Texts claiming to be Wells Fargo usually report a problem with your account or ask you to verify a transaction. What Wells Fargo says it never asks for, and where to forward one.
What the text usually says
These texts say something needs your attention now. Wells Fargo’s own page tells customers to “be suspicious of messages that announce a ‘problem’ with your account or ask you to immediately log in to unlock your account, verify a transaction, make an online payment, or reverse a payment.”
One version is a fraud alert that isn’t one: a text asking whether you made a purchase, followed by a call from someone who says they are from the bank’s fraud team. The call is the real attack. It tends to end with a request to move money somewhere “safe” while the problem is fixed, or to read back a code the bank just sent you.
What Wells Fargo says it won’t do
Wells Fargo’s phishing page: “Wells Fargo will never ask for your password, PIN, or one-time access codes through email or text.”
And on the call that can follow the text: “Wells Fargo will never ask you to move or send money to anyone, including yourself, to ‘reverse a transfer,’ ‘receive a refund,’ ‘protect your money,’ ‘fix a problem,’ or anything similar.” Nor, the bank says, will it ask you to download remote-access software or share your screen with it.
How to check
To check a message, Wells Fargo says to “sign on using the Wells Fargo Mobile® app or type ‘wellsfargo.com’ into a new browser tab,” or to call the number on the back of your card. If someone calls claiming to be the bank, you can hang up and call that number yourself; a real fraud team will still be there.
How to report it
Wells Fargo’s instruction: “You can report suspicious emails or text messages claiming to be from Wells Fargo by forwarding them to reportphish@wellsfargo.com.” It notes that some forwarded messages may be rejected by its server, and says that if that happens, to delete the message.
If you already replied, tapped the link or gave out information, Wells Fargo says to call it immediately, on the number listed on its fraud reporting page. The FTC also suggests forwarding scam texts to 7726 (SPAM) and reporting them at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.
If you already tapped the link or paid
Who to call depends on how the money left, and the sooner the better. Here is who to call for each way of paying.
Got one and not sure?
Paste it into Second Look, or text it over, and Rowan will tell you in plain English what it sees. Free, and no account.
Sources
What Wells Fargo says is quoted from its own pages. Rowan isn’t affiliated with Wells Fargo.
- Wells Fargo: Five steps to avoid phishing scams, checked on September 26, 2026
- Wells Fargo: Report fraud, checked on September 26, 2026
- Wells Fargo: Bank imposter scams, checked on September 26, 2026
- FTC: How to recognize and report spam text messages, checked on September 26, 2026