Robert Branagh, a long-time Wells Fargo business account holder, recently became the latest victim of unauthorized withdrawals and transfers totaling just under $150,000. Despite filing a fraudulent claim immediately, he was unable to recover any funds from the illegal transactions. The first breach occurred on Aug. 17 but was not noticed until Aug. 29 after a total of $149,296.48 was taken in a series of withdrawals. According to bank records, the final withdrawal of $10,000 was taken out of Branagh’s business account on Aug. 28 and $530 dollars were taken out of his daughter’s account on Aug. 29.
The U.S. Secret Service Orlando office suggested that the account may have been tested by a potential buyer of stolen accounts as the small withdrawals indicated a test to see if the account was active. This led to an escalation of larger withdrawals totaling just under $150,000 before any action could be taken to secure the funds. The Secret Service advises anyone with a checking or savings account to check their accounts every day and report any suspicious activity immediately to local law enforcement or their agency if they suspect their account has been compromised.
If you have any questions or need assistance with this issue, please email makeendsmeet@wkmg.com or text “make ends meet” along with your contact information and details about your issue to 407-676-7428 for further assistance