Consumer complaint received 2023-07-11
Company: AMERICAN EXPRESS COMPANY
State: IL
Product: Credit card or prepaid card
Sub-product: General-purpose credit card or charge card
Issue: Problem with a purchase shown on your statement
Sub-issue: Card was charged for something you did not purchase with the card

Complaint:
XX/XX/XXXX XXXX tickets were purchased from XXXX XXXX using my Amex card. Each ticket was {$6900.00} for a total of {$13000.00}. The fight was for XXXX XXXX on XXXX XXXX in XXXX XXXX, Nevada. 
On XX/XX/XXXX I opened my Amex app to look over my purchase totals and discovered this had occurred. I followed their procedure regarding a complaint, I researched the XXXX  info, found the ph. # and called their customer service department. I explained to the XXXX  rep that besides the fact that I hate fighting of any sort, and I would never spend {$14000.00} to see 2 men punch and beat each other, I had just had XXXX XXXX XXXX on XX/XX/XXXX and I had neither the thought, energy or desire to do anything more than recover. The XXXX  rep told me that I had gotten the tickets, I had purchased the tickets so I owed for them. Again I told her I did no such thing. She responded that they do not give refunds and she hung up. 
Then I got on the Amex site and began a dispute regarding the charge. The dispute went to their fraud department. The fraud department called me about this charge. I told them all the reasons I would not have bought those tickets, adding that I was XXXXXXXX XXXX XXXX ( at the time ), I live on a fixed retirement income and I had no intention, much less the finances for such a purchase. 
At this time I remembered seeing emails from XXXX XXXX, I never opened them, I was concerned they were spam or a scan and my computer would be hacked. I had saved them and opened a few, One said that I needed to download their app so that I could receive the tickets. I never downloaded the app. Another said my tickets had been send to my email, I never saw any tickets. What the emails did say was " for your security you can not respond to this email ''. I told the next fraud rep from Amex all of this. 
Amex deemed the charge fraudulent and removed the charge from my account. I thought all was done. 
My XXXX charge was correct. Then came XXXX charge, all correct. Then came XXXX and again the {$14000.00} XXXX XXXX charge was on my card with the notation that the fraud had been dismissed and payment was due. The last Amex person who called me in XXXX, XXXX, told me that the case was closed and she gave me the direct line to the Amex fraud dept. if I should need it in the future. I called the fraud department in XXXX, XXXX. I call and spoke to an Amex fraud rep once a week for 4 weeks, saying all of this again and again. However, in addition, I let them know that on the date of the fight, XX/XX/XXXX at the time of the fight ( I was sent an email letting me know of the time change ) of XXXX XXXX. I was with my daughter and grandson celebrating my daughter in laws birthday. I have time and date stamped pictures showing me wih my grandson and family on that date. 
Each person said they would look into it and get back to me. They never did. I told one of the fraud reps that I was entitled to written information on what was going on with the case. I never got any written information. One fraud rep told me that XXXX XXXX conctacted Amex, said I had used the seats and I needed to pay for them, which is why the charge was put back on my card. 
I told that rep that XXXX does everything electronically, there is NO face to face, no verbal contact. Some one must have hacked my email, got my phone number and my address, I did none of that. Amex has remained silent Something is hinky with Amex. When all of this began, like so many people, I kept my correspondence from Amex and XXXX XXXX  emails in a separate file. I went back on line in XXXX trying to figure out Why and How I had the charge back on. It was then, on XX/XX/XXXX that I discovered a page that show FOUR ( 4 ) XXXX XXXX I was stunned, how could I miss XXXX {$7000.00} charges!? Then I realized that there were never four, my bill was for XXXX XXXX was {$17000.00} ( {$14000.00} + my {$3000.00} litigitamite purchases ) it was NOT for {$28000.00} + {$3000.00} ). I called the fraud department to tell them this- they did nothing. I got back on Amex on XX/XX/XXXX and the bill was back to TWO XXXX XXXX. I learned to take screen shots because what I saw one day on my Amex bill was not always there the next. 
When I decided to go further with this complain the CFPB was suggested to me and I went into my Amex/XXXX  files to get the emails I had saved - they were gone. The email telling me to download the app., the email telling me how to get the tickets, the email that said 'for my security I could not respond to the email ' all were gone. 
Amex expects me to pay the {$13000.00} by XX/XX/XXXX. I have done everything I can think of to try and work with Amex and have them understand that, for this case, my identity was stolen, but they won't listen.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation