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The Wrong Bank Account

Due to a logistics accounting mix-up error in a wire transfer or fraud scam

By isartePublished 3 years ago 6 min read
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Business bank card

As the new Order Manager for Auto Coordination LLC, I was hired and promoted by Capital Logistics LLC from being Logistics Manager, handling shipping and receiving packages for two weeks to Order Manager, handling the shopping orders and wire transfers at the bank. They registered a limited liability company at the New York Secretary of State with the help of a registered agent, as well as at the Internal Revenue Service for an Employer Identification Number. Feather Davis, the head manager told me to open a business bank account in Wells Fargo. I also registered Auto Coordination LLC in the California Secretary of State. All of the above made me think this was a real legitimate legal job, albeit working remotely from home and a UPS business address.

Note: this is a true story with a few names slightly changed as confidential.

The first transaction credited to the account was $20,000. Following instructions from Feather with an invoice for cleaning machines, I went in person to Wells Fargo to request an international wire transfer of $18,100 to Ziraat Bankasi to pay Volga Koc an agent of DIRT Plastics in Turkey. My commission was supposed to be $1,900, which would be above my monthly base pay $4000. Everything went smoothly at the bank with the help of Charon Lo. I reported to Feather with a copy of the wire transmission form.

Two weeks after, I received a call from Wells Fargo fraud department that the customer Clinton Winner had asked for a refund and recall funds. Bernice accused me of stealing and spending the money because my account was empty, that it was an unauthorized transaction and that it would close in 10 days for fraud! She gave me a phone and case number. I was horrified and informed Feather to inform the customer and supplier! She did and said there was an accident and damaged goods were returned to the supplier, but they would fill paperwork with a lawyer and redeliver in ten days.

Realizing that maybe I should disobey Feather, warning me not to contact both customer and supplier myself, I Google searched Clinton Winner again and found his landscaping website Setting Sun Designs, matching his name and address from the instructions from Feather. It also had his phone and email. I emailed him an apology and repeated Feather's reply.

I also tried searching for Volga Koc in Linkedin but there were over 350 results! I messaged a few with this same name. One replied that he was not the one linked to DIRT Plastics. The others ignored my inquiries. There was no website for the supplier.

Clinton email replied that he did not receive any delivery from OTZ Motors and forwarded their emails about an accident and non-delivery and that their insurance would refund him in ten days. I puzzled why he was dealing with another supplier? I informed him that DIRT Plastics would redeliver and the weather was bad during that accident. He insisted on a refund. I replied that OTZ Motors was listed as a scam business and emailed him to stop dealing with them, and that maybe he was confusing companies. I expressed this confusion to Feather in email forwarding Clinton's replies and within the control panel of Capital Logistics LLC.

Three weeks from the transfer, I received a Wells Fargo fraud department letter confirming that Auto Coordination's business and savings accounts would be closed from an unauthorized transfer. It was a real frightening turn-around of events within less than a month! I shared the letter with Feather. I asked for any update from the supplier in Turkey, but still the delay in paperwork and that the lawyer will communicate with the customer. I was sending emails to Clinton and cc to Feather to ensure that we were trying to correct the problem together before the bank accounts close. I kept my notes in a big sketch book and a little black one to take around when needed for phone numbers and important case reference numbers and names.

Deciding that the right action would be to refund Clinton as he requested, I had to go to Wells Fargo bank in person and ask for help to contact Ziraat Bankasi and their customer Volga Koc. I set the appointment. I informed Feather and Clinton my intention over phone calls and apologized to him verbally for the non-delivery and would ask a refund by reverse wire transfer. The night before, he emailed sharing his invoice for a boat, which was written by OTZ Motors! I was shocked at this because Feather had given me an invoice for cleaning machines from DIRT Plastics with instructions stating Clinton Winner as the customer sender of $20,000. That was such a big accounting mix-up mistake that it could be customer impersonation fraud! I tried emailing OTZ Motors but their website and email no longer worked and their phones rang without answering. I suspected an imposter impersonating Clinton had contacted Capital Logistics LLC to divert the funds to Turkey with probably a fake supplier and invoice too. I emailed both Clinton and Feather my suspicions and how the mistake could be a fraud scam. I also puzzled how Clayton knew about Auto Coordination and why did he not just pay OTZ Motors directly as their address was in New York and that Auto Coordination does not work with them. He replied that OTZ Motors set it up.

At Wells Fargo bank, I asked the banker Randy Choo if he could reverse an international wire transfer because it went to the wrong person? I presented the documents including the two invoices -- one given by Feather Davis and Capital Logistics LLC with instructions to wire to Volga Koc, organizer of DIRT Plastics for cleaning machines, via Ziraat Bankasi in Turkey; the other given by Clinton Winner, the customer ordering a boat from OTZ Motors in New York. Both were setup to use Auto Coordination LLC business account and myself as Order Manager, the middle transfer agent. Clinton and I also exchanged wire transfer forms, his done by Jenni Stills in Well Fargo Placerville branch without logo, and mine done by Charon Lo in Newark, both Wells Fargo, but not exact photocopies with signatures. He said it looked like I could be the victim and that I was used to legitimize the transaction. I said I was new to the country and scared that it was either fraud or a horrible mix-up! Besides, since December when I started, I never received even one pay check from Capital Logistics. But maybe as long as Volga Koc is not a scammer, I hoped he would probably agree to wire it back or reject it when Ziraat Bank alerts him about the cancel payment wire to recall funds back to Well Fargo. The commission too can be returned to Clinton Winner so he would not be a victim. Auto Coordination might have a debt on the business, if the money does not return, but being a limited liability company could spare my personal funds from collection.

At home disturbed by this incident and wondering whether the $18,100 would return, I Google searched online with keywords 'wells fargo fraud scam' and saw a Forbes posted article in 2020 titled 'Wells Fargo Forced To Pay $3 Billion For The Bank's Fake Account Scandal'. To meet sales quotas, 'Wells Fargo employees created millions of savings and checking accounts for customers without their knowledge or approval.' This was really horrifying because maybe these inside banker fraudsters used these fake accounts, by hiring impersonators to pretend to be customers ordering products to Capital Logistics and set up fake suppliers to divert funds to other banks and embezzle both customers and Wells Fargo itself! A complicated complex method of operations to embezzle from within the bank and using logistics companies to divert money out. I planned to report it some day to both state governments and maybe even close the business after.

I realized that this was overwhelming and frightening. My family were concerned that I would be taken away maybe by police? This scam setup was too huge to handle and I am being framed as the middle person. I informed Feather that this was a dangerous position. She too should realize she is probably being fooled by fake customers and fake suppliers. I woke up and resigned.

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About the Creator

isarte

56 years young, like arts and poetry, occult, tuning fork, multiculturalism

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