Consumer complaint received 2020-01-29
Company: SYNCHRONY FINANCIAL
State: FL
Product: Credit reporting, credit repair services, or other personal consumer reports
Sub-product: Credit reporting
Issue: Incorrect information on your report
Sub-issue: Information belongs to someone else

Complaint:
I am writing to you because of the way a recent fraudulent account in my name has been handled by the Synchrony Bank Investigations Department. In XX/XX/XXXX, I became aware of a PayPal   credit card account that was opened in my name through Synchrony bank. I immediately contacted the bank, filed an Identity Theft Report, placed a fraud alert on my account, and froze my credit. The representative I spoke with assured me that the account would be closed and removed from my credit report. 
A few days later, I received a form to fill out. I filled the form out. The form states We assure you that we will do everything we can to resolve this problem with as little inconvenience to you as possible. Returning a completed copy of this form will assist us in accurately researching and resolving your claim. I returned the form, the account was no longer listed on my credit report, and I assumed the matter was resolved. 
You can imagine my surprise when I received notice through a credit monitoring service that my score dropped 73 points in one day. When I looked, the drop was due to the account reappearing on my credit report. When I called Synchrony Bank, I was informed that the investigation had determined that the account was not fraudulent because someone had made payments on it. 

I am not an investigator, but I would think that any half-witted criminal that just opened a brand new credit card would be willing to pay the minimum balance each month in order to be able to rack up another {$6000.00} in charges. That was the sole reason it was determined to not be fraudulent. I am enraged. Facts ignored by the investigation : The account was opened under a name that I havent used legally since XX/XX/XXXX. 
The account was opened in Tennessee, a state that I havent lived or even set foot in since XX/XX/XXXX. 
Looking at my credit report, you will see that I have only used one credit card for over a decade. The card is paid in full each month. I do not open accounts frequently or carry balances over. 
I was a victim of the XXXX Data Breach, along with 143 million others. Synchrony needs to do better to verify the identity of customers BEFORE issuing cards, and actually INVESTIGATE when someone reports they are a victim of identity theft. 
I was further disappointed when the first customer representative I spoke with told me it was against policy to remove the account while you re- investigate. I am in the process of applying for a mortgage and the incompetent investigation dropped my credit from Excellent to Good, potentially costing me thousands of dollars, and the representative was of no help and showed no sympathy or understanding.

I finally, after three phone calls, was able to speak to someone that told me the account would be removed from my report. As of this writing, it is still reported on my credit. I have disputed the information with the credit bureaus, however my credit score is still affected.

I am requesting that the account be removed from my credit report while they undergo a 2nd investigation.

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