Consumer complaint received 2026-05-06 00:00:00
Product: Credit card — General-purpose credit card or charge card
Issue: Getting a credit card — Card opened without my consent or knowledge
Company: AMERICAN EXPRESS COMPANY
State: NJ

Complaint narrative:
I am the victim of identity theft. American Express opened a XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX account in my name using my Social Security Number without my authorization. The account was opened by XXXX XXXX, the President and sole XXXX of XXXX XXXX XXXX, a Delaware XXXX in which I am Vice President and a 49 % minority shareholder. XXXX had access to my SSN, signature, and home address solely because I trusted him as a business co-founder under signed corporate documents dated XX/XX/XXXX. XXXX applied for the AmEx account online using my SSN and my full legal name, but listed his own personal email address on the application. As a result, every account communication verification emails, XXXX codes, statements, balance alerts, and fraud notices was sent to him, not to me. I had no online access to the account, never logged in, and never received a statement. I first physically received a card with my name on it on or about XX/XX/XXXX, and was told by XXXX it was a company business card on which I had been added. Believing this, I made a small number of charges at his explicit direction : a computer purchased at XXXX XXXX for software development work, toll agency accounts, and a XXXX XXXX payment update. I provided XXXX a photograph of the card via XXXX Teams at his request, trusting it was for legitimate business purposes. In late XXXX or early XX/XX/XXXX, XXXX physically took the card from me. Over {$31000.00} in unauthorized personal charges followed across XXXX cards, primarily in XXXX XXXX FL and XXXX NY locations unrelated to me or to XXXX, XXXX. I did not make and did not authorize any of the following charges, among others : American Car Rental ( Washington DC ), XXXX XXXX XXXX, TOPTAL.COM ( XXXX XXXX CA ), and SM.NORD Products ( XXXX XXXX ). Most of these are card-not-present ( online ) transactions that occurred in XX/XX/XXXX before XXXX physically took the XXXX from me in late XXXX XXXX which proves he had my card details from the time of application and from the photograph I provided via Teams. I formally request that AmEx produce the card-present vs. card-not-present transaction logs, IP addresses, device fingerprints, and merchant entry methods for every disputed charge. Those records will show the transactions were not made by me. I discovered the account existed in my name as the primary cardholder in XX/XX/XXXX, when I called American Express about my personal Gold Card ( which I have held since XXXX ) and the AmEx XXXX asked whether the call concerned my " Gold or Business Blue Card. '' I had no prior knowledge of any XXXX XXXX XXXX. I asked the agent to record the call. I filed a formal fraud claim with American Express on XX/XX/XXXX ( Reference : XXXX ). I filed a police report on XX/XX/XXXX. American Express denied my fraud claim twice on XX/XX/XXXX ( XXXX ) and again on XX/XX/XXXX ( XXXX, second submission with corrected police report ) on the sole stated ground that I " benefited from the use of this Card. '' This rationale is legally and factually wrong : The threshold issue is whether I authorized the account to be opened in my name. I did not. AmEx 's own records will show the application listed XXXX 's email, that I had no online access, and that XXXX was issued a second card on which he charged over {$23000.00} in personal expenses. AmEx has independent corroborating evidence of identity theft : on XX/XX/XXXX, AmEx sent a denial letter to my home for a Business Gold Card I never applied for ( Reference : XXXX ), citing " recent payments returned unpaid '' meaning AmEx XXXX own systems detected fraudulent activity before I discovered the account. The " benefit '' defense does not apply to charges I did not make ( the unauthorized CNP transactions listed above ) or to charges induced by fraud ( the few charges I made believing the card was a legitimate corporate card with XXXX as guarantor ). The account is currently suspended with a payment " due '' on XX/XX/XXXX. AmEx is reporting this fraudulent debt as my obligation, harming my credit and finances. I request : ( XXXX ) removal of my SSN and name from the account ; ( XXXX ) reversal of all charges, fees, and interest with confirmed XXXX balance ; ( XXXX ) deletion of the tradeline from Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion as fraud ; ( XXXX ) production of application records, IP/device logs, and CP/CNP transaction XXXX XXXX XXXX U.S.C. XXXX ( XXXX ) ; ( XXXX ) litigation hold on the recorded XX/XX/XXXX phone call.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation