Consumer complaint received 2023-10-23
Company: AFNI INC.
State: NC
Product: Debt collection
Sub-product: Telecommunications debt
Issue: Attempts to collect debt not owed
Sub-issue: Debt was result of identity theft

Complaint:
This is the letter that I am sending to both XXXX and Afni , Inc. Debt Collection I am XXXX XXXX XXXX and I am responding to your letter concerning the debt of {$1200.00} that XXXX XXXX claims I owe.

I am going to describe the series of events in detail below, but to quickly summarize : someone unknown to me and without my permission purchased an XXXX without my authorization using my closed XXXX account. I disputed the charge with XXXX customer service and fraud department, as well as with my bank, XXXX. I am not exaggerating when I say I have been on the phone with XXXX customer service for upwards of 10 hours, with half of that time on hold. This has been an extremely frustrating couple of months : XXXX customer service failed to understand the situation and did not take responsibility for their error. Below is a chronological order of events to help you understand the situation in its entirety. 
______________________________________________________________________________ XXXX : I switched my phone service from XXXX to XXXX, and disconnected my XXXX account with only one more monthly phone service bill remaining on my balance, which was paid in its entirety of {$75.00} on XXXX. I had paid off my current XXXX XXXX that I bought through XXXX back in XXXX, so the only bill I received from XXXX is my unlimited data, talk and text bill every month. All obligations to XXXX were fully satisfied and paid in full at the conclusion of my service. The account was closed. 

XXXX : I checked my online banking and saw a massive charge of {$1200.00} from XXXX taken from my checking account. I immediately went to the local XXXX store in order to have an associate look into this unknown and unauthorized charge on my closed account. A transaction for a new XXXX XXXX XXXX had been billed on my XXXX account with my debit card. The XXXX employee instructed me to call the XXXX customer service, so I stayed in the store and called. They transferred me to the XXXX fraud department, who told me, this is not a XXXX fraud issue, this is your banks issue. So I hung up, contacted my bank, disputed the charge, canceled my debit card, and received my temporary fraud refund from XXXX the following day, XXXX. 

XXXX : I received a refund from XXXX that was deposited into my checking account for {$1200.00}. I assumed the fraudulent activity had been resolved, so I contacted my bank and notified them that I had received a refund from XXXX. 

XXXX : I received an email from XXXX stating that I owe them the {$1200.00}, so the issue resurfaced. I called the XXXX customer service and was transferred around to multiple departments for a grand total of 3 hours and 59 minutes. I alerted them that there was a mistake and that I did not authorize that original transaction and it was a fraudulent charge. I was finally transferred to the fraud department. I asked them to investigate and report the charge on my account. They put me on hold for 45 minutes until the call timed out. 

XXXX - XXXX : I called multiple times in an attempt to resolve this issue with the XXXX customer service for a grand total of an additional 1 hour and 55 minutes. I continued to run into the same issue of being put on hold by the fraud department until the calls timed out. One piece of evidence that came to fruition is that the XXXX XXXX XXXX was purchased at an XXXX XXXX in XXXX, IL. I live in XXXX, NC, and Ive never traveled to XXXX. I contacted my bank, again, to reopen the fraudulent charge and conduct an investigation since it was in fact a clear fraudulent charge ; my bank provided these additional details about the fraudulent provider. 

XXXX : I received another email stating that I owe XXXX the balance of {$1200.00}. I, again, visited the XXXX store to seek the support and resolution from an associate ; a note was made on my old account concerning the fraudulent charge, but no other steps were offered by the in-person XXXX associate XXXX I called the XXXX customer service a final time and their fraud department redirected me to your debt collection customer service line, where I was placed on hold for 27 minutes. 

XXXX : I received the Afni debt collection notice in the mail. 

______________________________________________________________________________ I want it be made known that I am not trying to dodge a payment from XXXX. I am a XXXX XXXX XXXXXXXX Veteran XXXX who is now in college pursuing a XXXX XXXX. I have an outstanding credit score. I just bought a house at the beginning of summer as well as a new vehicle. I know how to balance my income and debt ratio and I have never missed a mortgage payment or car loan payment and my credit card debt is {$0.00}. I have worked hard to build my credit score and I am not negligent with my money. 

I am not responsible for the {$1200.00} XXXX charge. XXXX permitted an unauthorized purchase on my closed account. XXXX failed to acknowledge - much less remedy - their egregious error in allowing fraudulent purchases to occur. It is not short of theft. 

Moving forward : Afni is hereby notified that I am taking the following steps in order to rescind this erroneous collection notification. 

On XXXX XX/XX/XXXX at XXXX XXXX I submitted a consumer complaint with the North Carolina Office of the Attorney General. 

On XXXX XX/XX/XXXX at XXXX XXXX I made a formal report of identity theft to the Federal Trade Commission. Concomitantly, I filed a fraud report to the Federal Trade Commission citing both XXXX and Afni as facilitating and supporting fraudulent business practices. 



XXXX XXXX Contact Information : Email : XXXX Phone : ( XXXX ) XXXX

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation