A South Carolina couple is suing Wells Fargo after $72,360 was wired out of their accounts overnight and the bank denied their fraud claim, according to a report by Savannah news station WJCL.
Melanie and Jack Anderson of Bluffton say they did not authorize the transfers. The money left in two wires sent at 1 a.m. and 4 a.m., the report says.
Unauthorized transfers
Melanie Anderson said she discovered the transfers when she checked her account in the morning.
"I woke up and went to my computer like I do every day. And I looked at my Wells Fargo account, and there was a wire transfer for $22,500 out of my checking and $49,860 out of my savings, and I had no knowledge of that. I didn't authorize it."
She said the bank did not reach out to her about the wires: "I was furious. How can you deny it? I didn't authorize it. You didn't ask me about it. You didn't text me. You didn't call me, nothing."
Bank denies claim
Wells Fargo denied the claim within days, saying its verification system worked, according to WJCL. In a letter cited by the station, the bank said:
"We understand you may have unknowingly participated in a fraud scheme. While you may have acted in good faith, we can't assume liability for financial transactions a customer negotiates or otherwise authorizes with unknown individuals; we're unable to reimburse your account."
Lawsuit allegations
The lawsuit, filed by attorney Dave Maxfield, alleges that hackers stole the couple's online banking credentials and moved the money without multi-factor or live confirmation. It also alleges Wells Fargo denied the claim without a meaningful investigation, provisional credit or a prompt effort to recall the wires.
"The Andersons are people who didn't do anything wrong," Maxfield said, according to WJCL.
Wells Fargo told the station it had no comment on the lawsuit but empathizes with people hit by financial scams.
The case has been moved to federal court, and Maxfield says arbitration is possible.
