Consumer complaint received 2025-09-07 00:00:00
Product: Credit card — General-purpose credit card or charge card
Issue: Problem with a purchase shown on your statement — Credit card company isn't resolving a dispute about a purchase on your statement
Company: UNITED SERVICES AUTOMOBILE ASSOCIATION
State: ME

Complaint narrative:
This complaint provides additional information regarding the previous complaint I filed on XX/XX/year> ( No. XXXX ). It relates to the same transactions. In early XXXX, I noticed approximately {$1000.00} in charges on my USAA Amex Card for suspicious purchases. In reviewing my account information, I noticed several purchases on XX/XX/XXXX and XXXX from ( i ) a XXXX  XXXX  in XXXX NY, ( ii ) the XXXX XXXX XXXX, ( iii ) a XXXXXXXX XXXX  in XXXX, Pennsylvania, and ( iv ) location ( s ) in XXXX, Ohio. On those dates I had been working from my office in XXXX, Maine, as evidenced by contemporaneous purchases at the XXXX XXXX and the XXXX XXXX in XXXX, stores I frequent. Further, I have never even been to XXXX XXXX or XXXX and have not visited XXXX or XXXX in many years. 

Shortly thereafter, I indicated that I disputed those transactions and reported my card as lost or stolen, and requested another. I inadvertently also disputed a transaction I had made at the XXXX  in XXXX XXXX, Maine on XX/XX/XXXX, which I fully admit was a valid transaction and for which I am happy to pay. 

Shortly after reporting the fraud, USAA removed the fraudulent charges from my card, and I thought the issue was resolved. On XX/XX/XXXX, almost two months after the fraud, USAA notified me that they did not believe the transactions were fraudulent and are asking me to pay the full {$1000.00} charged. 

On XX/XX/XXXX, I contacted an agent and told her I felt their findings were wrong. Indeed, a simple review of my credit card and bank statements shows that I was not in XXXX XXXX, PA, OH or NY on the days in question. Further, and more importantly, I simply had not made those purchases. She acknowledged that the purchases looked quite suspicious and validated my concerns that it appeared I had not made the purchases. 

She told me a fraud alert was sent for my XX/XX/XXXX XXXX purchase ( which I mistakenly included with the fraudulent purchases in my dispute ), as well as a XXXX XXXX purchase at that time, which I approved. She said that, it appeared that in part because I authorized those charges, the Bank did not find the other charges fraudulent. I told her that I did not authorize the other charges and, if those were part of the fraud alert sent for XXXX XXXX XXXX  purchase, the alert was not clear because there is absolutely no way I would authorize over {$800.00} in purchases made in CA, PA, OH or NY when I clearly was not there ( and in some cases, had never traveled there in my life ). I admitted that the XX/XX/XXXX purchase was legitimate but was adamant that I did not make the other purchases, noting that I had not been to any of those locations. I also noted that, just because one purchase was legitimate does not mean the remaining purchases were legitimate. I wanted USAA to re-consider its conclusions as to the purchases from XX/XX/XXXX and XXXX ( removing the XX/XX/XXXX purchase from the disputed transactions ) and contact me with its detailed findings, as well as the steps it took to investigate. I also noted that I had been a member of the Bank for 25 years and asked what motivation I would have to try removing {$850.00} of charges if they weren't fraudulent? I noted that I was normally pleased with how the Bank treated me, but was extremely disappointed with its response to this issue. 

The agent said USAA would do a second review of my fraud claim and let me know the outcome. She also said she would file a formal complaint on behalf related to my experiences with the process. Only hours later ( a Saturday ), and clearly not having done a fulsome review of my fraud claim, USAA again claimed the purchases were not fraudulent, even though I had not made them or authorized them to be made. Further, it had not removed the XX/XX/XXXX XXXX purchase from my fraud claim, which I had already acknowledged was legitimate. Presumably it again looked at that claim as legitimate, which informed its conclusions regarding the other clearly suspicious purchases. 

After receiving this notice, I again contacted the Bank to speak with a XXXX XXXX. I was admittedly quite upset at the sham investigation the Bank had conducted on my claims and AGAIN asked the agent for written findings and steps the Bank took to investigate. I also told the agent I filed a complaint with the CFPB, and that I would not give up disputing these purchases because I simply had not made them. 

After being connected and disconnected repeatedly, the agent tried to transfer me to a credit card specialist, but I was disconnected after I was told the wait time was nearly an hour.

This is quite upsetting because it is clear these purchases are suspicious and fraudulent, yet the Bank is not doing anything to look after me, the consumer, who has been a loyal member for 25 years. Further, it never reached out to me to ask for information related to these claims and clearly conducted only a cursory review of my fraud claims before falsely claiming they were legitimate and demanding that I pay for purchases made by a criminal.

Company public response: Company has responded to the consumer and the CFPB and chooses not to provide a public response
Company response to consumer: Closed with monetary relief