Someone Scammed an 81-Year-Old Dallas Woman Out of $15,000, Her Bank’s Alleged Response is Infuriating

When writing a check goes wrong… and it’s not even your fault! At 83 years old, Dallas resident Billie Young now has a lot on her plate. In addition to taking care of her husband, who was diagnosed with cancer, the grandmother is still in the middle of a battle with Wells Fargo over a check she wrote more than a year ago.

Young had been a customer of Wells Fargo for 25 years. So when it came time for her to pay her electric bill and her car loan, she did as any typical Wells Fargo customer would. The electric bill was processed as normal, but the same couldn’t be said for the car loan worth $14,952.52.

Young later learned someone changed the payee name on the check and cashed it for themselves, which started an unfortunate series of events, her family told WFAA-TV.

That was back in August 2024. And Young still doesn’t know where all of her money ended up. She did, however, contact Wells Fargo on Sept. 6, 2024, to inquire about the unresolved car loan payment, according to the outlet. That’s when the bank representative informed her that the check did in fact clear. What the rep failed to tell the grandmother is that the payee’s name was changed and the check had clearly been altered.

The following month, Young received a copy of the altered check which showed her signature was forged. That’s when her family reported the matter to Dallas police, they told WFAA. They also filed a fraud claim with the bank. It would take seven months for Young to hear back from Wells Fargo… and it wasn’t good news.

“The claim will remain denied, and we will not reimburse you for the disputed transactions,” a letter from the bank to Young read. The message all on top of the year-long saga has expectedly taken a toll on the older woman. Her family said she often becomes anxious and emotional.

“It’s been very sad, and more so to see we can’t get through a bank visit without her vomiting or being in tears,” Young’s granddaughter, Kecia Byars, told the outlet. The family insisted Young submitted her claim within the allotted time frame to do so. They also added the altered check was rejected by a different bank before it was cashed because of fraudulence.

A disheartened Young, who had been a Wells Fargo customer since 1996, officially closed her account. It wasn’t until WFAA reported her story in December that viewers from across the country started contacting the station with similar stories of elderly relatives being victims of fraud.

The national coverage eventually caught the attention of higher-ups at Wells Fargo, who have promised to “re-review” Young’s case. Police also said they’re taking another look at the incident.