Consumer complaint received 2023-05-21
Company: AMERICAN EXPRESS COMPANY
State: MN
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:
I am writing to file a formal complaint against American Express for the unauthorized charges and mishandling of my account. This ordeal has caused me and my family significant emotional distress, and we have been trying to resolve this issue with American Express since XX/XX/XXXX, with over 15 phone calls to them, and countless hours over the phone. 

The issue began when my son and I were randomly credited back expenses on his account which we immediately informed American Express was incorrect as they were legitimate charges that he made. After that, my account got hacked, and a random person was added as an authorized user ( XXXX XXXX ) and I received a card with her name on it in the mail. We called immediately to get this closed and report the fraud. It's clearly a case of identity theft and fraud, and it has caused us so much stress and anxiety. 

Despite my repeated attempts to resolve this issue with American Express, I have not received a satisfactory response. American Express investigated the unauthorized charges, and after looking through all the statements, they concluded that there were no valid charges made by me or my son. They assured me that they would credit me back the stolen funds, which is {$5900.00} plus the interest and payments I made, within 5-7 days. However, this never happened. 

If you look at my statement that is attached, you will see that we received a fraud credit for the amount of {$5900.00}, then a reversal of that exact amount of {$5900.00} twice. Once on XX/XX/XXXX and again on XX/XX/XXXX, leaving me with a balance owed of {$5900.00}. You will also see that they credited back all of my son XXXX XXXX payments at {$46.00} which were his legitimate charges and why we called American Express to inform them of their mistake, because we are honest people. 

In fact, American Express has closed the investigation multiple times, and on several occasions, they said that I was responsible for the charges without calling to notify me or sending me anything in the mail. Despite my objections, they concluded that the charges were legitimate and closed the investigation again, leaving me to suffer the consequences of this theft. 

We had a similar issue with XXXX XXXX  at the time however, they were able to validate the fraud and quickly return all the stolen funds, with little to no trouble at all. 


This situation has caused me and my family a great deal of stress and has taken a toll on our mental and emotional well-being. My son had to close his account because we were afraid that his information was compromised. I have spent countless hours on the phone with American Express 's customer service and fraud department, which has taken me away from my family and caused me mental and emotional strain. 

I have always been a responsible and honest customer, never having any late payments or interest charges. The unauthorized charges on my account have caused me significant financial strain and emotional distress. I have been making the minimum payment on a month-to-month basis to prevent this issue from impacting my credit score. Despite this, American Express has not been cooperative in resolving this issue, and it has caused me and my family a great deal of frustration. 

I urge you to investigate this matter and take appropriate action against American Express for their mishandling of my account and failure to resolve this issue in a satisfactory manner. It is my sincere hope that you can help me resolve this issue and provide me with some much-needed relief from this ongoing ordeal. 

I have recently reported this to the Minnesota Attorney General as well. 

It is my intention to also file a lawsuit against American Express as a result of this. 

Thank you for your prompt attention to this matter. 

Sincerely, XXXX XXXX XXXX Account Ending : XXXX

Company response to consumer: Closed with monetary relief