Consumer complaint received 2025-04-05 00:00:00
Product: Credit card — General-purpose credit card or charge card
Issue: Problem with a purchase shown on your statement — Overcharged for something you did purchase with the card
Company: CAPITAL ONE FINANCIAL CORPORATION
State: MD

Complaint narrative:
On XX/XX/XXXX I was traveling on vacation to XXXX, XXXX when I purchased 2 mid-sized amateur watercolor paintings from a roaming street vendor ( the " merchant '' had no store, no place of business, and no designated location ) who sold them to me out of his backpack for {$70.00} USD - this was our agreed amount. Once I used my CapitalOne Venture X credit card to complete the transaction, the young man left me and a nearby police officer came up to warn me that these scammers often defraud unsuspecting tourists by intentionally overcharging the credit card amount. The police and I went looking for the seller ( who had used a portable/handheld card reader and did not provide me with a paper receipt when I asked for one ), but he was nowhere to be found.

I immediately checked my Pending Transactions under my CapitalOne account and, sure enough, saw that the charge ( listed " XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX '' ) was actually for {$770.00} instead of the {$70.00} USD we agreed to. I called CapitalOne 's fraud department that same day and was told that there was " nothing that could be done '' while the transaction was Pending and instead I'd have to wait until it was posted ( XX/XX/XXXX ) before I could submit any formal dispute. 
Long story short, I fully submitted everything I had including photos of the 2 student paintings I received and a signed statement/affidavit telling how I'd be illegally charged this fraudulent amount and exhausted all my options with the local police. CapitalOne has since then denied my dispute on 3 separate occasions and failed to provide me with any clarification or explanation as to why they've closed the case multiple times without investigating the complaint or even attempting to resolve my problem. When I call their fraud department now, they simply say that a paper receipt ( proof of purchase ) is 100 % the only thing which would allow them to properly dispute my case, which is NOT what the first several customer representatives told me over the phone while I was in XXXX. It would have been much smarter and efficient to simply cancel the Pending transaction on XX/XX/XXXX when I/we initially KNEW it was a clear case of fraud. Instead, they forced me to wait until it was posted, mishandled my customer experience, ( I believe ) lied to me, and ultimately are justifying themselves to no end. 
I am disgusted, appalled, and disappointed with their approach as I have been a loyal member of the CapitalOne bank since XXXX and pay an annual fee of {$390.00} for the " premier '' Venture X credit card ... I find it reprehensible that I, the victim of blatant theft, am being forced to produce " evidence '' of the crime as if CapitalOne and VISA have no say in the matter. It is as if someone woke up to find their house vandalized or car stolen and the police saying that they refuse to even begin to investigate the case unless the perpetrator left a detailed paper receipt of their actions. My finances have been assaulted and charged an additional {$700.00} but they are blaming ME for not being able to show exactly how/why/when/where the criminal did their crime. What is the use or benefit of a credit card if their supposed security, fraud prevention, and protection amounts to absolutely nothing when you need it? This is the CapitalOne top-of-the-line card and the customer service I've experienced is as if I'm a common thug, a liar, or some deadbeat trying to cheat THEM out of a transaction/charge that I tried to cancel in the first place when I KNEW it was outright preventable. I feel disrespected, violated, and most importantly vulnerable to future circumstances like this, especially knowing that CapitalOne will do nothing about my case, meaning that this merchant ( and others like it ) are freely capable of continuing these malicious schemes with seemingly no accountability nor recompense. Please, I beg you to hold someone to a higher standard than this experience and I feel as though I have been wronged by this bank. Thank you.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation