Purse Ho
HANFORD, Calif. (KGPE) – A single mother who had sold her home for $90,000 and placed the money safely in the bank was surprised to find the money had completely disappeared from her account.
Erika had moved in with her parents and planned to put that money into a new house.
But when the money disappeared, she says it was one of the scariest situations the single mother has been in.
“Because it was so much money, I always checked my account to make sure my money was there,” says Erika.
About two months had passed when she received six notifications from her bank, Wells Fargo.
His personal information, email address and phone number were updated and changed without his knowledge.
“I checked my account, my money disappeared,” says Erika.
Someone got access to his $90,000.
“Without this money, I have no house for myself, for my children, for my family. So $90,000 is a crazy amount to think anyone could have stolen them,” Erika recalls.
Wells Fargo has opened an investigation. She says she tried to keep in touch with the bank.
“For a whole month I called every 48 hours,” Erika said, adding that she wasn’t sure if she would ever see that money again.
“It was ‘We don’t know – we don’t know what’s going on – we don’t know where the money is – there’s an investigation going on.'”
Erika remembers the fear and anxiety she felt.
“I told my parents that I felt defeated, like I felt like I couldn’t do anything, I won’t get that money back,” she explains.
It was then that her brother decided to seek outside help.
“He said, we’re going to get someone to help us,” she explained. She contacted CBS47, which contacted Wells Fargo. The bank escalated Erika’s claim.
“Literally, the day after they sent an email, they called me,” says Erika.
The scammer allegedly stole Erika’s identity by freely moving $90,000 using her name, until the money was no longer in her name.
“These people created this savings account in my name, then transferred my money from my checking account to the savings account in my name, then transferred it to their bank account with which I did not have no connection”, explains Erika.
Wells Fargo declined to reveal details of what they found in their investigation and it is unclear whether the person involved has ever been arrested or how often the incident occurred.
The bank provided a statement:
“We never want to see anyone fall victim to a scam, and we actively work to raise awareness of common scams to help prevent these heartbreaking incidents.
Wells Fargo worked with Erika to ensure the $90,000 was returned to her name. She can now move forward with buying a new home for her family.
“I will be eternally grateful to you and your help. »
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