Consumer complaint received 2024-12-25 00:00:00
Product: Credit card — Store credit card
Issue: Closing your account — Can't close your account
Company: CAPITAL ONE FINANCIAL CORPORATION
State: CA

Complaint narrative:
I have been battling a fraudulent Kohls account that was created using my name and Social Security Number since XX/XX/year>. I discovered it on my monthly XXXX XXXX XXXX Credit report and they advised me to contact the credit bureaus and request an investigation. The alert informed me of a HARD INQUIRY against my credit report stating : It looks like a lender recently checked your credit report. This typically happens when you apply for a new credit card or loan. 
INFORMATION FOUND Lender : KOHLS/CAPONE Inquiry XXXX I called the credit bureaus and confirmed the credit Fraud Alert in my file requiring creditors to call me at the designated telephone number whenever anyone applies for credit using my name or Social Security Number. They advised me to first contact Kohls and ask them to close the account and investigate how the account had been created, since it was a violation of the Alert.

I attempted to report the fraudulent account to Kohls at XXXX, and XXXX, the number listed for Kohls when a card is lost, stolen, or never received as listed below : ( TABLE INSERTED ) However, Kohls representatives repeatedly refused close the account or have it removed from my credit report. I spoke with " XXXX '' a XXXX in that department, but XXXX refused to even investigate the matter. After a long discussion, he admitted that he was not really in the fraud department but only took new applications, and gave me a different number to call XXXXXXXX XXXX  XXXX for fraud reports : XXXX. However, the supposed Fraud department only had pre-recorded messages prompting me to make a payment, and if I pressed XXXX the operator failed to answer or cut me off. 

In the meantime, I contacted the credit bureaus again to inform them of Kohls response. They confirmed that the Fraud Alert on my file had the correct phone number of XXXX and explained that the Kohls employee processing that credit application would have easily seen the Fraud Alert with my name and telephone number and instructions to call me before processing the application. They said Kohls Corporate was in violation, and the Bureau would flag the account in my record indicating that there was an issue with that creditor. 

Eventually, Kohls Fraud Department responded, and I spoke with XXXX ( Employee ID # XXXX ). She did find the fraudulent account, but stated that The Account has a restriction on it, which she said meant that she could only disclose information to the person who opened the account. XXXX then said she would have to verify me by confirming my address and telephone number in their file. However, when I gave her my information, she said it did not match the account holders information in her computer. I begged politely, citing the Fraud Alert instructions, but she repeated Kohls Company Policy over and over, raising her voice at me, that per company policy she could only investigate the account or close it with the consent of the person who opened it as identified in her computer. 

When I reminded her that the account had been created by someone pretending to be me, and without my knowledge or consent, in violation of the credit bureau Fraud Alert requirements, she put me on hold for about 10-15 minutes. When she came back, she said that she could agree to close the account, but only if I agreed to pay the balance of {$480.00}. 

I was surprised that there was a balance, since I had already reported the fraud several weeks prior and the credit bureau flagged Kohls as a fake credit card. When I asked XXXX for the purchase history, she refused to disclose any information about how the items were bought or the purchase dates, claiming that Kohls had to protect their customers. of course, that meant, Kohls feels its more important to protect their criminal employees than their unsuspecting innocent customers with good credit scores.

I then asked her if Kohls would work with Federal law enforcement, since it was obvious that their management was not willing to work with the Credit bureaus, and she said They ( meaning Kohls Corporate ) are not interested in pursuing criminal charges against anyone for opening fraudulent accounts. She eventually agreed to file a dispute on the account, and said Kohls would send me a letter in 30-60 days with their decision. 

I contacted the credit bureaus again, and was told that my credit report still reflected the same KOHLS/ CAPONE account, but now with a balance of {$480.00}, which had accrued sometime after I reported the fraud to Kohls . They said Kohls had re-reported it as an active account. 
The INFORMATION FOUND now stated : Lender : KOHLS/CAPONE Date account opened : XX/XX/year> Balance : {$480.00} Account number : XXXX... 

The credit bureaus also stated that they had received no instructions from Kohls to remove the account from my credit file, and suggested that Kohls refusal to investigate or close this account after multiple requests meant that the perpetrator was likely a Kohls Corporate employee.

In view of this new information that Kohls was condoning or ignoring criminal activity within their ranks, I then reported the account as Identity Theft to the Federal authorities informing them of Kohls Company Policies regarding fraudulent accounts. After the Federal filing, I did receive a letter from Kohls stating that they had closed the account but this was already the end of XXXX more than 2 months after I first alerted Kohls of the fraud. 
I was at peace for about 6 weeks, but it was a false sense of security.

Somehow, Kohls again re-opened the fraudulent account just a few days ago, as revealed in a XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX of a HARD INQUIRY by KOHLS/ CAPONE against my credit report dated XX/XX/year>. 

XXXX also informed me that my credit score had dropped by another 30 points as a result of the Kohls false credit applications for the THIRD TIME.

When I inquired with Kohls, they gave me the same run-around, insisting that only I could have re-opened the account and that this proved that it was not fraudulent. They accused me of lying and tried to pressure me to make a payment!

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation