Consumer complaint received 2024-10-18 00:00:00
Product: Money transfer, virtual currency, or money service — International money transfer
Issue: Other transaction problem — 
Company: WELLS FARGO & COMPANY
State: NV

Complaint narrative:
XXXXXXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXXXX/XX/2024 Consumer Financial Protection Bureau CFPB Subject : Wells Fargo Bank Account Blocked Dear Sirs : I hereby want to confirm that I am an American Citizen and that I lived in the United States in XXXX XXXX  for XXXX  years and therefore I want to register with you what has happened to me during the last XXXX weeks with an account that I have at Wells Fargo and that I opened in XX/XX/2024 precisely to be able to transfer the money that I deposited from a payment for my divorce to an account that I opened in XX/XX/2024 at XXXX in the city of XXXX, XXXX where I am from and where I came to live with my family and take care of my mother. 



During the month of XXXX I made XXXX transfers from my Wells Fargo account in the city of XXXX XXXX  to my account at XXXX for US {$25000.00} each and this was done on the XXXX, XXXX and XXXX without any inconvenience or reaction from any of the banks involved. 



Since they did not allow me to make more transfers in the month, I had to wait until this month of XXXX to be able to make my last money transfer for the same amount of US {$25000.00}. But on this occasion Wells Fargo blocked my account without prior notice and without prior confirmation. This was on XX/XX/2024. 



I had received an email confirming my transaction that it had been successful but when I contacted my bank here in XXXX XXXX days after the transaction, that is, on XX/XX/XXXX, they told me that no transfer appeared. 

Then later that day I received an email from Wells Fargo confirming the blocking of the transaction with a phone number to contact. 



I called them then and that was on XX/XX/XXXX. I spoke with a representative from the fraud department and he was the one who told me that their system had presented an alarm for that transaction and that for that reason and for security reasons they had blocked it. Something that I did not understand and I do not understand why after making XXXX transactions this appears. Well the agent tried to send a code to my cell phone number but unfortunately I had already deactivated it and for that transaction I used another number from a friend who is in the United States because this bank only accepts data from the United States even though I told them that I had already moved to XXXX. So since this is their only means of verification, they could not help me and transferred me to another department which is Online banking to see if they could change my cell phone number for the one in XXXX and they told me no. So, faced with this situation, I had to call XXXX XXXX to reactivate my US cell phone line with the same number and that day they did it. 



The next day I contacted them again in the fraud department but they could not verify me if my current cell phone number did not appear in the system so they transferred me to the Online banking department where they asked me other questions that I could not answer because I did not have my last account statement that I receive online and download but unfortunately according to me I had not been able to download it and so logically I could not answer their questions and there they told me that there was nothing they could do. Well then I asked them to send me the account statements to my address that I have in the United States, which was the last one where I lived and that a friend is in charge of receiving my correspondence and sending it to me by email or XXXX. 

Anyway, I searched my files and found that I had downloaded my last statement for the month of XXXX and I called Online Banking at Wells Fargo again but they told me that they couldnt help me and that they had to transfer me to Loss Prevention where a representative helped me add my cell phone number so they could verify. Then they transferred me to fraud and they said it wasnt with them and that I had already been transferred to another department and they transferred me to Online Fraud Detention and there they verified me and told me that I supposedly had to wait for them to call me ( all of this was with an interpreter ) although I speak and understand XXXX but I wanted to be very sure of the answer. And this was on Monday, XX/XX/XXXX. So I waited until yesterday and since no one called me or gave me any answer I contacted the Loss Prevention department again and while they were reviewing my case the calls would drop then I would call again and another agent would answer and say no, that it was another department and so on and so on and then they would leave me waiting and the call would be cut off until I finally connected with someone at Loss Prevention who spoke XXXX  her name is XXXX and today she told me that my account was still suspended and that there was a note where it says that to enable my account I must show up at a branch with my ID to verify my account when I have explained to everyone that I am in XXXX and it is impossible for me to show up at a branch as required and it is impossible for them to have an option for these cases where their clients are outside of the country, something that is unheard of. Agent XXXX also told me that the account was suspended but that they were investigating it and that it would take 2 to 3 business days and that if I didn't get a response I should call next XXXX, XX/XX/XXXX and I cut this short so as not to make the claim longer because since this happened I have not stopped calling but the only thing I have done is spend money on calls that either get lost or that pass me from one department to another without any clarity or consistency in the answers they give me because they all always tell me something different. 



That is why I decided to go to you with the hope of being able to find a solution to this terrible inconvenience that has me frustrated and also blocked from continuing with my plans here in my homeland and with my family. 



I really don't know what else to do and I appreciate any help you can give me. 



Sincerely, XXXX XXXX XXXX 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