Consumer complaint received 2018-05-23
Product: Debt collection — Credit card debt
Issue: Attempts to collect debt not owed — Debt is not yours
Company: CAPITAL ONE FINANCIAL CORPORATION (UT)

My dad had a Capitol One ( CapOne ) credit card. As his health declined, I held power of attorney for his finances, and I was paying his bills. I submitted a copy of the Financial Power of Attorney to CapOne, and got confirmation from CapOne on XX/XX/XXXX that the PoA documents were received and on file with CapOne. My dad had a CapOne balance at a 24.99 % interest rate, so with his permission I opened a credit card account at a lower interest rate for him and transferred all but ~ {$600.00} to the new, non-Capitol One account. My dad died on XX/XX/XXXX. I'm the executor of his will so I've been sorting out any remaining bills. He had no estate, nothing to probate, no property or assets of any kind. 

I contacted CapOne on XX/XX/XXXX to let them know my dad had died and I asked them to write off the remaining ~ {$600.00} balance on his account. The rep I spoke to said the account was closed and there was no information they could give me. 

Next, I received a letter at my address dated XX/XX/XXXX ; this letter was addressed to my mom who does not live with me and who has been divorced from my dad for 30+ years. This letter stated, " based on the info provided, ( my dad ) has been removed from the account. ( My mom ), joint account cardholder, is now solely responsible for the account. '' Around the end of the month, I got a letter dated XX/XX/XXXX from CapOne, again addressed to my mom at an address where she doesn't live, thanking my mom for " contacting CapOne about a credit bureau report '' -- neither of us contacted CapOne asking for any credit bureau reports. This letter further stated, " After researching your account, we've updated ( my dad ) as deceased and forwarded the info to XXXX, XXXX, XXXX, and XXXX credit reporting agencies. '' None of this action was requested. 

On XX/XX/XXXX, I called CapOne again to explain that it was incorrect to have my mom on the account, that my parents had been divorced for 30+ years and that my dad had opened the account after their divorce, making him solely responsible for any balance. CapOne would not -- said they could not -- tell me the date my dad opened the account to enable me to prove my point. 

On XXXX, I spoke again to Capitol One who said they, " couldn't verify an account opening date without address and social security number from ( my mom ). I declined to give CapOne any information about my mom. I'm pretty sure they wanted the information so they could pin financial culpability on my mom and I'm 100 % uninterested in that route.

In the ensuing months, CapOne has continued to send bills for the remaining balance to my home where my mom does not live. In XXXX or XXXX ( I don't have a date for this call ), I called CapOne once again to explain the situation -- that my dad opened the account on his own, that my parents divorced 30+ years ago, that the open date on the account will show that it is my dad who is solely responsible for any balance but because he is deceased that CapOne can't pin any financial culpability on my mom, etc. I get nowhere with CapOne ; they ask me for my mom 's address and social security number and I won't give it to them.

My latest and last call with CapOne was on XX/XX/XXXX, with a Fraud Supervisor who says for " security reasons '' he can't tell me anything about the account. He asked me to submit a Power of Attorney for my mom. I declined, and I refused to give up any information about my mom. Meanwhile, CapOne keeps sending bills to my mom for an amount she does not owe to an  address where she does not live. I'm stuck.