Consumer complaint received 2022-10-11
Company: CAPITAL ONE FINANCIAL CORPORATION
State: CA
Product: Credit card or prepaid card
Sub-product: General-purpose credit card or charge card
Issue: Getting a credit card
Sub-issue: Card opened as result of identity theft or fraud

Complaint:
On XX/XX/XXXX I had XXXX fraudulent applications made for a XXXX and Capital one credit card. I received the alert for the hard inquiry made on my credit report. I called XXXX and I was able to resolve the issue that same day. The card was never issued. 
Capital one said that they had no record of any application being made using my information. I told them I had also received a phone call from them asking about my application. They told I had nothing to worry about and they would investigate. I took the necessary precautions like freezing my credit, calling the credit bureaus and I made an identity theft report to the FTC. A little over a month later I receive another call from Capital one about the fraud. They let me know that there was a credit card in my name that had a balance in the hundreds. They would not give me any information on the account and they told me that they would continue their investigation and freeze the account. There were still more charges made on the account after I spoke to them. 
A few weeks ago, I spoke to them again after I missed their call. The results of the investigation showed that the account was mine/that I had benefited from the account and that I was responsible for making the payment on the balance. They still told me that they couldnt give me any information in the account despite claiming that the account was mine and that there was nothing else I could do. They claimed that all the information demonstrated that I opened the account, yet they wouldnt help me verify any information on the account. They claimed the account was mine, yet treated me like if I had no control over the account. I have not been able to verify the address, email, or phone number on the account. They claimed that it was all connected to me by public record and had up copies of my ID and my signature was verified. Every time that I have called they have given me very different responses and are not straightforward. I believe that they are intentionally doing this to keep the account open as it is better for their business. They have made the process overly difficult asking for printed letters and to send via regular mail. Reporting fraud should not have so many hurdles. Especially not more than it takes to open a new credit card in the first place! It does not make sense that XXXX handled this issue in less than XXXX minutes and stopped the account from being opened, while Capital one has dragged out the process for months and even issued the card after claimed that it was identity theft/fraud. This parallels the XXXX XXXX fraud years ago. I have no need for a Capital one credit card. I have multiple cards with credit that I dont even use and that provide me better benefits than Capital One. If you check the purchases and other information on the account/application, I am sure you will find that this credit card was fraudulently opened. I can provide copies of my current id, phone number, etc. to help prove that I did not open this card. I dont have documents like a contract or anything because I have not received any statements or other mail pertaining to the credit card. I have been communicating with Capital one via phone. I dont know who opened the account, the XXXX number, the billing address, the email, or phone associated with the account. I only know the card is in my name with my social security number because I saw it on my credit report.

Company response to consumer: Closed with non-monetary relief