Consumer complaint received 2020-10-06
Product: Credit card or prepaid card — General-purpose credit card or charge card
Issue: Advertising and marketing, including promotional offers — Confusing or misleading advertising about the credit card
Company: DISCOVER BANK (CA)

I was the victim of fraud on XX/XX/XXXX. An individual stole my mail and intercepted my new, unactivated Discover card, and then called on the XXXX around XXXX XXXX PST to Discover trying to activate it. The individual eventually succeeded and spent about {$1300.00} on the card. 

I discovered this fraud when a representative called me a couple days later asking about the charges. I went through each charge with the representative and verified or denied the charges. The representative then informed me this fraud was resolved and that I would not be responsible for the charges.

However, I received a call from the Discover Fraud department last Friday asking for additional documentation to assist the investigation - specifically, records from XXXX. I attempted to procure the documents but was told repeatedly from XXXX that for legal reasons the documents could not be provided. 

On Tuesday, XX/XX/XXXX, I spoke with an individual named XXXX from the Discover Fraud unit around XXXX XXXX. I believe he said his supervisor was named XXXX or XXXX. When I informed him that I was unable to get the documents from XXXX, he informed me that my inability to do so might result in the " investigation not being found in my favor '' and that I might be " rebilled '' for the charges. He said those exact words repeatedly, multiple times. 

Discover has a written policy called " {$0.00} Fraud Liability Guarantee, '' stating that a customer will never be responsible for " unauthorized charges, '' which is defined as transactions not completed or authorized by customer. I clearly went over the charges with a Discover representative and verified every charge. I do not believe I am in the wrong here, and in fact believe Discover should be held liable, as they authorized this individual to use my card without my consent. They still have not been able to tell me how exactly this individual was able to activate my card. The policy clearly states that I will not be held liable for unauthorized charges, and yet the Fraud department, specifically XXXX, stated that I might be responsible if I could not provide additional documentation. 

I was extremely upset from this interaction and called Discover back, wishing to file an official complaint and close my account. I spoke with someone named XXXX from Fraud, who apologized and stated that the policy was indeed accurate and that XXXX had spoken incorrectly. 

I was quite shaken from this incident, as I had already had my phone and credit card compromised, and Discover was not only making me feel as if the burden of proof was on me, but was also telling me information directly contradicting their written policies and marketing. 

When a company advertises a policy on their website with big letters and explains it in detail in the FAQ, one should expect the policy to be upheld and even promoted. And yet the interaction with XXXX from Fraud left me feeling lied to, disrespected, and embarrassed. I was made to feel like a criminal, when in fact I believe Discover committed the error by somehow allowing this individual to bypass their " security '' and activate this card without my consent.