Consumer complaint received 2018-08-16
Company: CITIBANK, N.A.
State: ME
Product: Credit card or prepaid card
Sub-product: Store credit card
Issue: Getting a credit card
Sub-issue: Card opened as result of identity theft or fraud

Complaint:
In early XX/XX/XXXX, I began the mortgage application process with XXXX XXXX  to refinance my home. I currently have a line of credit only on my home and it comes due soon and the payments almost tripled in XX/XX/XXXX ( due to having to start paying down the principle now ) so I need to refinance my home as soon as possible. In the course of working with XXXX, they started to collect my financial information and ordered copies of my credit reports so they could review my credit history. Within a few weeks of starting this process, I became aware of quite a few items on my credit report that did not belong to me ( including several addresses, a second social security number, and a Home Depot store credit card account ) and so I set about trying to clear up these false items so that I could move forward with the mortgage through XXXX. 

I want to say that I have not needed to access my credit reports until now because I never before now had an issue when I ( or my ex-husband and I ) went to obtain a mortgage or apply for credit. So, it is only since mid XX/XX/XXXX that I discovered all of these inaccuracies on my credit reports. In addition, the credit reporting agencies could not tell me how long Home Depot had been reporting to my credit history. Its possible they only just started recently in which case, I would not have been aware of this gross violation and, essentially, identity theft. 

XX/XX/XXXX I started calling the credit reporting agencies XXXX, XXXX  and XXXX. As I am sure you are aware, trying to communicate with the credit reporting agencies to clear up wrong information is a circus at best. I could not get answers about the erroneous information on my reports but was told they would " look into it '' and told me to fill out my complaints online. After many MANY emails, phone calls and filing complaints online over the past 8 weeks, I have seen very few changes to my credit reports. I found out that the item that is causing the most harm to me is a credit card account that was titled " THD/CBNA '' which took me some time ( and many phone calls ) to learn that it is a HOME DEPOT store credit card that was opened in XX/XX/XXXX by XXXX XXXX and that he used me as a named co-signer/joint card holder when he opened the account. The Home Depot card shows that there is {$9400.00} owed and currently has an {$11000.00} line of credit. The account is in good standing. No late or missed payments. However, the amount of this debt and revolving credit on my credit report is preventing me from being able to refinance my home. Additionally, the erroneous addresses, social security number and other accounts all belong to XXXX XXXX ... not to me. 

XX/XX/XXXX After receiving and going over my credit reports, I called Home Depot on XX/XX/XXXX ... in fact, I called and called and called trying to get someone to help me. I was told over and over that they couldn't do anything without an account number ( and, even though HD is holding me responsible for this account, they would not share the account number with me. ) When I did get someone that didn't harass me about not having the account number, those customer service people would tell me that too much time had passed and that there was no way they were going to take my name off this account or off my credit report or else they simply told me I was " crazy '' to think that was possible after 18 years. I explained that I simply had no reason to look at my credit report before now and that I cant even be sure when Home Depot started reporting this to my credit report. I have had very few credit dealings until recently ( I had no credit cards and mortgages were with my ex-husband who handled the house financing, etc while we were married ). I asked them was this their policy? Was there a statute of limitation on investigating fraud?? I told them all about how this man ( XXXX XXXX ) who stole my information was an unsavory man in my past abusive and sneaky and I wasnt all that surprised to find that he had stolen my personal information 18 years ago since he was XXXX XXXX me back then. They simply said over and over they could not help me. I persisted.. 
I asked them to close the account. They refused. They said it wasnt mine to close. 
I asked them to send me a statement. They told me that they could only send statements to the address on file and they would not share that address with me. 
I asked them to send me the original application for credit so I could have the opportunity to review the signatures and prove it isnt my actual signature on it. They said that was impossible because they dont have those documents after so much time has passed. 
I asked them what the OPENING credit limit was that I was supposed to have agreed to be responsible for. They said they didnt have access to that information. 
I asked if they would ordinarily open an account for someone who little or no income at the time with a credit limit of {$11000.00}. They said they no, that was unlikely. 
I asked them to show me paperwork where I agreed to continue to take responsibility for the increasing line of credit. They said they couldnt do that. 
I asked them why I never received a card with my name on it or ANY statements EVER if I am a supposed to be a joint card holder. They didnt know the answer to that question either. 
When I asked to speak to a supervisor or someone who handles fraud, they told me that there were " no phone numbers for those people '' and that I could only write to them and explain my reasons for wanting my name removed from this HD credit card debt and off my credit report. So I wrote the letter. On XX/XX/XXXX I mailed a letter ( I have included a copy with this complaint ) explaining all of this again to this address that they gave me ( where I was told they take no phone calls ) : Executive Response Unit ( ERU ) Presidential Communication XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX, TN XXXX I never heard from anyone at the ERU. 

XX/XX/XXXX XXXX XX/XX/XXXX, I called Home Depot ( and called and called and was transferred many times again they couldnt help me not without an account number ( which they would still never give me because I was not the card holder, etc ) because too much time had passed ( even though they could not provide me such a policy in writing ). I was even told that they had never had a complaint like this before. Really? No one has ever been falsely used as a co-signer on a Home Depot card? Ever? ( It all felt like the movie XXXX XXXX where the medical insurance company made it their policy to deny claims ... EVERY claim EVERY time. ) After finally getting someone on the phone that day who COULD pull up my file and notes ( XXXX in the Security Operations Dept. ) and she told me that she did not see that I sent any sort of letter to them but she COULD see all the notes about my calls and complaint and that there was indeed an investigation. She said that the fraud investigator made notes that he spoke with Mr. XXXX and determined that there is no fraud. It is, in fact, Mr. XXXX card. 
At that point, I was beside myself. I explained to XXXX that I wasnt disputing that this might be XXXX card I was disputing that I am named as co-signer and joint card holder when I NEVER AGREED TO BE NAMED ON ANYTHING WITH XXXX XXXX. I begged XXXX to help me and hear me out again. XXXX said she wanted to help me and she took down my whole story, I explained to XXXX that this credit card on my credit report is a mistake. I told her ( as I have told at least 15-20 of the 1900 customer care representatives who work for Home Depot Credit Services ) : I have never applied for a Home Depot card. 
I have never had/held a Home Depot card.

I have never charged anything at Home Depot on a Home Depot credit card. 
I have never received any notices from Home Depot. 
I have never received any bills or statements from Home Depot. 
I have never paid a Home Depot bill on behalf of someone else. 
I never received notice of the application. 
I never received notices of increases to the line of credit. 

XXXX XXXX had clearly used my name and social security number to open an account that I had not only never agreed to, but also didn't know anything about until now. 
I went on to explain to XXXX that I had a few dates with XXXX XXXX in late XXXX XXXXearly XX/XX/XXXX but quickly realized that he was not a good guy and stopped seeing him. He was very sneaky and I had discovered he lied about almost everything and so I found him to be mentally unstable and scary and so I didn't want to date him any longer. When I broke it off, he was fine at first, but later started to stalk me at work and at my home. ( Although, for some time, I didn't know it was him. ) I also was receiving harassing phone calls at all hours and felt, on several occasions, that someone had been in my house while I was at work. It seemed that things had been moved around but I couldnt prove that anything was missing. At one point, my purse was stolen from my car behind the mall where I worked. Again, I didnt know this was all XXXX XXXX until many months later. 
I found out in early XXXX that I was pregnant. I had been trying to get pregnant by artificial insemination by donor for 18 months so I was not about to terminate this XXXX even though, at that time, I could not be sure that XXXX XXXX wasn't the father. 
I realize that this sounds like a wild story, but it is all true. After my baby was born in XX/XX/XXXX, XXXX begged to be a part of our daughters life and so I made an effort to have a PLATONIC relationship with him for the sake of our daughter. At that point, I didnt know then that XXXX was the one who had been stalking and harassing me. He moved in with me while he looked for a job and a place to live closer to me and the baby. But things quickly went downhill. ( I have attached relevant police reports. ) I went through a lengthy custody battle with XXXX and, after his XXXX evaluation and after I submitted to the court a videotape that I found that next spring of XXXX XXXX our XXXX XXXX old daughter, the judge stripped him of his parental rights and I was able to get on with my life. XXXX XXXX is not a good person. At least he was not a good person back then. I learned during the custody battle that he was the one stalking and harassing me for over a year. I NEVER OPENED A HOME DEPOT CREDIT CARD WITH XXXX XXXX. 
XXXX was the first person to help me at Home Depot Credit Services. In fact, XXXX was the first person to even be kind to me. She said she took down all of my information. She gave me a case number ( # XXXX ) and told me that she would make sure my complaint got into the right hands and that I should hear from someone within a few weeks. XXXX suggested that I try to gather any supporting documentation that would help my case and fax it in to them. She gave me a fax number and stipulated that I put the case number on EVERY page. 
I asked XXXX to please PLEASE put something in writing that I could show to the broker at XXXX so they would see that I was working on removing this erroneous debt from my credit report. At first she said she wasnt allowed to do that but that she would try. She called me back 45 minutes later to tell me that she was drafting a letter and putting it in the mail that day. A few days later, I received that letter stating that HD was investigating the account in question and that, if they found I did not apply for this credit card, they would request that it be removed from my credit reports ( see attached copy ). I was on the phone with HD for over and hour and a half that day. 
I really thought I was finally making progress. I set out that day to gather the copies of police reports, custody suit results and more. That, of course, also took weeks. 

XX/XX/XXXX I never heard anything more from Home Depot Security Services but I finally had the police and court records in hand, so I called Home Depot on XX/XX/XXXX to check in on the progress of the fraud investigation and make sure they had received the 19 documents I had just faxed to them. After 4 calls of getting nowhere ( with the I cant help you without the account number, maam, and dont care if you have a case number we cant use that to look up your case, and its too late, we cant help you you realize its been 18 years?! AGAIN ), I got XXXX on the 5th try. XXXX told me that nothing was happening with my case because it was submitted to the WRONG fraud team. ( OMG!!!! ) She said it should have gone to the high dollar investigation team and that she was going to get it to them and re-open the case. She also said that she did not see the fax and I should send it again. Apparently, my fax machine wasnt working correctly, so after work that day, I went to XXXX and faxed the documents again. I did call them the following morning and they confirmed that they had received the faxes. 
Again, I waited weeks for a call from Home Depot, but heard nothing. 

XX/XX/XXXX On XX/XX/XXXX, I went through the usual number of unhelpful customer service representatives until I finally reached XXXX who very cheerily told me that she had my file in front of her and that the fraud investigation team had been working on it and that I should have a determination very soon and that someone from the fraud team would call me within 1 to 2 days. 
No one called me. 
I took a break from this Home Depot nightmare and was on vacation with my children from XX/XX/XXXX to XX/XX/XXXX. But I had my cell phone with me at all times and Home Depot never did call me. I hoped there would be a letter waiting for me when I returned home with the fraud investigation results. But there was nothing. 

XX/XX/XXXX I called Home Depot again and got XXXX who insisted that she couldnt pull up my account ( naturally ). I called back and got XXXX who said they dont use case numbers. I called again and got XXXX who just hung up on me when I started begging her to ask her co-workers how to look up my complaint with a case number ( assuring her that it had been done before ). Then I finally got XXXX who said that there was no record of an investigation in my file. He said that the fraud team there doesnt handle this sort of dispute and that I would have to write a letter to the ERU. They dont have phones so he, therefore, cant connect me to the ERU. They cant, of course, accept faxes because they have no phones. And they do not accept emails. They only take complaints in writing. I told XXXX that I wrote to ERU back in XXXX and never heard from them. He said I should give it time. I told XXXX that my mortgage payment has tripled and I cant afford it and I am going to lose my home if I cant get some help with this fraud on my credit report so that I can refinance my home. He then told me there was nothing else he could do. 

XX/XX/XXXX I tried. I truly tired to find a way to reach the powers that be at Home Depot Consumer Credit Services and beseech someone to help me. I have spent hours and hours on this taking time away from my work and family. It has been a nightmare. Now I am paying three times the amount I can afford for my house  payments because I am unable to complete my refinance until this Home Depot card is removed from my credit report. 
It seems that XXXX XXXX has always been on time with his payments to this card debt. And, given the fact that he has made all of the purchases and payments over the past 18 years, I do not understand why Home Depot will not release me from this debt. 
I called Maine Consumer Protection in XXXX and they were very helpful but said that Home Depot is run by Citibank and Citibank is regulated differently and I should contact the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau ( CFPB ) and so here is my story. 
I am attaching all relevant letters, cell phone records of my many calls to HD, police reports, court documents and any other relevant information. Thank you.

Company public response: Company has responded to the consumer and the CFPB and chooses not to provide a public response
Company response to consumer: Closed with non-monetary relief