Wells Fargo Accepted A $7,000 Forged Check A Year After Death—now Using "joint Account" Status To Shield The Fraudster

​Location: South Carolina

​I am the court-appointed Co-Personal Representative (PR) for my mother’s estate. She passed away intestate in January 2025. Immediately following her death, her Social Security Number was flagged via the Social Security Administration, and Wells Fargo deactivated all accounts held solely in her name. The bank had internal notice and 100% awareness of her death.

​The Fraud:

In January 2026—a full year after her passing—a payday loan/finance company sent a $7,000 check made out solely to her to her old address. An individual at that address intercepted the check and did the following:

1. ​Forged her signature.
2. ​Added her last four SSN digits.
3. ​Signed their own name and included a "PR" endorsement at the end.

​The Banking Failure:

The fraudster took this forged instrument to Wells Fargo and deposited it into a joint account. The teller never verified the "PR" status, never asked for Articles of Appointment, and ignored the fact that the primary payee’s SSN was already flagged as deceased in their own system. Wells Fargo effectively processed a loan check for a dead person based on a fraudulent endorsement.

​The Current Situation:

My sister and I became aware of this a month later. We have provided the Wells Fargo Estate Care Team with the death certificate, our court-issued Articles of Appointment, copies of the forged check, and transcripts from the finance company proving the fraudster lied about her status (claiming she was "on vacation" then "in the shower" before eventually claiming she died in a wreck a year after her actual death).

​The Problem:

Wells Fargo is hiding behind the "Joint Account / Right of Survivorship" status of the account where the money landed. They are telling us that because it hit a joint account, they have no obligation to the estate—even though the check was a forged instrument made out to a deceased person who could not legally enter into a loan contract. They told us to "go pound sand" regarding reimbursement or account closure without a legal order.

​My Questions:

1. ​Forgery vs. Account Type: Under South Carolina UCC (specifically § 36-3-404 regarding impostors and ordinary care), does a bank's duty to verify an unauthorized "PR" endorsement override the "Right of Survivorship" of a joint account?
2. ​Negligence: Does the bank’s prior knowledge of her death (via the SSN flag) establish a higher "Duty of Ordinary Care" or potentially "Bad Faith" for accepting a check where the primary payee is a known decedent?
3. ​Estate Assets: Since the check was issued solely in my mother's name, shouldn't it be considered an estate asset rather than a joint account "addition," making the bank liable for conversion?
4. ​Next Steps: I am currently filing a summons in Probate Court to bring Wells Fargo to a hearing. Has anyone had success forcing a major bank to recognize estate authority over a "joint account" in the face of blatant fraud?