Consumer complaint received 2021-07-15
Company: U.S. BANCORP
State: CA
Product: Credit card or prepaid card
Sub-product: General-purpose prepaid card
Issue: Trouble using the card
Sub-issue: Trouble using the card to spend money in a store or online

Complaint:
Gift card purchased on XX/XX/2021 at XXXX, XXXX XXXX XXXX, XXXX, and loaded with {$500.00}. First tried to use at pet store in XXXX XXXX, ( XXXX XXXX XXXX ), on XX/XX/XXXX but magnetic stripe would not read, so just used different card and assumed problem with card reader. Tried to use at XXXX 's gourmet meats on XXXX XXXX on XX/XX/XXXX, but cashier said not enough balance available. 
Immediately went online to check card balance and saw there was a transaction on XX/XX/XXXX for {$490.00} at a XXXX in XXXX, Ca. at XXXX that same day. Called visa gift card company to file a dispute and called credit card company used to pay for gift gard, XXXX XXXX, and reported fraud. It seems card was tampered with before it was purchased at XXXX in XXXX ( they are accessible to customers ), and card was cloned and used in person by perpetrator at XXXX in XXXX once they saw available balance. 

After countless hours spent on the phone with Visa, XXXX, XXXX, police department etc visa dispute department have finally issued replacement card and sent letter on XX/XX/XXXX stating it was an error ( which is wrong, there was no error, there was theft ) and the amount was credited back to me in the form of the new visa gift card that was registered to my name. Ive received new gift card on XX/XX/XXXX which wasnt active. Called visa, for some reasons they told me to wait 5 business days for the card to get activated. They also mentioned that I can check this information online. I called again on XX/XX/XXXX since the information online was unavailable to me. They told me to wait till XX/XX/XXXX which would mark 5 business days and the card would definitely start working. On XX/XX/XXXX XXXX as my card is still inactive ) I called visa again. Was now given another number to call which is XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX and told that they would be able to resolve the issue. When I called I realized this was XXXX family meaning XXXX. After I was able to get someone on the phone was told by XXXX representative to call visa at XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX because visa is the one who issued and mailed my new gift card and they are the ones who should be able to help me out. So I called this number given by XXXX and again I was told by visa to call XXXX. I mentioned that I already did and they told me to call visa because they have nothing to do with the card issued by visa and not purchased at their store. Then I was put on hold, after representative came back I was told that there are actually no funds on the card any more and the decision was reversed. I asked why was the decision reversed, where was my paperwork with the explanation of why the decision was reversed and what was it based on after the initial letter stated that my account was credited {$500.00} and the dispute was considered resolved and the case closed. 
The representative on the phone then involved supervisor who now said that XXXX is the one who took the money out from the second gift card issued by visa on XX/XX/XXXX. I asked how was it even possible and how do they even have the information if they have never been in the physical possession of this card ( since it was mailed to me XXXX and the supervisor replied that they just do have this information and I have to call XXXX and resolve it with them because visa cant do anything about it. Thats all the information they have. I was also told that XXXX would be able to reload the card ( even though it says A ) the card is non-reloadable and B ) why would XXXX reload the card that was issued by another institution? Its equivalent of going to XXXX and asking them to reload XXXX XXXX credit card! ). What kind of nonsense is that? 

After that I called XXXX for the third time that day and told them exactly what visa said ( that XXXX took out my money on XX/XX/XXXX ). The representative at XXXX explained that there is no way for them to have this information since the gift card was issued and physically mailed to me by visa, it wasnt purchased at the store. The card is also registered to my name and XXXX has nothing to do with this situation. They also said that visa notified them that they issued a replacement card for me and closed the case since the issue was resolved and I said it isnt true, because the issue isnt resolved, I was mailed replacement card that isnt working, I was mailed a letter by visa saying my account was credit the amount that was stolen from me except I still dont have my money and both XXXX and visa keep blaming each other. Although at this point it appears to me that XXXX is correct and they have nothing to do with the gift card that was issued and delivered by mail by visa. It also makes no sense why would the card be even active on XX/XX/XXXX? According to visa once I receive the new gift card I would have to call them to active it ( which is how pretty much every credit card works once you receive it in the mail ). So if I havent received the card until XX/XX/XXXX and it was inactive on XX/XX/XXXX and is still inactive as of today, XX/XX/XXXX, how was XXXX able to withdraw the amount on XX/XX/XXXX even if they somehow magically were able to get a hold of my new card? 
I called visa one last time on XX/XX/XXXX in the evening and the person on the phone gave me the number what he claimed to be their higher department. This was XXXX number again! I said you dont even know that the number you are giving me isnt your higher department, how would you even know what is going on with my case? Asked for supervisor one last time and now was told that they escalated the issue again to their back office, the one who said to call XXXX. I asked to talk to that back office or at this point anybody else who could tell me what is really going on? Supervisor said I cant talk to these people, all they can do is escalate this matter again which is going to take another 5 business days. Also considering their track record how do I know in 5 business days they wouldnt come up with some other excuse? At this point Im so frustrated and fed up with inconsistency and lies. This people shouldnt even be in business if this is how they handle theft. 

I would like visa to mail me new gift card ASAP that is registered to my name and is actually working with available {$500.00} on it ( the amount that was initially stolen from me ) rather then playing these games instead of doing the right thing while the scammers are running free. It appears to me that at this point after the dispute was resolved and the new card issued, the problem is with visa department, they issued the card that is invalid. Since there is no higher department I can call, no number other then the one Ive been using ( provided in this complain ), no follow up email ( in 2021 this company only uses fax or USPS ) I have no choice, but file a complain. According to visa the issue was resolved and the amount credited to my account on XX/XX/XXXX, yet today is XX/XX/XXXX and nothing is resolved and my money is still missing. 

I also would like CFPB to look more into this because of what this company does to the consumer. Is there actually fraud going in within visa itself? How many more people are going to become victims of this ongoing scam and how much more money would be stolen from law abiding citizens?? 

These are the reference codes for my conversations : Visa case number - XXXX XXXX code - XXXX ( at the beginning in the dispute ) XXXX XXXX digit code - XXXX XXXX reference number from the conversation on XX/XX/XXXX - XXXX Attached is also all my paperwork filed with them and police report. Please let me know if you need further information. 


Thank you for your help. 
XXXX XXXX

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 non-monetary relief