Consumer complaint received 2024-10-18 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: GOLDMAN SACHS BANK USA
State: IL

Complaint narrative:
To Whom It May Concern : I sent the following letter to my Apple Credit Card below and they have not given a reason why they will not grant me the credit to my account. 

I am writing to provide a detailed account of my experience as a victim of this Executive Recruiter Scam '' while working with a company I believed to be legitimate. Here is my story : On XX/XX/XXXX, I received an unsolicited call and message from XXXX XXXX, a recruiter from XXXX. As I had been receiving calls from various recruiters since leaving my last employer, I returned his call. During our XXXX conversation, XXXX introduced himself as an initial recruiter screener and arranged a call for the following day with his Senior Recruiter, XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX confirmed the booking for XXXX XXXX on XX/XX/XXXX via email at XXXXXXXX XXXX on XX/XX/XXXX. 
On XX/XX/XXXX, I had an introductory call with XXXX XXXX, a career consultant from XXXX. XXXX inquired about my professional background and emphasized the importance of networking in the current job market. He assured me that XXXX was deeply invested in their clients ' success, working with hundreds of recruiters to secure executive positions. To build trust, XXXX shared the resume of a supposed client, XXXX XXXX ( email sent at XXXX, XXXX attachment ), and an email exchange between XXXX and a marketing coordinator named XXXX XXXX XXXX attachment ) to show the marketing interaction with clients. He shared an Executive Profile and a summary from XXXX XXXX. Although the profile URL on the summary when I received this email was live at the time, it now shows as a bad URL address. I could not find any information about this XXXX XXXX online or XXXX. 
After gaining my trust, XXXX mentioned a fully refundable {$75.00} trial fee, claiming it ensured I was serious about the opportunity. Despite my skepticism, I paid the fee as our meeting had gone well, and I did not sign any formal agreement. 
Following our XXXX call, XXXX sent a follow-up email at XXXX XXXX on XX/XX/XXXX, which included ( 3rd Attachment ) : A press release advocating for highly skilled individuals aged XXXX0 and above ( I had just turned 50 a few months prior ). The press release was d ated XX/XX/XXXX, when the company was founded in Florida ( 4th attachment ). 
A list of services provided by XXXX, identical to the " Services Document '' they later used as evidence, minus the signature section which I never signed this document ( 5th attachment ). 
An XXXX XXXXXXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX, which I also never signed ( 6th attachment ). 
Later, at XXXX XXXX  on XX/XX/XXXX ( 3rd attachment email thread ), I received another email with a receipt ( 7th attachment ) for my payment, along with calendar invites for meetings on XX/XX/XXXX and XXXX aXXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX ( 8th and 9th attachment ) I also received an email from XXXX XXXX ( Executive Sales Assistant ) on XX/XX/XXXX stating that I only needed to sign this agreement through XXXXXXXX XXXX after the 8th session to be fully enrolled in this program ( Email 11th attachment ). 

After my second meeting, I expressed doubts about the services, and they scheduled a call with XXXX XXXX. During our 30-minute conversation, XXXX asked me to give the program more time. He followed up with an email on XX/XX/XXXX sharing his name and phone number ( 10th attachment ). XXXX also sent a finance option if after signing the agreement I would choose to finance the services ( 12th email attachment ) On XX/XX/XXXX, I noticed an unauthorized charge of {$4300.00} on my card. I immediately emailed XXXX XXXX 10th attachment email thread has the reply to original email sent on XX/XX/XXXXXXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX Thank you for your time this past Thursday. I really appreciate our conversation and insights. 
I wanted to reach out because my card was fully charged last week. I recall from our conversation; you stated multiple times that they would just place a hold. Can you please advise? 
Thanks, XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX, I received the following reply from XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX To : XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXXXXXX, thanks for reaching out. No need for concern at all, as mentioned sometimes the ACH hold shows up differently for different financial institutions. Some show up as a charge, others a hold, others not at all. But rest assured when you've completed your sessions with XXXX and if you decide against formalizing the program, that will be refunded immediately. As well as if you decide to go the financing route. 


This email clearly stated that THEY DID NOT CHARGE MY CARD since they did not have an authorization from me to do so!! Please read the 10th attachment in detail to understand that they fraudulently charged my card and lied to me to allow time to pass while they try to convince me. 


I met with XXXX on XX/XX/XXXX and XX/XX/XXXX but had to cancel meetings on XX/XX/XXXX and XXXX due to scheduling conflicts. During our last meeting, XXXX revealed that she did not work for XXXX and had only recently met them, which raised further suspicions. I requested a refund for the {$75.00} and the removal of the " hold. '' During my first meeting I shared my resume with XXXX, resume hiring questions that I had and a sample resume ( the resume they provided as evidence as their work product ). 
On XX/XX/XXXX, my card was charged again without my approval for {$4400.00}. This was a fraudulent charge since I specifically stated that I no longer wanted to pursue this option. Multiple attempts to contact them went unanswered, prompting me to investigate further. I discovered numerous online complaints from users labeling their service as fraudulent, along with an article from XXXX ( XXXX attachment ). 

I have conducted a thorough investigation into the individuals I interacted with during my experience with XXXX. Here are my findings : Nonexistent Employees : None of the people I engaged with, including XXXX XXXX, XXXX XXXX, and XXXX XXXX, have any presence on the internet, particularly on XXXX. It is clear they used fake names during phone calls and emails, which lacked signatures and company logos. I also did not find a profile from XXXX XXXX XXXX which they also faked this profile they shared with me. 
Fake CEO Profile : The CEO, XXXX XXXX, is also untraceable online. The only mentions of his name, without any accompanying pictures, are in paid press releases dated XX/XX/XXXX and XXXX, XXXX. 
Company Background : XXXX was founded in Florida in XX/XX/XXXX ( 13th Attachment ). In the article of organization, they don't have any member and managers listed. They have no employees listed on XXXX, raising further doubts about their legitimacy. 
Suspicious Website : Internet spam sites have flagged the XXXX website as highly suspicious and a total scam. Additionally, there are numerous people on XXXX and other platforms ( see attachment 14 ) seeking information about this company and questioning whether they should engage with their services. 
No Signed Agreement : I never signed any agreement for their services. How can I be held liable for charges when there is no enforceable agreement? Goldman Sachs initially stated I authorized these charges without any proof for the findings, but there is no document, including an XXXXXXXX XXXX agreement, with my signature. As I stated previously, they stated they would send a document for me to XXXXXXXX XXXXXXXX which I never signed. 
Misleading Documentation : In their response, XXXX provided my old resume, an updated resume I shared, and a list of services agreement without my signature. They claimed to have spent hours working on my profile, which is completely false and indicative of their desperation. 
In summary, I have been defrauded by a company using fake identities and misleading information. I have not authorized any charges, nor have I signed any agreement with them. I hope this detailed account helps in addressing this fraudulent activity. I will also report to the state attorney general in the state of Florida where this company is incorporated, the state attorney general in the state of Illinois where I reside as well as the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau ( CFPB ) to prevent them to scam others. 
Thank you for your attention to this matter. 
Sincerely, XXXX XXXX

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation