Consumer complaint received 2026-04-14 00:00:00
Product: Student loan — Private student loan
Issue: Getting a loan — Loan opened without my consent or knowledge
Company: Climb Credit Inc.
State: NJ

Complaint narrative:
Subject : CFPB Complaint Identity Theft, Deceptive Practices, and Unauthorized Education Loans Involving XXXX XXXX XXXX and Climb Credit. Identity Theft, Unauthorized Student Loan, Deceptive Acts or Practices ( UDAAP ) Complainant : Name : XXXX XXXX Address : XXXX XXXX XXXX, XXXX, NJ Email : XXXX Phone : XXXX Companies Involved : XXXX. XXXX XXXX XXXX ( Texas based education services provider ) XXXX. Climb Credit ( Student loan originator and subsequent debt collector ) Complaint Description I am submitting this complaint to formally report identity theft, deceptive practices, and unauthorized education loans arising from a fraudulent scheme orchestrated by XXXX XXXX XXXX, with resulting collection activity by Climb Credit. These actions constitute deceptive practices, identity misuse, and resulted in unauthorized debt collection and credit reporting in violation of federal consumer protection obligations. In XX/XX/XXXX, I enrolled in a one year online Data Science training program offered by XXXX XXXX XXXX. The program was explicitly represented as a 100 % CSR ( Corporate Social Responsibility ) sponsored education program with XXXX financial liability to me. I received and signed a document dated XX/XX/XXXX, titled Confirmation of 100 % Sponsorship Under CSR Education Support Program. The document expressly states the following representations : Career Amend covers all tuition and related costs with 100 % sponsorship I have XXXX financial liability and shall not owe or repay any amount Career Amend assumes complete financial responsibility and will pay all financing providers Any system generated loan or installment plan is used only for system or identity validation There will be no credit checks, no credit reporting, and no collection activity against me After enrollment, representatives of Career Amend contacted me through email and WhatsApp and conducted screen shared sessions on my personal laptop. During these sessions, I was directed step by step to enter personal information, including my Social Security number, and to click payment or confirmation links associated with multiple loan and XXXX providers. Any system confirmations or clicks were performed solely under XXXXXXXX XXXX direction and based on materially false representations ; therefore, they do not reflect informed, voluntary consent to personal financial liability and also without disclosure that such actions would create legally binding personal debt obligations. I was explicitly and repeatedly told that these steps were required only for internal system verification under the 100 % XXXX sponsorship program and that I would never be financially liable for any loan or repayment obligation. I relied on these written and verbal representations when following their instructions. At no point did I knowingly authorize, consent to, or agree to education loans for which I would be personally responsible. I never received any of the loan funds into my bank account. XXXX XXXX received and controlled the funds and initially made automated payments using their own payment method, not mine. I did not receive any goods, services, cash, or financial benefit from these loans, and all funds were controlled by XXXX XXXX. Using this deceptive process, XXXX XXXX caused multiple loans to be opened in my name without my informed consent, totaling approximately {$16000.00}, I am submitting separate complaints to the respective financial institutions involved to ensure accurate investigation and remediation. Loan provider & Account Identification Company name : Climb credit Account number ( XXXX ) : XXXX Product type : Student loan Approximate open date : XX/XX/XXXX Current status : The account was sent to collections in XX/XX/XXXX, at which point I discovered the fraudulent activity. Additionally, on XX/XX/XXXX, a XXXX XXXX representative attempted to initiate another loan for approximately {$85000.00}, misrepresenting it as internship salary. This loan was not approved XXXX XXXX XXXX due to credit history. Beginning in XXXX XXXX, XXXX XXXX failed to make required payments, which caused the Climb Credit account to enter collections. This resulted in collection pressure and credit harm to me, despite my having no financial responsibility and no receipt of funds. On XX/XX/XXXX, XXXX XXXX attempted to obtain an additional {$85000.00} loan through XXXX powered XXXX XXXX XXXX, misrepresenting it to me as an internship salary or similar arrangement. This application was declined, specifically due to the existing Climb Credit collection account that XXXX XXXX had caused by failing to make payments. This attempted {$85000.00} loan made it clear that XXXX XXXX was deliberately using my identity to obtain financing without my informed consent. I immediately froze my credit reports and began documenting and reporting this fraud. Subsequently, XXXX XXXX sent me an email claiming they never took any loans in my name and that I independently applied for education financing after being informed of all terms. This statement directly contradicts the signed 100 % XXXX sponsorship document I possess. This denial further supports a pattern of deceptive representations and post hoc mischaracterization of consumer consent I have never signed a repayment agreement, never received loan funds, never consented to personal financial liability, and never authorized repayment of these loans. I have filed an FTC Identity Theft Report and a police report documenting fraud, identity theft, and theft by deception. Despite being informed of the fraudulent nature of the account, Climb Credit has continued collection activity related to a debt that is the result of identity theft and deceptive practices. FTC XXXX Theft Report number : XXXX Police report filed : XXXX, NJ, XXXX is the police case number

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation