January 4, 2026
In May 2025, Wells Fargo denied Young’s fraud claim, saying her report was untimely.
An 83-year-old Texas grandmother says Wells Fargo has refused to reimburse her for nearly $15,000 stolen through check fraud, a dispute her family and local police say continues to cause distress more than a year after the theft was first discovered.
Billie Young, a Dallas elder, wrote a check for $14,952.52 in August 2024 to pay off her car loan. A second check for her electric bill was processed normally. However, she did not get the same confirmation for the loan payment. Young later learned that someone had altered the payee name and cashed it, her family told WFAA-TV.
Young’s family said she contacted Wells Fargo on Sept. 6, 2024, to inquire about the unresolved loan payment and was told the check had cleared. A bank representative did not tell Young that the payee’s name had been changed or that the check appeared altered. Young asked for a stop payment on the utility check during that same call.
After Young obtained a copy of the cashed check in October 2024 showing the payee’s name had been changed and her signature appeared to have been forged, her family reported the incident to Dallas police and filed a fraud claim with Wells Fargo.
In May 2025, Wells Fargo denied Young’s fraud claim, saying her report was untimely her family told the outlet.
“The claim will remain denied, and we will not reimburse you for the disputed transactions,” the bank’s letter said, her family said.
Young’s granddaughter, Kecia Byars, said the protracted dispute has taken an emotional toll, leaving her grandmother stressed and tearful during bank visits. Out of concern for her well-being, Young closed her Wells Fargo account after more than 25 years as a customer.
Following renewed media coverage, Wells Fargo said it would re-review Young’s case, and the Dallas Police Department also said it is once again examining the matter.
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