Consumer complaint received 2015-12-11
Company: AMERICAN EXPRESS COMPANY
State: CA
Product: Prepaid card
Sub-product: ID prepaid card
Issue: Fraud or scam

Complaint:
Seconds ago I submitted same complaint but I had not checked the permission for CFPB to publish this description. I do want this published because I think this abuse is probably widespread taking advantage of seniors like me. An oversight on my part Someone opened XXXX prepaid credit card accounts in my name : XXXX with XXXX cents in it, XXXX with XXXX cents and another with XXXX cents. This happened XX/XX/XXXX, On XX/XX/XXXX I called " XXXX '' at American Express Prepaid : XXXX to complain because I had not opened the accounts. I ordered him to close the accounts because I had not opened them and they were illegitimate. He said the only way he could do that is if I gave him my social security number and date of birth. I told him I was not going to do that because the accounts are fraudulent and I am obviously being scammed with the threats of a {$4.00} monthly maintenance fee that their letters all announce that will be charged on each of my XXXX accounts. To avoid that their letters say I can drain the accounts using the ATM and by paying their fee. I suppose they would like me to put more money in the accounts and pay {$15.00} a month for their services but if I do that what is to stop them from manufacturing XXXX more cards and presenting them as mine to make it {$30.00} a month? 

Please note they have never sent me a statement on any of these accounts and they have never sent me a single credit card! My belief is that this is a scam perpetrated upon the public by American Express to scare the unwitting to do business with them by extracting fees. Because it has been going on for almost two years now and still causing me distress it is clearly a harassment of the public. Further, during the time these fraudulent accounts were opened my credit has been entirely frozen for the last 10 years! 
XXXX XXXX on XXXX/XXXX/XXXX I called the number again for prepaid cards and spoke with " XXXX. '' XXXX said all of the things " XXXX '' said including the {$4.00} monthly charges and I had to give him my social and birth date to cancel the cards. I requested and spoke to " XXXX '' his supervisor, # XXXX. XXXX said had to have the social to cancel the cards and that the cards were legitimate and the charges would occur. All of this was being recorded. I explained that the cards were fraudulent and I was not going to give my vital information to an entity that I knew for a fact was trying to defraud and scam me and I flatly ordered her to cancel these accounts. She refused the same as XXXX and XXXX did before her. Only under direct questioning did she admit that when the funds were absorbed in the accounts the accounts would go on " inactive status '' and charges would end. 

We conclude that this is a scam being perpetrated against the public by American Express because no one else possibly has anything to gain by their actions ; with XXXX cents thy make at least XXXX ATM fees just to get them off ones back. I know they were continuing to attempt to hook me because according to their XX/XX/XXXX letters those those maintenance fees were to have been charged on XX/XX/XXXX. That means that as of XX/XX/XXXX even the card with the massive XXXX cent balance would have been moved to inactive status. This is XX/XX/XXXX there is no excuse for them not telling me that there would be no more charges. The accts. are XXXX, XXXX, XXXX.

Company response to consumer: Closed with non-monetary relief