Consumer complaint received 2026-05-04 00:00:00
Product: Credit card — General-purpose credit card or charge card
Issue: Problem with a purchase shown on your statement — Card was charged for something you did not purchase with the card
Company: GOLDMAN SACHS BANK USA
State: PA

Complaint narrative:
Between XX/XX/XXXX and XX/XX/XXXX, multiple Apple Card transactions occurred under documented coercion and extortion, including explicit threats involving my family. This has been supported by law enforcement involvement, including a police investigation and FBI awareness due to the interstate nature of the activity. I reported these transactions beginning XX/XX/XXXX and repeatedly provided supporting evidence, including documentation of threats, a detailed timeline, and corroborating materials. The evidentiary record demonstrates a continuous pattern of coercion, a complete absence of voluntary or uncoerced consent, and no retained benefit from the transactions. On XX/XX/XXXX, Goldman Sachs legal/dispute department received and signed for a certified mail package containing the full evidentiary record, including documentation of coercion, law enforcement involvement, and supporting exhibits. This placed the Bank on formal notice of the applicable legal framework and the complete factual record. Despite this, Goldman Sachs has continued to evaluate the matter under a fraud or billing error framework rather than determining whether valid authorization existed under Regulation Z ( 12 CFR 1026.12 ). Following confirmed receipt of the full evidentiary package, the Bank has issued multiple additional denials that do not address coercion, do not evaluate authorization under duress, and do not identify any evidence supporting valid authorization. In total, the Bank has now issued repeated determinations on this matterboth before and after formal noticewithout applying the correct legal standard. These determinations consistently disregard the same evidentiary record, which remains unchanged and fully supported. Additionally, the transactions at issue represent a clear and abrupt deviation from XXXX years of prior account history, including rapid, repeated purchases of round-dollar gift cards at unfamiliar merchants. The Banks conclusion that there was no suspicious or fraudulent activity does not reconcile with this pattern and is not supported by the account history. The Bank has also failed to provide requested information, including a transaction-level breakdown of the account, the methodology used to calculate the balance and available credit, and the specific evidence relied upon to conclude that authorization was valid. No explanation has been provided addressing the documented coercion or how it was evaluated under Regulation Z. This reflects a continued failure to conduct a reasonable investigation, a failure to evaluate authorization under the correct legal standard, and a pattern of non-responsive determinations issued after formal notice and receipt of complete supporting evidence. The required legal inquiry is not whether a traditional billing error occurred, whether the merchant delivered goods, or whether the account showed signs of takeover. The required inquiry under Regulation Z, 12 CFR 1026.12 ( b ), is whether the charges were authorized by the cardholder. Authorization requires voluntary, uncoerced consent. Where use is obtained through coercion, threats, or duress, any apparent participation is not valid authorization. Attached communications demonstrate ongoing coercion and threats during the disputed timeframe. While certain messages may reference compliance with demands, these statements were made under duress and in response to continued threats. The overall communication record reflects a lack of voluntary, uncoerced consent and repeated attempts to stop the harm, not genuine authorization. These communications must be evaluated in their full context as part of a coercion pattern, not isolated statements, as required when determining authorization under Regulation Z

Company response to consumer: Closed with monetary relief