Consumer complaint received 2020-03-18
Company: AMERICAN EXPRESS COMPANY
State: CA
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:
This is a complaint against American Express and XXXX XXXX Credit Card Services for credit card transactions I had incurred from XX/XX/XXXX through to XX/XX/XXXX, for the purchases of gift cards that were intended to fix my computer security issues. 

I am disputing all the charges for the second time, in light of proof that I have traced that the gift cards were used to purchase merchandise, rather than as instruments to fix my computer security issues, which is the very reason I purchased them. 

I purposefully used the credit card companies to protect me as a consumer and card member for services that require third parties, particularly for Consumer Protection Guarantee, so that I receive the services I pay for using their card services. This time, the companies are telling me that I am responsible for purchasing the merchandise and for having them mailed to an address or addresses which are not my own home address. Details of the shipping address or addresses of the merchandise are available with the police department of my city, as the stores are legally not allowed to release that data to me. 

I have had computer security issues for some months now, and this started when my identity was stolen in XXXX and the IRS spotted the fraudulent use of my social security number. 

I had received phishing emails in the last months of XXXX, two of my cards were used in places I did not go to, for purchases made through a third party I do not use. 

In XXXX, I had issues with my computer screen where I had saved the XXXX telephone number that I used to call and be called from to deliver and pick up my computer after repairs. This telephone number is the very same number you would call if you have an XXXX subscription. 

On XX/XX/XXXX, after sending off to XXXX  Contact Support one of the phishing emails with fake purchases phishing for my XXXX XXXX, I get a call from that same XXXX   number, XXXX, which of course I picked up, thinking they were XXXX  calling to fix my computer security issues. 

As it had turned out, a group posing as XXXX XXXX XXXX had masked the XXXX telephone number. The actors first give me a fake XXXX  Case number and then proceed to ask me to type commands on the XXXX app or the XXXX XXXX app on my XXXX to show me I had 139 hacking connections. I later learned from the XXXX XXXX XXXX   that is a tactic they use to make it appear that I have hacking connections, but they were merely wi-fi connections I had previously used. I am not an XXXX XXXX  technician and I know a million other XXXX users who would not know the difference. The actors then ask me what other signs I had been getting that I had security issues. I name all the issues I have been having. They then tell me I need security keys to de-hack my computer. This is where the gift cards come in. At a time of fear of losing work and family data accumulated over the years, I did what I was asked to do, which is buy the gift cards by the $ XXXX and sit in my car and give them the gift card numbers and their access codes. At the end of the first day, after spending at least a {$1000.00} on gift cards, I ask them how XXXX will pay me back. They then send me an email of refund for the same amount spent each day on gift cards. This occurred for four days in total. I would repeatedly ask each day how XXXX will refund me all that money. The actor would say, XXXX will not risk their reputation not paying you back for such a small amount. A fake checks picture is also produced on the third day for the total spent for three days. To increase the risk of having more hacking connections, I am told on the third day that my hacking connections were interfering with the XXXX servers, and this was when I get into an argument with them saying that if they really needed to fix my security issues, they should send a technician over or get me a XXXX  XXXX   appointment as quickly as possible. To this they replied they would have to turn off all my XXXX devices for seven days and that it would take them seven days to fix my computer. I said I could not do that because I had to travel out of state in the weekend. This gave them more reason to send me out to buy more cards and expedite the process. The other grueling part of this ordeal was when purchasing the gift cards, the stores would only have a policy of selling gift cards at {$1000.00} maximum per transaction. I had to dodge this in many ways that was humiliating and do and say things I would not normally do in groceries and stores. The scammers said that if I told the credit card companies that my computer was being hacked, they would block me off forever. This raised a red flag, but then I also had my computer security in mind, so that I was under duress the whole time. Finally on day four, when I had exhausted my credit, the actor posing as an XXXX   technician asked that I use my debit card, to which I said, There is money in there, but that is for my food. If I use that, I will not have any food money. He said, Theres no money in there? That was when I realized they were crooks after my cash. In the meantime, on the third day, they tell me that there were a few strong connections and suggested that my computer is being used by XXXX  users so that it will take more security keys to de-hack my computer. Catching up with work and exhausted by the third day, I almost gave in to losing my data to the alleged hackers. By the fourth day, the day before I was to travel, when they did not call at XXXX XXXX  as they did three days before, I decided to call them to finally fix my security issues. That was when I got the real XXXX people and learned I had been scammed. 

My dispute to the credit card companies is where are the goods and services I paid for using the gift cards? I obviously did not get my computer fixed. I traced the merchandise trail the gift cards were used through XXXX XXXX XXXX  and XXXX, both being the main stores where most of the merchandise were bought. I was informed by both companies the merchandise were shipped to an address or addresses but not to mine, which now makes this a theft by deception crime, as I was informed by an XXXX detective. In the past, XXXX XXXX issued me refunds for fraudulent purchases made in another state when I was not present, for goods or services I did not use or receive. I am grateful those were dealt with promptly. What is the difference between my credit card being fraudulently used without me being present, versus paying for gift cards which were used to buy merchandise and shipped to recipients other than myself? Scam or no scam, I received nothing, as what had happened when I was not present when my debit card was fraudulently used. I did not get any services nor merchandise for any of the transactions, but a few companies did get the monies I am now supposed to be responsible to pay both American Express and XXXX XXXX Credit Card services.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation