal consumer protection law.

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