Consumer complaint received 2026-01-13 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: AL

Complaint narrative:
b'My XXXX  account was hacked, and an unauthorized purchase was made and charged to my Wells Fargo Bank checking account/debit card.  The total of the unauthorized purchase was $XXXX.  The unauthorized purchase was made on XXXX XXXX XXXX, at XXXX XXXX  The order number was XXXX, item number XXXX, quantity 4, XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX.  The item was sold by XXXX  on XXXX.  I contacted this individual the same day, through the XXXX  message center, to notify him/her that I did not make this purchase.  I have copies of the message from the message center.  I also called XXXX  Customer Service and advised them of this fraudulent purchase on XXXX XXXX XXXX.  XXXX  confirmed that an unauthorized third party had hacked my account; XXXX  then locked my account so that no further transactions could take place.    \nI first became aware of this unauthorized purchase on XXXX XXXX XXXX, when I logged onto my Wells Fargo banking account to check my balances (I was expecting a XXXX  bonus from my employer, and I was checking to see if it had been posted).  I noticed a pending withdrawal of $XXXX along with a pending deposit of XXXX (my XXXX  bonus).  On XXXX XXXX XXXX, I withdrew most of my monthly paycheck from this account, and that pending withdrawal did not appear on the banking statement at that time.  This unauthorized transaction appeared at the same time as my XXXX bonus.  I routinely withdraw most of my paycheck on the last day of the month, which is my payday.  Because my employer pays its employees early for XXXX, I decided to withdraw my paycheck on XXXX XXXX XXXX.  I logged back on to my Wells Fargo account the next day to see if the XXXX  bonus was posted.  It was then that I discovered that there was a pending withdrawal of $XXXX from the fraudulent XXXX  purchase, along with a pending deposit of $XXXX from my employer (my XXXX  bonus).  \nI immediately notified Wells Fargo on XXXX XXXX XXXX, and notified them of this fraudulent activity before the money from my XXXX  bonus was posted.  I received an email from Wells Fargo on XXXX XXXX XXXX, confirming that they had received my dispute. I was assigned claim number XXXX.  The debit card involved in the fraudulent transaction was cancelled by Wells Fargo, and I received a new debit card in the mail after I was notified via the Wells Fargo Message Center that a new debit card was on the way.  When I received the new debit card, I activated it on the Wells Fargo website. I also changed the PIN number. My claim was subsequently denied via written letter, dated XXXX XXXX XXXX, from Wells Fargo.\nThis unauthorized purchase should not have been authorized by Wells Fargo because I did not have enough money in my checking account when the purchase was made (I had withdrawn most of my paycheck the day before and left only approximately $XXXX in my checking account).  My debit card should have been declined because I had elected not to have overdraft protection for the second time approximately 1 to 2 years ago.  I did this to protect my savings account, which contains my life savings.  Fortunately for me, I did this.  \nMy XXXX  bonus check was due to be posted on XXXX XXXX XXXX, and this fraudulent transaction took place on XXXX XXXX XXXX (when I had only about $XXXX left in my checking account).  I advised Wells Fargo and XXXX  that this transaction was fraudulent before it took place (i.e., the money was not available in my checking account to pay for it).  My debit card should have been declined at the time this purchase was made.  \nInterestingly, I had Wells Fargo remove overdraft protection from my account 1 to 2 years ago, because I wanted to protect/preserve the money in my savings account. In fact, I declined overdraft protection many years ago because I wanted to protect my lifes savings.  About 1 to 2 years ago, I inadvertently used my debit card at XXXX  when I meant to use my credit card.  Money was withdrawn from my savings account even though I had elected not to have overdraft protection many years ago.  I filed a complaint with Wells Fargo, and they investigated to determine if I had overdraft protection (which would have allowed them to transfer the money from my savings account and charge me a fee).  Wells Fargo did not find any record of me authorizing overdraft protection.  They removed the overdraft protection that I did not authorize and gave me $XXXX.  \nAfter the unauthorized purchase was made on XXXX  on XXXX XXXX XXXX, I received six (6) email notifications that my debit card had been declined.  Apparently, the unauthorized purchaser tried to make additional purchases on XXXX, but I did not have enough money left in my checking account/on my debit card to purchase what he or she wanted.  After noticing the emails, I decided to log on to my XXXX  account where I found that someone had placed two XXXX XXXX in a shopping cart  preparing to purchase them.  The previous attempted additional purchases exceeded the $XXXX I had left on my debit card.  I removed the items from the shopping cart.\nI maintain that my debit card should have been declined on XXXX XXXX XXXX, because I did not have enough money left in my checking accountor on my debit cardto make that purchase and I did not have overdraft protection.  I never received email notifications until after I informed Wells Fargo that a fraudulent purchase had been made on XXXX XXXX XXXX.  As I indicated, the money to pay for this unauthorized purchase was not available until XXXX XXXX XXXX, so the debit card should have been declined before Wells Fargo authorized the transaction.  The illicit transaction just sat there until the money was posted or became available.  \nAfter many, many telephone conversations with both XXXX  Customer Service and Wells Fargo Customer Service/Fraud Department, I made no progress in recovering my money.  Wells Fargo did not investigate my claim or comply with Regulation E, and XXXX  did not honor its Buyer Protection Agreement.  Wells Fargo did not communicate with XXXX  to ascertain that a fraudulent transaction occurred, although XXXX  acknowledged to me that a third party had hacked my account.  XXXX  locked the account as a result.  Wells Fargo also did not communicate with XXXX  during its investigation.  Using tracking information provided by XXXX, I went to the XXXX  Shipping Center in XXXX, Alabama, and spoke with the manager, XXXX  XXXX.  After I gave him the tracking number (XXXX), he indicated that the shipment from XXXX  was delivered at XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX, on XXXX XXXX XXXX, at XXXX XXXX  He indicated that the recipient was XXXX XXXX and that her telephone number is XXXX XXXX010.  I also showed him a proof of delivery photo from the XXXX  tracking website that showed two packages were left next to a door by the XXXX  delivery person. My residence is not the one depicted in the photo.  The residence was a XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX.  I live in an apartment building, and the building is not brick; and it is not red.  I also live in XXXX, Alabama.  I provided this information to the XXXX  Police Department when I filed a police report on XXXX XXXX XXXX.  I was assigned case number XXXX XXXX XXXX.\nWells Fargo arbitrarily denied my claim without completing an appropriate investigation.  Wells Fargo never gave me a chance to present this evidence to support my claim.  When I called them to see what they based their decision on, I did not receive a satisfactory answer.  The written letter I received from them, dated XXXX XXXX XXXX, indicated that my claim was being denied because:  \n1.  the card was in my possession at the time the claim was filed and during the time of the disputed activity.  \n2.  the transactions were types or amounts similar to my previous purchasing patterns.  \nEven if the card was in my possession, I never gave XXXX  or any other business permission to store my card information.  Additionally, in the case of fraud, that point is irrelevant. Response number 2 doesnt make any sense either, because I did not authorize, make, or benefit from a debit card transaction in the amount of $XXXX for toys purchased through XXXX  or any other merchant. I did not provide my debit card information to anyone, and this transaction is fraudulent and inconsistent with my normal spending activity.  I did not approve or participate in this transaction. I am XXXX, XXXX XXXX XXXX, and I have never had children.  \nIf Wells Fargo did not believe I was a victim of fraud, why did they cancel my old debit card and send me a new debit card?  \nWells Fargo and XXXX  each failed to meet their legal obligations to protect consumers from unauthorized transactions, and they failed to comply with their respective legal obligations under applicable consumer protection laws.'

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 monetary relief