Consumer complaint received 2026-01-02 00:00:00
Product: Vehicle loan or lease — Loan
Issue: Getting a loan or lease — Loan opened without my consent or knowledge
Company: SANTANDER HOLDINGS USA, INC.
State: GA

Complaint narrative:
On XX/XX/XXXX, my cousin XXXX XXXX went to XXXX XXXX Florida XXXX located at XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX in XXXX XXXX, Florida to purchase a XXXX XXXX XXXX ( XXXX : XXXX ). 

The dealership told XXXX that his credit wasn't strong enough to finance the car in his name alone and suggested he get a cosigner. 

XXXX provided my information ( XXXX XXXX ). I live in XXXX, XXXX Florida. I live approximately 600+ miles from the dealership. 
I expected I would be added as a cosigner with XXXX XXXX as the primary borrower. 

INSTEAD, THE DEALERSHIP COMMITTED FRAUD : The dealership financed the entire loan ONLY in my name ( XXXX XXXX XXXX through Santander Consumer USA, even though : 1. I ( XXXX XXXX ) WAS NEVER PHYSICALLY PRESENT at the dealership. 
I was in Georgia on the date of purchase. I have never visited this dealership or any dealership in XXXX XXXX, Florida. 

2. I DID NOT SIGN ANY DOCUMENTS. My signature on the loan documents was either forged or fraudulently applied without my knowledge or authorization. I never authorized anyone to sign on my behalf. 

3. MY DRIVER 'S LICENSE WAS EXPIRED at the time of the transaction. It had been expired since XXXX. 
The dealership should not have accepted an expired ID. 

4. BAIT AND SWITCH FRAUD : My cousin XXXX originally went to the dealership to purchase a XXXX XXXX XXXX advertised online for {$14000.00}. Upon arrival, the dealership claimed the bank would not approve him for that vehicle but insisted they would approve him for a XXXX XXXX XXXX that cost {$10000.00} MORE ( $ XXXX ). This was a deceptive tactic to force him into a higher-priced loan. 

5. PHANTOM DOWN PAYMENT : XXXX paid a {$2000.00} down payment out of his own funds. However, the contract appears to show a fraudulently inflated down payment amount ( circled XXXX ' on the contract ), which misleads the lender about the actual loan-to-value ratio. 

6. THIS IS A " STRAW PURCHASE '' - XXXX was allowed to drive the car home even though he is not on the loan at all. The dealership knowingly financed a car in my name for my cousin ( XXXX XXXX ) to use. 

7. XXXX HAS BEEN MAKING ALL THE PAYMENTS from his personal bank account for the past several months. I have bank statements proving this. 

8. XXXX INSURED THE VEHICLE in his name since purchase. 

SANTANDER 'S FAILURE : Santander Consumer USA accepted this fraudulent loan application without conducting proper verification : - They did not verify the borrower was actually present - They accepted an expired driver 's license as ID - They did not verify the borrower actually signed documents- They ignored red flags : out-of-state borrower, different person taking possession, geographic inconsistency - They have been collecting payments from someone not on the loan THE CONTRACT IS VOID because the named borrower ( [ COUSIN 'S NAME ] ) never agreed to it, was never present, and never signed anything. 
There was no " meeting of the minds '' - a basic legal requirement for any valid contract. 

SANTANDER 'S HISTORY OF PREDATORY LENDING : This is consistent with Santander 's documented pattern of predatory and negligent lending practices : - In XXXX, Santander paid {$550.00} XXXX to settle charges by XXXX state attorneys general ( including Florida ) for predatory lending practices- The CFPB has previously fined Santander for credit reporting violations - Santander was found to approve loans with 70 % + expected default rates - About 82 % of Santander 's loans are subprime, and half of their subprime borrowers defaulted between XXXX I have sent a formal demand letter to Santander via certified mail and am prepared to pursue arbitration if this is not resolved.

Company response to consumer: Closed with non-monetary relief