{"id":266,"date":"2026-05-07T10:38:31","date_gmt":"2026-05-07T10:38:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/houstonmovingjournal.com\/?p=266"},"modified":"2026-05-07T10:38:31","modified_gmt":"2026-05-07T10:38:31","slug":"scammers-steal-3300-from-hockley-womans-wells-fargo-account-bank-says-shes-not-getting-her-money-back-3","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/houstonmovingjournal.com\/?p=266","title":{"rendered":"Scammers steal $3,300 from Hockley woman’s Wells Fargo account, bank says she’s not getting her money back"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/p>\n

HOUSTON<\/strong> – <\/span>We’ve done several reports on Wells Fargo Bank customers being victims of scams and initially told by the bank their claims were denied.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Read more Apple settlement: Owners of some iPhone models could get $95<\/a><\/p>\n

In some cases, Wells Fargo reversed its original decision and returned the funds. But the bank is adamant when customers follow the scammers instructions and withdraw the money themselves, they won’t get it back.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Scammers steal $3,300 from Hockley woman’s Wells Fargo account<\/h2>\n

<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

What we know:<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

That’s apparently the case when the money is taken from the customer’s Zelle.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

On April 1, Ashlie Rinehart says she got a call and her caller ID said Wells Fargo bank. She didn’t know it at the time, but the number had been spoofed.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Ashlie says the caller claimed to be with Wells Fargo’s fraud department and her account had been hacked.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

She says she was then told to enter a series of numbers the caller gave her, which apparently allowed them access to her Zelle.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

A total of $3,300 was taken in two transactions.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Ashlie says she realized it was a scam after spending more than an hour on the phone with the caller. She says she immediately went to her branch to report the scam. She also filed a report with the HCSO.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Wells Fargo has denied her claim three times, saying she allowed someone access to her Zelle.<\/p>\n

Read more Mother\u2019s Day 2026 food deals and discounts<\/a><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Ashlie wants to warn others not to fall victim like she did. Best rule of thumb: If your bank calls, do not answer it. Go to the nearest branch or look up the number and call back.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

What they’re saying:<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

FOX 26 received a statement from Eric Blankenbaker, Vice President of Communications with Zelle, saying:<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

“What we consistently see is that\u00a0scams\u00a0don\u2019t\u00a0start with money.\u00a0They start on social media platforms, online marketplaces, and through text messages and spoofed phone calls. Many of these\u00a0scams\u00a0are run\u00a0at\u00a0scale by organized criminal networks, often overseas. Before money ever comes up, the damage is already happening at the identity level.\u00a0Once conversations move into private messages, texts, or calls,\u00a0there\u2019s\u00a0less visibility and fewer safeguards.\u00a0It\u2019s\u00a0harder to verify identities or spot suspicious behavior.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Scammers also create urgency \u2013 fake emergencies or emotional crises \u2013 so people\u00a0don\u2019t\u00a0stop\u00a0to think\u00a0or check with someone they trust. Slowing things down, staying on-platform, and questioning sudden pressure, hanging up the phone and calling back the official number can interrupt the\u00a0scam\u00a0before it escalates.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

That said, the reported rates of scam and fraud related to payments using Zelle are extremely low. Currently, only 0.02% of all Zelle transactions result in a report of fraud or scam. For perspective, you are more likely to get food poisoning (3%), be in a car accident (around 2%) or get injured using the toilet (0.07%) than experience fraud or\u00a0scam\u00a0related to Zelle as a payment method today.”<\/p>\n

Read more Lawsuit accuses Roku, TCL of \u2018bricking\u2019 TVs with defective software updates<\/a><\/p>\n

<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

We’ve done several reports on Wells Fargo Bank customers being victims of scams and initially told by the bank their claims were denied.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":14,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9,6,8,5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-266","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-consumer","category-houston","category-news","category-top-stories"],"yoast_head":"\nScammers steal $3,300 from Hockley woman's Wells Fargo account, bank says she's not getting her money back - Houston Moving Journal<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/houstonmovingjournal.com\/?p=266\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Scammers steal $3,300 from Hockley woman's Wells Fargo account, bank says she's not getting her money back - 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