A Wells Fargo customer says the banking giant should have raised a red flag when $147,000 was drained from her account in less than an hour.
Judith Anderson says she recently received a call from a number that appeared as “Wells Fargo” on her phone, reports NBC San Diego.
But the number was spoofed and the caller was a thief who convinced Anderson that someone was trying to move money out of her bank account.
To supposedly save her money, the scammer pressured Anderson into initiating several wire transfers to a different account that also appeared to have her name on it.
But her money was gone in seconds, and Wells Fargo says it’s not responsible.
Although Anderson feels foolish, she says the bank should have had safety measures in place to double check and ensure the sudden burst of large transfers were legitimate.
“After the first [transfer], wouldn’t there be something internally of, ‘That doesn’t look right – she’s banked there 52 years and that’s abnormal behavior.'”
NBC asked Wells Fargo if it has implemented safety measures to ensure large transfers are legit, but the bank issued a generic statement in response.
“Scams are an industry-wide concern, and we never want to see anyone become a victim.
Through our education efforts, we are actively working to raise awareness of common scams to help prevent these heartbreaking incidents.”
Although the bank has not explained why it allowed the transfers to go through, it has released a security checklist for clients to follow.
Wells Fargo says it will never call its clients, and people should never trust caller ID, share personal information, give out passwords, PIN numbers or access codes.
