Consumer complaint received 2024-09-11 00:00:00
Product: Checking or savings account — Checking account
Issue: Problem with a lender or other company charging your account — Transaction was not authorized
Company: WELLS FARGO & COMPANY
State: CA

Complaint narrative:
I am seeking redress for fraudulent and/or unauthorized charges assessed against my Wells Fargo checking account by third-party, XXXX, which is a subsidiary of the XXXX XXXX, XXXX . 

I was contacted by a third-party on behalf of Wells Fargo in XXXX notifying me that I had been enrolled in a third party identity theft protection program offered by XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX via Wells Fargo in XXXX and XXXX ( reference numbers XXXX and XXXX ). I notified the representative that I had not authorized these charges and I was offered an opportunity to participate in a mediation program. Wells Fargo is administering the program as a remedial action related to a XXXX settlement with the United States Department of Justice related to fraudulent and illegal activities conducted by Wells Fargo employees, including enrolling customers in monthly subscription services without authorization. I participated in the mediation program but notified Wells Fargo that they had not accounted for the full amount of the charges deducted from my account because they did not include approximately {$200.00} to {$300.00} in charges associated with additional unauthorized charges associated with XXXX. Wells Fargos mediation representative told me that she could not access my account records to verify the additional charges but that I could contact Wells Fargos customer service department to seek resolution. I did so and requested that Wells Fargo provide their records of my account statements so I could verify the precise amount of charges deducted from my account. I was shuffled to several different representatives over the course of several weeks. I was told various conflicting things : that the records were impossible to retrieve because they were outside their record retention window ; that they could possibly be retrieved, but only by other employees ; and that I should be requesting them from the mediation representative who referred me to the customer service department in the first place. I was unable to reach any resolution and ultimately I moved forward with mediation for the limited subset of unauthorized charges Wells Fargo had identified. The meditation representative told me that she could not consider the additional charges for purposes of offering financial compensation. 

Finally, on XX/XX/XXXX, I was contacted by Wells Fargos customer service department. I was notified that they had concluded an investigation into my inquiry regarding the additional unauthorized charges and that they had determined that the charges were authorized or that a processing error did not occur, and the claim was denied ( case reference number XXXX ). They did not provide any evidence to support their conclusion nor did they indicate what materials or records they reviewed as part of their investigation. Moreover, they declined to provide the account records I had requested. I followed-up to request the records they used in making their determination and was only provided a few cursory notes indicating that, among other things, I would need to have furnished the account statements substantiating the unauthorized charges. Unfortunately, I lost my account records due to a malware data breach in XXXX. In any case, Wells Fargo indicates that they were able to locate the account records and even cited the specific monthly charges ( {$15.00} per month charged to WF XXXX XXXX XXXX and total amount deducted ( {$230.00} ), so its unclear why they could not provide the records to me and why they need me to furnish the records to them. Moreover, their position that I am responsible for providing the records to substantiate the claim is evidently inconsistently applied because they did not insist on me furnishing records regarding the unauthorized identity theft charges before those cases were referred to mediation. Finally, I also note that I did, in fact, immediately notify Wells Fargo of the unauthorized charges on XX/XX/XXXX when I initially detected them and provided a full accounting of the fraudulent charges and substantiating account records at that time ( claim numbers XXXX and XXXX ). Nevertheless, Wells Fargo refused to acknowledge their role in facilitating these unauthorized charges and declined to provide full reimbursement. 

It is my firm belief that these charges were fraudulent and/or unauthorized. To wit, the third-party that Wells Fargo allowed to make deductions from my account has sued and reached a settlement with 48 state attorneys general in XX/XX/XXXX regarding their deceptive marketing practices and partnering with financial institutions, such as Wells Fargo to enroll consumers in their services without authorization ( XXXX XXXX XXXXoag.ca.govXXXX ). In my case, I never received a single piece of correspondence from XXXX regarding the supposed roadside assistance program I was enrolled in without my knowledge and only realized I had been enrolled after I detected the charges in my Wells Fargo bank account statement. 

To sum up, Wells Fargo facilitated the fraud perpetrated against me by XXXX and has refused to acknowledge the full extent of the financial damages I suffered as a result. By refusing to acknowledge and address my claim for redress Wells Fargo has failed to faithfully adhere to the terms of its settlement with the United States Department of Justice.

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