Wells Fargo Refuses To Reimburse Customer After Scammers Drain $3,300 From Her Account: Report

A Wells Fargo customer in Texas says the bank has refused to reimburse her after scammers drained $3,300 from her account through the payments platform Zelle.

Ashlie Rinehart says she received a call on April 1st from a number that appeared on caller ID as Wells Fargo, reports Fox 26 Houston.

She says the caller claimed to work for Wells Fargo’s fraud department and told her that her account had been hacked.

The caller then allegedly instructed Rinehart to enter a series of numbers that apparently gave the scammers access to her Zelle account. A total of $3,300 was taken in two separate transactions, according to the report.

Rinehart says she realized the call was fraudulent after spending more than an hour on the phone. She then went to a Wells Fargo branch to report the scam and also filed a report with the Harris County Sheriff’s Office.

Fox 26 says Wells Fargo denied her claim three times, telling her that she allowed someone to access her Zelle account.

The station also received a statement from Zelle spokesperson Eric Blankenbaker, who said scams often begin through social media, online marketplaces, text messages and spoofed phone calls.

Fox 26 says Wells Fargo has previously reversed some denied scam claims, but the bank remains firm when customers follow scammers’ instructions and withdraw or send the money themselves.

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