Wells Fargo has denied a customer’s plea for reimbursement after a scammer drained $18,000 from his account, according to a new report.
Virginia resident William Sroufe lost more than $18,000 on December 17th in a phone scam where the caller impersonated Wells Fargo, reports the local news outlet WWBT.
The caller ID displayed Wells Fargo’s name and the scammer claimed to notice fraudulent activity on Sroufe’s account.
The scammer said the bank needed to lock down the account, and Sroufe agreed.
The caller then claimed money had been moved to Cash App and mentioned Bitcoin, which raised Sroufe’s suspicions. When Sroufe checked his banking app, he discovered the account had been drained of more than $18,000.
Sroufe says he missed an email alert from Wells Fargo about unusual activity until after the loss. He contacted the bank’s fraud department, which shut down the account.
Sroufe filed a claim, but Wells Fargo denied it, sending a letter stating it found “no evidence of fraud.” Sroufe firmly disputes the bank’s conclusion.
“Authorization through deception is not consent. And that’s what I kept telling them.”
At time of publishing, Wells Fargo has not commented on the case.
