Wells Fargo said Thursday that customers are unable to log in to mobile and online banking and it was investigating the cause of the outage. In a post on Twitter, the San Francisco-based bank said, "We apologize to our customers who may be experiencing an issue with our online banking and mobile app. Thanks for your patience while we research this issue. If you are impacted, please check back here for updates." Tweet A subsequent post said, "We're experiencing a systems issue that is causing intermittent outages, and we're working to restore services as soon as possible." A "fire suppression" system was accidentally activated earlier Thursday at a Wells Fargo data center in Minnesota, though the fire department near the center told CNBC it responded and there was no fire. Fire Chief Tim Boehlke of Lake Johanna Fire Department told CNBC that the incident started 5 a.m. local time and Wells Fargo called the fire department at 9 a.m. it is not known whether this was related to the system interruption. In another tweet Thursday, the bank said the system issues were "due to a power shutdown at one of our facilities, initiated after smoke was detected following routine maintenance." Tweet Wells is the fourth-largest U.S. bank by assets with a sprawling branch operation that reaches coast to coast. People attempting to visit its website see a message that says it's experiencing technical difficulties. Wells Fargo's Hilary O'Byrne acknowledged the systems issue in a statement to CNBC. "We're experiencing a systems issue that is causing intermittent outages, and we're working to restore services as soon as possible. We apologize for the inconvenience." CNBC's Ryan Ruggiero contributed reporting. WATCH: Here's why you should think twice before using your debit card<doc-sep>We apologize to our customers who may be experiencing an issue with our online banking and mobile app. Thanks for your patience while we research this issue. If you are impacted, please check back here for updates. — Wells Fargo (@WellsFargo) February 7, 2019 A number of Wells Fargo customers are seeing errors like this when trying to log into their accounts. Bank officials say they are working to restore service. Details here: https://t.co/jTGEuXM9H3 pic.twitter.com/7epQ45FRwd — Action News on 6abc (@6abc) February 7, 2019 We’re experiencing a systems issue that is causing intermittent outages, and we’re working to restore services as soon as possible. We apologize for the inconvenience. — Wells Fargo (@WellsFargo) February 7, 2019 We want our customers to know that this is a contained issue affecting one of our facilities, and not due to any cybersecurity event. We apologize for the inconvenience caused by these system issues, and any Wells Fargo fees incurred as a result of these issues will be reversed. — Wells Fargo (@WellsFargo) February 8, 2019 Smoke at one of Wells Fargo's data centers left some of the bank's customers without access to online or mobile banking as well as accessing cash from ATMs.It is unknown how many Wells Fargo customers were impacted.Wells Fargo said workers discovered the problem following routine maintenance. "We apologize to our customers who may be experiencing an issue with our online banking and mobile app," Wells Fargo tweeted.The company said late on Thursday that it had restored ATM access and some online features, but that that other features, such as credit card and mortgage balances, were still being worked on. "We continue to work on restoring all our services as soon as possible, and encourage customers to contact us if they have questions or concerns," the latest update reads On Friday, Wells Fargo told ABC that some customers were experiencing an issue with direct deposits on Friday morning. The company issued the following statement:When customers logged in on Thursday, some saw a message that apologized and said mobile banking was temporarily unavailable. "I got on my Wells Fargo App this morning to see what kind of funds I had to take them out, and it wouldn't let me log on or do anything," said Jonas Palmer. "It is sort of messed up and you can't see what your account balance is, but I could at least deposit a check," said Garth Connor. "I am a government worker who went through all the shutdown stuff and so my bank balance is different than it normally is. "Late Thursday, the company promised on Twitter that customers would not be responsible for fees resulting from the outage.San Francisco-based Wells Fargo, the nation's third-largest bank, can't seem to catch a break when it comes to its customer service issues over the last few years. The bank has been plagued with scandals over its sales practices, attaching insurance contracts to auto loans that did not need it, and putting homes into foreclosure where it shouldn't have happened. The bank has been fined more than a billion dollars for its customer service failures.---<doc-sep>Many Wells Fargo customers woke Thursday to find they couldn’t access their accounts — whether to get cash, pay bills or swipe a debit card for gas. The giant’s online banking… Many Wells Fargo customers woke Thursday to find they couldn’t access their accounts — whether to get cash, pay bills or swipe a debit card for gas. The giant’s online banking and mobile apps experienced apparently widespread outages, and its automated systems and customer service representatives were unable to access detailed account information, according to an automated phone response. “We’re working to restore services as soon as possible,” said Jacob Jordan, Wells Fargo assistant vice president for corporate communications, by phone. By midday, the bank announced via Twitter that the issues were due to a power shutdown in response to smoke detected during facility maintenance. If you’re affected by this or another bank outage, here’s what you need to know. What to do right now How to check your bank balance: If you can’t access your account information online, a phone representative may be able to provide limited information about the money in your accounts, based on the bank’s records before the system’s issues began. Wells Fargo’s customer service number is 800-869-3557; you can also try its text banking service or visit a local branch. How to get cash: It’s possible that tellers may be able to check your balance and allow some deposits and withdrawals. But until the bank’s systems are fully back up and running, it could be difficult to get cash. Stay alert to possible fraud. Keep your eyes open for potential fraudsters who might contact you and claim to be from your bank. If they ask for personal information, it could be a phishing attempt designed to get your account information and, eventually, your money. You can avoid getting tricked by not responding and by contacting the bank through official means, such as its customer service number. What to do next The Wells Fargo outage is probably not going to be the last time a bank experiences a tech failure. Take these steps to prepare for the next one, regardless of where you bank. Review your records. During an outage, you may be unable to look at recent transactions in real time. When the system comes back up, check your records. If you see unauthorized transactions, contact your bank to investigate. Establish a backup. If you have only one bank account, consider opening a second account at another bank or credit union as a contingency plan so you’re not stuck if this happens again. “This is why you need a Plan B: a little cash stashed at home, another bank account, or more than one credit card,” says Liz Weston, NerdWallet personal finance expert. “One computer glitch, power outage or natural disaster could cut you off from your usual source of money and leave you stranded.” » Looking for other options? See our list of best checking accounts Guard against fraud. While there were no early indications that the Wells Fargo outage was due to hackers, outages are a prime time for scammers to try to do more harm, says Shirley Inscoe, a senior analyst at Aite Group, a research and advisory firm. “They know a bank’s call center is inundated, so they may try to call and impersonate a customer in order to access their account,” she says. If successful, a fraudster could steal funds from checking, savings and even lines of credit. It’s a reminder to be vigilant against fraud in all of your financial accounts: Keep strong passwords. Check your transactions regularly. Report suspicious transactions to your bank or credit union immediately. Margarette Burnette is a writer at NerdWallet. Email: mburnette@nerdwallet.com. Twitter: @Margarette.<doc-sep>
It is the second time in a week the bank has had problems with these services. Wells Fargo confirmed on Thursday that there were system-wide problems causing outages on its online banking platforms and mobile banking app for the second time in one week. "We’re experiencing system issues due to a power shutdown at one of our facilities, initiated after smoke was detected following routine maintenance. We’re working to restore services as soon as possible. We apologize for the inconvenience," company spokeswoman Jennifer Langan wrote in a statement to ABC News. She did not respond to questions about the scope and breadth of the problem or how many customers or locations were affected. Earlier on Thursday, the embattled bank had tweeted: "We apologize to our customers who may be experiencing an issue with our online banking and mobile app. Thanks for your patience while we research this issue," the bank tweeted on Thursday morning." It followed up 40 minutes later with another message: "We’re experiencing a systems issue that is causing intermittent outages, and we’re working to restore services as soon as possible. We apologize for the inconvenience." Customers experiencing issues also tweeted about their problems with using credit and debit cards. "Direct deposits have been rejected people say, and on social media people are not able to use their cards. Wells Fargo has message to call for support or visit an ATM but those two are down. Branches cannot access accounts either. It's not just the online banking/mobile app," one Twitter user wrote. Last Friday, the bank also confirmed it had issues with the same functions. "We’re sorry some of our customers may continue to experience an issue with our online banking and mobile app. We’re working hard to resolve the matter ASAP and will post additional updates here," the bank tweeted on Feb. 1.