I Got Scammed and Wells Fargo Bank is Aiding & Abetting Fraud

tl:dr — A tale of how Wells Fargo Bank has aided one of its customers to commit multiple frauds and will do nothing to stop it.

This is long but there’s something for everyone. First, you get to see making a fool of myself! Second, a warning about low level fraud on Craigslist. Third, I’ve uncovered evidence of both lousy customer service and fraudulent behavior by Wells Fargo Bank. Of course committing fraud is nothing new for Wells Fargo. So read on and please share the tale.

Last Thanksgiving I was home for a few days in the middle of some very heavy business travel. I had promised my wife earlier that I would sort out a ski trip for Christmas and a ski lease for the winter in Tahoe — of course I hadn’t done it. On the day before Thanksgiving I found a found a nice looking place in Tahoe on Craigslist. The address (for those of you coming via search engine) was 15807 Northwoods Blvd, Truckee, CA. Yes it’s a real house but, no, the person who emailed me back about it calling himself David Ramey wasn’t the real owner.

Let’s be clear. I was an idiot. I was in a hurry and I broke all of the Craigslist “dont get scammed” rules, especially not seeing the place in person. I even ignored the fact that “David Ramey’s” ID (he sent me a photo of “his” Calif issued ID) had a different address than the place I was renting. I was, though, slightly comforted by the fact that his written English in the emails and lease was fine, and most importantly the bank he used was the same as mine — Wells Fargo. So like the idiot I was I sent him a few thousand dollars (in 2 separate transactions) for a deposit and first month rent using the Wells Fargo Zelle money transfer system. Note this was from my Wells Fargo account to “his” Wells Fargo account number 3301836544. Under the the “know your customer” laws a US bank is required to identify its customer and know about their business dealings. “David Ramey” wrote back thanking me for the deposit and I told him we’d connect closer to the time we’d take the house. By now the scam was done.

I actually didn’t email him again till the day before we were due to go to Tahoe (I actually came back from my next business trip the day before). I didn’t hear back but we bundled everyone in the car and we headed up. By the time we got there I’d emailed a few more times, rang and texted the number on the lease, and had no reply. So we went to the house where the man who actually owned the house answered the door. He told me that someone had used some photos he’d put up on Craigslist a while back when trying to sell the house, and that many people had either asked him about it or paid the scammer and shown up like we had. He told me he’d been trying to get Craigslist to take it down but to no effect. We stayed with a friend that night and ended up not getting to stay at Tahoe over Christmas. (We have a real ski lease now, and while the $$ loss was something I’d notice it’s not a serious problem for us, so don’t cry too much for us).

So that night (Sat 19 Dec) I contacted Wells Fargo on Twitter (as their fraud department doesn’t work over the weekend). They actually replied via Twitter on Saturday night and again on Sunday morning asking for more details. Although since then they have completely stopped replying.

I also went back onto Craigslist. I found the same listing of the same house and contacted the scammer from a new fake email account I set up, and pretended that I wanted to rent the house (which theoretically I’d already rented!)

On the next business day (Dec 21) I called Wells Fargo Fraud Department (their Twitter DM service had already stopped responding). I spoke to nice sounding man called Kris Vinas who took all the details, told me that they’d likely be able to refund my money and would get back to me.

I also called the FBI in San Francisco. They told me all I could do was to file a case on the ic3.gov website — which I did. I’m sure they’re very busy investigating Donald Trump because I’ve heard absolutely nothing back. (I also reported the post to Craigslist and heard nothing back either.)

Meanwhile I re-engaged with the scammer who used the same name “David Ramey” but eventually sent me a different version of his ID with a different address and the last name “Anthony” while “David Ramey” became his first 2 names. After some more back and forth with me signing another “lease” he gave me a Bank of America account to send my next “deposit” to in the name of “Shakinah T McKnight, account number 385024205700, Routing number 011900254” That is, I believe, a real Bank of America account number. I then asked the scammer why it was a different name and if there was a Wells Fargo account I could use instead. Wouldn’t you know, there was. This time the name was David Anthony and the Wells Fargo account was 1028119327.

On Dec 31 I emailed the customer service service on WFB online and asked them to tell the fraud department that the same scammer was using another WFB account to commit crime. On Jan 1 (look they’re working on a holiday!) someone emailed back in their system. They told me that the fraud department had closed my investigation. Given I’d heard nothing from the fraud department I was a little bit confused, nay angry, and demanded to have someone contact me. I finally was sent a number to call at the “executive offices” which I contacted on Jan 3.

It was during that call that I realized Wells Fargo had no interest in helping me at all. And worse, they would hide behind process to keep the scammer in business. It’s worth noting that until very soon from now my family has nearly $100,000 in cash spread across more 6 WFB personal and business accounts and we also have a mortgage and line of credit — so we are paying them considerable interest and fees. You would think that they’d value my business. You’d think wrong.

In the call the poor sap at the executive office told me about 15 different times that the fraud department had looked at the transaction(s) where I had sent the money via Zelle to the other WFB account. They had determined that I had indeed initiated the transactions and that I should contact the recipient to complain. My case was closed. I, with varying degrees of civility, inquired how I was supposed to contact someone using several fake names. And that I had recontacted the person and found they were using another Wells Fargo account to commit yet more fraud. Wasn’t I doing the fraud department's work for them?

All the person could repeat to me was that my case was closed. I asked whether they had investigated the account that I’d sent money to. Again and again the reply was, “your transaction was processed correctly”. Wells Fargo apparently had no responsibility for opening and operating an account on behalf of a fraudster. In fact two accounts (and probably more). Finally I asked who else I could talk to. I was put into a “supervisors” voice mail.

Eventually that supervisor, Luis Lopez, who claims to be based in the executive office for Wells Fargo in Concord, CA, called me back (several days later) and left a message. I called him back and left him a message asking him to email me to arrange a time to talk. I never heard from him, although later he told me he couldn’t send an email (even though Wells Fargo customer service people can via the online service). Apparently in 2017 Wells Fargo staff don’t have email.

Meanwhile I received 2 letters on January 6 from the “Online claims department” BOTH dated 29 December. One telling me that they were opening an investigation and another dated the same day telling me (as I’d by now heard) that “my claim was closed” and that the “transfer was processed as requested.” Well at least they were “efficient” in how much time they spent looking into it…

On Jan 16 nearly a month after I reported the fraud I got hold of Luis Lopez. He repeated everything his colleague had said. But he added one wrinkle. When I explained that this was a) lousy customer service and b) they were protecting a fraudster, he said that he couldn’t contact the fraud department, nor could I. But he said, even though my case was closed Wells Fargo may be investigating the accounts being used by the fraudster. Or it may not. But while he didn’t know, and couldn’t find out for me, it didn’t mean that Wells Fargo was not investigating. However due to their need to protect the confidentiality of their client — the fraudster — they can’t even tell me if they are investigating or not. And no, I would never find out either way. Even if they froze the fraudster’s account and found my money in it. And he hinted, how did they know that I wasn’t trying to get paid back by the fraudster for something he had actually given me? So couldn’t I see why they couldn't tell me anything?

I explained very clearly that by this stage I wasn’t so worried about the money, I just wanted someone at Wells Fargo to care about my situation. I also explained that all my and my wife’s accounts would walk out the door and that we would move our line of credit and mortgages to another bank. Given their cost to acquire a customer, they would be very foolish to let that happen. Oh, and they also would find me making a big fuss on Twitter, and getting my elected representatives and contacts in the press to investigate. The last time they got investigated the fine was $185m and the CEO had to quit. Apparently none of that matters.

And just for grins I tried to send the scammer $1 to the original account again using Zelle but I got a bounce saying the account wasn’t valid. I then got back in touch with the scammer from my fake email and asked to pay him again. This time he gave me a new Wells Fargo account in the name “Alicia Isela Ruiz, Account number 1711158756.” I used Zelle to send over 25 cents and it appears to have gone through. So at least Wells Fargo has got one happy customer. Even if it is a thief.

So there you have it. The incompetence, fraud and idiocy of Wells Fargo wrapped up in one tawdry little story. And yup, I’m still an idiot. But at least one who will make a fuss about it.

Of course if you’re interested in helping me, or have other words of advice, or stories about Wells Fargo helping fraudsters, please let me know. (Don’t tell me I’m an idiot — I know that already!)

CODA — Amazingly, FIVE years later, Wells Fargo sent me a letter saying that they had reopened the investigation and decided that I was defrauded. They sent me MORE than the money I had lost. By then I had already taken all my accounts away from them. I have no idea why they did this but I guess I am not complaining.