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Wells Fargo Customers Describe How New Scam Works

DENVER (CBS4) - A scam that targets customers of Wells Fargo has started to appear in Colorado.

It starts with a phone call or text. For some it's an automated call that comes up on caller ID as a blocked number. In a recording that plays after people pick up the customer is told there's a problem with their account and it requests specific information.

Dr. Freeman Rader was among the CBS4 viewers who contacted Consumer Investigator Jodi Brooks about the scam. He got a similar message by text alert. It asked that he call a specific phone number.

"So I did so and a female voice said this was in regards to my account and to reactivate my account, please provide my card number," Rader said.

Rader contacted his bank and learned it was a scam.

Cindy Cox says she did provide personal information when she was contacted.

"I had to give my debit card number to them with the expiration date and the security code that goes on the back of it," she said.

Cox hung up and she panicked.

"I was so angry at myself for doing it -- I just couldn't believe what I had done."

After that she called her bank.

"After I called them they marked the card as a stolen card," she said.

Wells Fargo officials told CBS4 they are aware of the scam and they said the scam targets people at random.

CBS4 viewers who were victims of the scam said they don't feel that way.

"It does not feel random to me," said Barbara Webb, another person who was contacted.

"How people would know that I have an account with Wells Fargo?" Rader said.

"How would they know that I had a debit card through Wells Fargo?" Cox said.

The bank says one out of every 3 households across the country is a Wells Fargo customer. Bank officials told CBS4 they would never ask for personal account information over the phone or by text message.

If contacted, it's a good idea to call your bank or, better yet, go to your branch and meet with a banker.

Additional Resources

Anyone who thinks they have become a victim should contact Wells Fargo immediately. The FBI also wants to hear from Wells Fargo Bank customers who have been targeted.

- FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center: ic3.gov

- CBI Identity Theft Hotline: (800) 443-3489

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