An 86-year-old Wells Fargo customer lost tens of thousands of dollars in her bank account days after her AT&T phone number stopped working.
It all started when Joann discovered her landline telephone was out of service after returning home from the hospital, reports ABC 7 News.
Joann’s son, Steve promptly reported the matter to her landline telephone company, AT&T.
“[AT&T] said, ‘Oh, you know, there was a breach and we think your number was stolen. Your phone number from your landline was stolen.’”
AT&T then issued Joann a new number.
Weeks later, Wells Fargo’s Fraud Detection Division informed Joann that potentially fraudulent activity had been detected on her savings account. Joann visited the bank that same day, where she learned that thousands of dollars had been wired out of her account.
Steve says,
“There was approximately $25,000 that had been wired out of her account. At first, we didn’t know how the money was taken out…
…Apparently, whoever stole this number then had it converted to a cellphone through another carrier.”
An investigation revealed that, besides stealing the landline telephone number, a hacker also stole the identity of Joann’s late husband, which was then used to access her Wells Fargo bank account online.
At the time, Joann’s Wells Fargo bank account was still jointly registered to her and her late husband. Wells Fargo subsequently removed Joann’s husband from the account after Steve provided his late father’s death certificate.
Steve says getting Wells Fargo to reimburse the stolen funds proved a little more difficult, however.
“The big hurdle was they [Wells Fargo] wanted a letter [from AT&T confirming that Joann’s number was stolen and ported to another company]…”
After struggling for a month trying to get a letter from AT&T, Steve sought the help of the media. AT&T responded soon after and Wells Fargo reimbursed the $25,000.
“There was a door that was locked to us and we weren’t getting any further. And [ABC 7] On Your Side was the key that opened that door up.”
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