Consumer complaint received 2020-10-23
Product: Debt collection — Credit card debt
Issue: Attempts to collect debt not owed — Debt was result of identity theft
Company: CAPITAL ONE FINANCIAL CORPORATION (FL)

To whom it may concern, Although I do not remember the exact year but  believe it to be in XX/XX/XXXX, I opened a credit card with Capital One ( C-1 ). I used it for specific purposes and routinely paid it off monthly. There was only one card issued and I was the sole user. 

In XXXX of XXXX I attempted to use my C-1 credit card and the charge was declined. I called customer service number I was told a payment was late and therefore further use was declined until brought up to speed. I informed them I did not receive a statement, and asked for the amount due. I also asked for a statement to be sent to me as I had not gotten one.

As a side note - this account was also sent to collections but after explaining what was going on, collections sent it back to C-1. My credit score, though, was still affected / lowered. At one point my score was  over XXXX but had dropped to XXXX. 

To this date I still have not received a statement but the amount owed was greater than I know I charged. 

Through XXXX, XXXX and XXXX and several telephone calls I finally was informed that the case was closed. Still no statement.

I called C-1 multiple times and finally was told that I must provide verification of who I was despite the fact that I answered ALL questions put to me. I was informed that I needed to provide a copy of the front and back of my state issued government identification - drivers license. I declined as there was no justification.

In all my years I have never heard of such a request.

I have several friends in banking that said they, too, have never heard of anything like getting photo ID, and they were not even sure if legally they can do that.

The calls continued and I was without statements or documentation of what was owed or what the current balance was. Now moving into the summer of XXXX I yet again called and spoke to a very nice lady. I was either XXXX or XXXX, not sure. 

XXXX or XXXX was as helpful as possible and provide some information to lead me to believe that a charge or two on the C- 1 CC were mine, but many were not. I was told most of the charges were  made between XXXX and XXXX of XXXX in the State of Michigan.

I'm sure she violated some sort of internal rule but she did inform me  that the address shown on the account was in XXXX, Michigan. I assured her I was not in Michigan. She did give me the complete address on file as well as an email ( not mine ). 

XXXX or XXXX said she would send the information to their fraud team. Again, for the longest time I heard nothing from C-1. I was then  notified that the case was closed. 

Once again on the phone and now spoke with an account manager, XXXX. He said he was a boss. 

I went through the entire scenario and XXXX, in a very condescending manner, assured me that if I do not send a copy of my identification then this matter will not proceed further. I told him this stupidity was preventing me from disputing the account. 

In XXXX I spoke with XXXX who was a helpful as anyone. During the conversation he asked if I was disputing that the C-1 account  was fraudulently opened? I told him no, that I was the one that opened it but it appears there was an account takeover. 

XXXX said based on all of the notes he was reading of my situation was ( and has been ) being investigated as a fraudulent opening of the account, not an account takeover as I had been telling his cohorts all this time. I just about lost it! 

I then began to question XXXX and how did the demographic 's of the account changed without any verification of the account holder. 

Although he wouldn't provide the address, he did confirm that the address associated with my account was in XXXX, Michigan. 

XXXX finally told me the demographics were verified based on a Michigan telephone number. NOT MY TELEPHONE NUMBER. 

After being on hold forever, XXXX informed me of the copy of a photo identification was required. End of call. 

Capital One is making it impossible for me to dispute any charges on my account in this account take-over situation. 

As a side note, another credit card of mine was also the subject of an account take-over ( XXXX XXXX  ) which, coincidentally reflected the same suspect address in XXXX, Michigan. I was able to successfully resolve this situation with XXXX XXXX  as an account takeover and have since closed this account.