Consumer complaint received 2020-11-11
Product: Credit card or prepaid card — General-purpose credit card or charge card
Issue: Closing your account — Company closed your account
Company: CAPITAL ONE FINANCIAL CORPORATION (IL)

My complaint is regarding how Capital One 's fraud department 1 ) mishandled a suspicious activity on my account 2 ) did not provide an alternative means for identity verification for a US citizen temporarily deployed abroad who does not have a state ID or driver 's license. On XX/XX/XXXX, I tried to pay a bill via an online payment channel in the XXXX. The first time I entered my credit card information I received an error from the payment processor. Since I didn't receive any fraud alert via my Capital One app or email, I assumed the error was on the side of the payment processor. Therefore, I reentered my credit card information and re-tried the transaction. After I received the same error, I decided to instead call Capital One to check if there is an issue with my credit card. The customer service representative assisted me and found that the transaction was flagged as suspicious but that he can help me unlock the card again so that I could re-enter the payment information and re-send the payment. After a security verification process ( he sent me a code to the mobile app ), the representative confirmed that I am now free to use the card and retry. I asked the service representative to stay on the line in case there are any problems. After I re-entered and re-submitted the credit card information, the same error appeared. The representative informed me that it must be because it can take 20-30 min for the changes he put into the system to take place. He suggested to re-try after that period and we ended the call. However, this was already suspicious to me so instead of trying the card a fourth time, I called the fraud department again after a few hours to confirm that my card was good to use. I was then informed that my case had been escalated, a hold been placed on the account, and I needed to provide advanced identification to remove the restriction. This consisted of submitting a copy of a valid US driver 's license. I informed the case worker that I do not have a valid US driver 's license and am currently XXXX in the XXXX, using a local XXXX driver 's license and a US passport for identification purposes. I inquired if there is an alternative verification pathway for cases like mine but was informed that a state ID or driver 's license is the only way. I kindly informed the representative that I felt discriminated against for not having a driver 's license and hoped that Capital One fraud team would create an alternative verification process for cases like mine in the future. I also informed that it was not clear when I would return to the US ( although my intention was to return ) to get a new driver 's license that now became necessary to unlock the account. Flash forward nine months. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, I ended up not being able to return to the US in XXXX. On XX/XX/XXXX, I received a warning letter that my account will be closed if I do not provide the requested information within 45 days. I again called the fraud department to explain my situation and that I am unable to get a driver 's license as I am unable to leave the XXXX during the pandemic. I informed them that I have a US passport, expired driver 's licenses, and a valid foreign driver 's license. I was told to submit these for evaluation and they would put in a note about my current situation. A few weeks later, I received a call that they still couldn't accept my validation documents since the US driver licenses had expired years ago. Again, I asked if there is no alternative way for verification for cases like mine but was again told that the only way is via a valid US driver 's license. Since this discussion, I received a letter on XX/XX/XXXX that my account had been closed because I was not able to provide the requested information. It is a shame since this is my longest-running credit account dating all the way back to XXXX. Clearly, something went wrong on their side during the escalation of the account ( why did the customer service representative tell me to use the card again when it was not fully cleared yet ) but there was never any admission of this mistake. Instead, Capital One Fraud department was hiding behind the requirement for me to provide driver 's license identification and not willing to make alternative arrangements in light of my situation and the ongoing pandemic.