Consumer complaint received 2021-03-13
Company: SYNCHRONY FINANCIAL
State: ID
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: Credit card company isn't resolving a dispute about a purchase on your statement

Complaint:
In XX/XX/XXXX I discovered that on XX/XX/XXXX a charge had been made on my Visa card for {$540.00}. I am the person who constantly checks her account to make sure all my charges match with my purchases and I knew that I did not make this purchase. I still had my card in my wallet and I am the only person with this card. I had not given out my card # to anyone else. 
I immediately called the bank holding my card as I had never experienced anything like this before. They directed me to security and proceeded to go through security procedures - they had me take a photo of myself and send it to them, put me through questions, and cancelled the card and sent me a new one. They reassured me that it was all right and all taken care of. I thought that was it. They never told me I had to fill out paperwork or directed me to do anything else. 
So imagine my surprise when the charge showed back up on my credit card statement at XXXX - XX/XX/XXXX. I was so confused - 3 months had gone by. 
I called them immediately because I thought some kind of mistake had been made, and that is when they told me that my claim had been denied ( nothing came in the mail etc ... ). 
I was flabbergasted. I told them again I did not make that charge and they asked if I had anything else to add, which I didn't. What could I add? I knew nothing. So I filed a new complaint over the phone. They again took the charge off my account but by XXXX they sent me a new denial letter in my e-mail ( I had to look for it in my junk email ). 
I opened up another complaint and asked to be sent formal paperwork and the guy I talked to said, " Why? you owe this, we have proof. We have something you signed and and IP # ''. I told him that was impossible because I didn't make the charge and it did not exist. He said it did. So I asked him to send me a copy and he refused. 
Now I understood that they were not going to stand behind me, the customer. So I found the email of the place that was listed on my bill ( a foundation/mission ). I got ahold of the director and response back from him on XX/XX/XXXX. He proceeded to tell me that there had been many false charges exactly like mine in XXXX and XX/XX/XXXX and they had had to get the County Attorneys office involved, as well as an investigator. They had come to the conclusion that someone made a fraudulent charge with my # ( and all the other victims # 's ) to their own " fake '' account set up in the missions name. 
He said my claim was the only one he knew of that had been denied.

I re-opened the claim and sent the credit card company a copy of the email, the directors name, and the information he had given me. On XX/XX/XXXX my claim was again denied. Unbelievable. 

So here I am disputing the claim again. I've already sent them info on the Bogus company, stolen #, attorneys and investigators, info on getting in touch with the director. What more can I add. If there is evidence against me I now know that by law they have to send me that proof so I can see If I need a lawyer for the almost 8 months of suffering through this nonsense and the anxiety it has caused.

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 monetary relief