‘They know it’s a messed up system,’ blasts Wells Fargo customer as bank refuses to give back $42,000 due to ‘spoofing’
A WELLS Fargo customer was in shock to find her bank account wiped of all but $11.
Efeti Egun learned thousands of dollars in fraudulent purchases were made to her bank account after trying to order dinner.
Surfing DoorDash for dinner one evening, Atlanta native Efeti Egun found herself worrying about more than what her next meal would be.
When her card was declined, she knew something suspicious was afoot.
“I just used Apple Pay, like you know how you just use your Apple Wallet to pay, you can just click it on the side and it says insufficient funds,” Egun told the Atlanta Black Star.
“And I said wait, what what do you mean insufficient funds?”
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Egun took to contacting Wells Fargo, whom she'd been banking with for eight years, according to the Atlanta Black Star, but no promises to recover her money were made.
She told the outlet she had $38,000 to $40,000 in her personal account last summer.
Five months later, her funds mysteriously disappeared.
And Wells Fargo never alerted her of the spoofing being committed.
TAKING ACTION
Egun made a series of moves to try to get her money back, though __.
She was first instructed by Wells Fargo to contact Apple where thousands of the fraudulent charges were made.
But Apple directed her back to the bank, saying it was the institution's fault for not stopping the charges made via Apple Pay, reported the Atlanta Black Star.
Egun also took action by filing a complaint with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau after money was withdrawn between August and December 2023.
She even provided the trail of transactions that took place which added up to $42,835.74.
A private investigator at the bank concluded she lost about $33,000 in fraudulent charges, but a later audit revealed she actually lost more, with $9,500 wiped from her account, reported the Atlanta Black Star.
The bank reportedly told Egun it didn't pick up on the fraud because she'd used Apple Pay in the past.
Top tips on avoiding scams from a bank
As scams become more sophisticated with the use of artificial intelligence, it is important you know how to spot a scam:
- Be skeptical of online deals that seem too good to be true, especially on social media.
- Scammers will often use tactics to make you panicked so you make quick decisions - be cautious if you are told to take immediate action and verify who has contacted you.
- Chase Bank warns customers to "never return any unexpected funds without calling Chase first."
- Never send money to someone you have only spoken to online or by phone as this is likely a romance scam.
- Unless you 100% know who you are talking to, never give someone remote access to your device.
- Never accept help from strangers at an ATM and always be vigilant when making withdrawals.
- Do not send money or click any links indicating that you have won a prize.
Source: Chase.com
Despite her persistence, her funds have not been recovered, though Egun is taking the bank to court.
“They just don’t want to do anything about it. It’s like they’ve just been giving me the runaround,” she told the Atlanta Black Star.
“They don’t want to give me my money back. Even though they know it’s a mess up. They know it’s a messed up system.”
A Wells Fargo representative told the Atlanta Black Star that the bank "researched the matter and the evidence supports [its] decision," and that it's in contact with Egun.
The U.S. Sun reached out to Wells Fargo in a request for comment.
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The U.S. Sun also has the story of a Chase customer who alleged that $15,000 was unexpectedly drained from their accounts.
Another user's bank closed both of their accounts due to "strange activity" that was not deemed fraud.