Consumer complaint received 2026-03-10 00:00:00
Product: Checking or savings account — Checking account
Issue: Managing an account — Deposits and withdrawals
Company: WELLS FARGO & COMPANY
State: WY

Complaint narrative:
CFPB Complaint PreHoliday Fraud Risk, Failure to Mitigate, and Delayed Access to Claims Support Summary : Wells Fargo failed to take appropriate steps to protect my account during a known highrisk fraud period ( the night before a major holiday closure ), then made it extremely difficult to report and resolve the fraud by routing me into prolonged hold times and delayed access to the fraud department. This combination of predictable risk and delayed response directly contributed to the loss and prevented timely investigation. -- - Complaint Narrative 1. The fraud occurred during a known highrisk period : the night before a holiday closure. The incident occurred the night before XXXX, a period when banks are closed and fraud activity is historically elevated. Wells Fargo is aware of this pattern and has internal risk models that account for increased ATM fraud and account takeover attempts during holiday closures. Despite this, Wells Fargo did not implement any additional safeguards, alerts, or verification steps that could have prevented or flagged the unauthorized transaction. 2. Wells Fargo instructed me to go to a branch that was closed for the holiday. When I reported the fraud immediately, I was told to go to a branch that was closed due to the holiday. This instruction was impossible to follow and delayed my ability to report the fraud in person or obtain assistance. 3. After the holiday, I experienced extremely long hold times when trying to report and follow up on the claim. Once the holiday ended, every call I made to Wells Fargo resulted in unusually long hold times. These delays : Prevented timely reporting Prevented timely correction of misinformation Prevented me from providing evidence Prevented me from clarifying details that Wells Fargo later relied on in their denial These hold times were not normal customer service delays. They were consistent, prolonged, and occurred on every call related to the fraud claim. 4. The combination of predictable risk + delayed access created preventable harm. Wells Fargo : Knew the fraud occurred during a highrisk period Gave instructions that could not be followed due to holiday closures Delayed access to the fraud department Placed me in extended holds on every call Relied on incomplete or incorrect information due to those delays This is a failure to provide timely access to dispute resolution and a failure to mitigate known fraud risks. 5. These delays contributed directly to the banks misclassification and denial. Because Wells Fargo did not allow timely reporting or communication, the bank later misclassified the transaction as customer authorized, despite : Immediate reporting Law enforcement classifying it as fraud A valid search warrant Evidence I provided The timing of the incident The known holiday fraud pattern The banks own delays contributed to the inaccurate conclusion.

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