Consumer complaint received 2025-06-05 00:00:00
Product: Checking or savings account — Other banking product or service
Issue: Managing an account — Deposits and withdrawals
Company: WELLS FARGO & COMPANY
State: CA

Complaint narrative:
Wells Fargo Two Issues : Issue 1 : check deposited them Wells Fargo pulled funds ( check was deposited on Sat. XX/XX/XXXX, and full amount was available in my account on XX/XX/XXXX ) I was offered a new job, that later on turned out to be fraud. They sent me a check to a pay a 3rd party for equipment. I called the company to try to verify the persons I was emailing back and forth were from HR were real. When I called the company ( XXXX XXXX ) and asked to speak with HR they said they all work remote and only talk over email ( XXXX ) XXXX. I applied for this role online through XXXX. Anyways so they sent me a check for the equipment. The check cleared in Wells Fargo so I was under the impression that the funds were there, and there were no issues. Upon calling Wells Fargo they said even though the funds cleared it can take a few days for the check to actually clear. After I sent the wire transfer ( issue # 2, more details below ) and that payment cleared Wells Fargo pulled the check that cleared out of my account. When I spoke to the Wells Fargo agent on XX/XX/XXXX she even said it isn't the best process that the funds show before they were there. I said operated under the fact that the funds were there and am now out {$4900.00}. I had to pull funds out of a retirement account to replace them. 

Issue 2 : wire transfer made where banker should have seen warning signs that it was fraud. 

I went into Wells Fargo for help with a wire transfer. I was very up front with the banker that I got an offer to start a new job, they sent me a check for these funds and then they are having me wire them to another company to pay for the equipment. After talking to Wells Fargo fraud agents on XX/XX/XXXX and 4th they made it known to me that this is a well known fraud attempt. The banker should have caught this and helped me stop it. I've been out of a job for 3 months and was excited to start. I literally showed the banker my cell phone emails and texts saying what they were asking me to do and who to wire the funds to. As we went through the process ( again I felt comfortable since the check cleared in my account and I didn't know a check could be taken out of my account ) I provided the banker with all the information of who the wire transfer should go to. It was going to an individual. Again, I'm not a banker for a living- they are. That should have been another sign looking back that the banker should have helped stop this. I just showed him the text chain of all the directions I received. I was communicating with this company for a few weeks over several different email chains. I'm not sure if this company was hacked, but again I don't know why this banker didn't help me more and now I'm out {$4900.00}. 

Wells Fargo wasn't very helpful or remorseful of the two issues I believe they made. 1 - letting a check clear that wasn't actually valid and 2 helping with a wire transfer when from their experience they should have caught that this could be fraud.

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