Consumer complaint received 2022-07-10
Company: SYNCHRONY FINANCIAL
State: FL
Product: Credit reporting, credit repair services, or other personal consumer reports
Sub-product: Credit reporting
Issue: Problem with a credit reporting company's investigation into an existing problem
Sub-issue: Their investigation did not fix an error on your report

Complaint:
I've attached a copy of the police report regarding the incident, but I would also like an investigation launched into the negligent behavior at the hands of Synchrony. My ex husband fraudulantly opened two credit cards without my knowledge under my name/social a couple months prior to myself filling for divorce. During the divorce proceedings, he told me that I was simply an authorized user, and he would remove me from the cards once they were paid off. I had no reason to doubt this, seeing as I had never received any correspondence from Synchrony regarding the Ashley Furniture or Mattress Firm accounts, by mail, telephone or email. I never received any financial billing statements related to purchases made on the account, nor did I have any access to any related information. My divorce was finalized in XX/XX/XXXX, and I thought nothing of the accounts going forward as I was alluded into believing that I was just an authorized user as outlined by the attached police report. Around XX/XX/XXXX, I was checking my credit report, and I noticed these balances had increased, at which point I directly contacted Synchrony Bank via providing my social security number, and I was informed that both accounts were listed as me as the primary, with my ex husband being an authorized user on the Ashley Furniture card. 

At this point, I demanded that he stopped making purchases on the cards, and pay them off. In my attempt to keep things amicable due to his poor health, he made the payments on the accounts till around XXXX, which I could see on my credit report. At this time I contacted Synchrony and asked them to put a freeze on any further purchases being made, as my ex husband had assured me that he would be paying off the cards shortly. I made the representative aware of the situation, and I was assured that he would not be able to make any further purchases without my permission. 

Moving forward towards the end of XXXX, I saw on my credit report that the Ashley Furniture Credit Card had been maxed out. My ex husband told me that he had paid the accounts off, to which I called Synchrony to confirm. After I was assured the balances were XXXX, I closed both accounts. A short time after, I saw the balance reappear on my credit report, and I contacted synchrony and was information that the payment bounced. Nearly 60 % of the balance on the fraudulently opened accounts, was a direct result of the negligence behavior which allowed my ex husband to make additional purchases despite me requesting a freeze on further purchases with my social security. Even still, despite talking to many representatives, they have refused to disclose information regarding my phone calls, deliveries of the merchandise purchased fraudulently, and addresses that the purchases were delivered to. Synchrony has informed me that their own fraudulant investigation concluded no results, to which I subsequently filed a police report concerning the matter. In my experience, I continue to be gaslighted by representatives and their inability to provide me information concerning accounts that were fraudulently opened using my social security.

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 explanation