Local employees paychecks bounce after criminals hack business account

RICHMOND, Va. – A Richmond McDonald’s restaurant allegedly fell victim to criminals accessing the business’ bank account, and in the process employees weren’t paid.

The owner of the franchise told CBS 6 news it was the bank that spotted fraudulent activity on the account and immediately closed it. From there, workers say they saw a trickle-down effect that led to a huge inconvenience for them.

Some of the workers reached out to CBS 6 News and said the bank didn’t honor their paychecks on Monday.

One of the workers spoke on camera with CBS 6 News but declined to show her face. She explained what happened on the trip to the bank Monday afternoon.

“The lady gave me my check and said the account was closed and I had to sit down with a teller,” the worker said. “Come to find out, my account was ok.”

“It was the check from McDonalds that was insufficient funds,” the worker said.

Without a paycheck, they said it has been tough to pay personal bills.

The worker expressed frustration.

“For me not to have a check, now everything is late,” they said. “My daycare is late, my rent is late --everything is late.”

The McDonald’s owner emphasized his business has sufficient funds but the account had to be closed by the bank when it noticed fraudulent activity. He said he gave the bank a list of checks that should have been honored. He explained that word did not reach every Wells Fargo branch in the area.

The restaurant owner said some employees weren’t able to cash their paychecks and others did.  He told CBS 6 News the bank has assured them all McDonald’s workers should have no problems recouping their money.

He also said he treats all of his employees very well.

We reached out to Wells Fargo for additional comment and are still waiting to hear back. The McDonald’s owner says the incident likely impacted between 20 to 30 workers. He explained that he and the bank will work with any employee who incurs fees as a result of the incident.