SoCal Veteran Scammed Over $ 3,000 After Responding To Fake Text From Wells Fargo

Benjamin Gardner is still distressed that all the money he had in multiple accounts – $ 3,400 – is now gone.

“Very depressed … someone stole my money,” he said.

It all started with a text that appeared to come from Wells Fargo warning him of a charge.

“Did you carry out these transactions? And instantly I said ‘No, I deny that,’ “explained the Navy veteran.

It turns out that it was a con artist who called him then. He says the caller ID said Wells Fargo.

“And I said ‘Well how do I know it’s you?’ and he said ‘Check the number,’ “Gardner says.

He checked and it was Wells Fargo.

“He made me log in, and I guess he was looking exactly at the numbers in my bank account because he knew exactly how much to extract for checking and savings,” Gardner says.

The scammer convinced him to send money with Zelle, claiming he would go back to his account. Gardner then went to a Wells Fargo branch and people there told him the bad news.

“It was like slow motion. I knew something bad had happened,” Gardner says.

Gardner learned he had been scammed.

He informed Wells Fargo, who investigated but said in a letter there was little he could do.

“Getting robbed in the guise of Wells Fargo… I think that’s such a hoax,” Gardner says.

Wells Fargo could not comment specifically on Gardner’s case, but told Eyewitness News: “While it is not always possible to recover funds on behalf of victims, Wells Fargo is working with other financial institutions and law enforcement to help identify suspects and recover funds when possible. “

Wells Fargo claims crooks can spoof their caller ID numbers and use shards of personal information to convince people to reveal their access codes and steal money.

To avoid this, the bank says “… never share your temporary access codes or PIN code with anyone who calls you unexpectedly.” Your bank or the government will never ask you for this information. “

Gardner, who is a Navy veteran, says he is speaking up to alert others to this vacation scam.

“I can’t imagine other veterans who might already have mental issues while on vacation,” Gardner said.