Tampa man’s savings goes missing after Wells Fargo declares account dormant, transfers money to state

by: Shannon Behnken

TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) – Franz Forbes wants to know what happened to the $1,886.25 that he thought was safe in his savings account. Now his account is closed and no one has been able to provide a record of where the money went.

“It’s my money, and I need it,” Forbes said. “I don’t know how they can do this. I wasn’t given a warning.”

Forbes tells 8 On Your Side’s Better Call Behnken that he kept his savings account when he moved from Jupiter to Tampa. Admittedly, he didn’t touch the money for five years. When he did, he discovered he didn’t have an account any longer.

“They told me the money was sent to the State of Florida and I could get it there,” he said.

And that’s when the real trouble started. The state’s Unclaimed Property Division is responsible for returning money like this, sent from dormant accounts at financial institutions. But, in this case, Forbes said the state says they can’t find any record the money was sent to them.

“Wells Fargo insists they sent it and no one will help,” he said. “They said the account’s closed, you need to go away.”

Hours after Better Call Behnken started investigating, the bank called Forbes. He was asked to come to the bank, where he was given a cashiers check for the full amount which he’s already cashed.

This isn’t the first time Better Call Behnken has helped someone get their own bank account money back.

Here’s some 8 On Your Side Better Call Behnken advice: in order to keep your account from being deemed dormant, make sure there is activity on your account.

Activity means more than just looking at your account balances or accruing interest in a savings account. It’s a good idea to make deposits from time to time, even if they are small.

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Tampa man’s savings goes missing after Wells Fargo declares account dormant, transfers money to state