Consumer complaint received 2025-10-23 00:00:00
Product: Credit card — General-purpose credit card or charge card
Issue: Problem with a purchase shown on your statement — Card was charged for something you did not purchase with the card
Company: DISCOVER BANK
State: WA

Complaint narrative:
Between XX/XX/XXXXXXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX I was victimized by an elaborate romance scam facilitated by XXXX  translation services, resulting in fraudulent charges totaling {$18000.00} across XXXX financial accounts. This complaint specifically addresses the fraudulent charges processed through my Discover account ending in XXXX, which was charged {$8800.00} across XXXX unauthorized transactions. 
In early XXXX, I encountered a profile on XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX website presenting as " XXXX, '' a XXXX single mother from XXXX, XXXX. The profile, identified as XXXX XXXX XXXX with username " XXXX, '' appeared legitimate with detailed information about her work in XXXX XXXX XXXXXXXX XXXXXXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX The profile had been active since XX/XX/XXXX, with its last update on XX/XX/XXXX. 

Following initial contact, the individual claimed we needed XXXX XXXX  services to communicate, asserting she spoke only XXXX  while I speak only XXXX. Around XX/XX/XXXX, I received a detailed email explaining she had researched various translation services and determined XXXX  was most cost-effective at XXXX cents per word. She specifically directed me to use the service through XXXX claiming special discounts of up to XXXX % off standard rates. On XX/XX/XXXX, I agreed to use the XXXX platform, genuinely believing this would facilitate legitimate XXXX XXXX. I had no reason to suspect fraud at this point. 

XXXX operated through XXXX payment processing, with all charges appearing as " XXXX XXXX' from XXXX, XXXX, with the address listed as " XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX '' on financial statements. Every single message exchange required payment for translation services calculated on a per-word basis, creating a continuous financial drain. The scammer maintained an elaborate facade throughout XXXX months of correspondence covering extensive personal topics including her daughter, her life in XXXX, detailed plans for our future together, discussions about obtaining travel visas, purchasing plane tickets for her to visit me in the XXXX XXXX and building what appeared to be a genuine romantic connection. Every message, regardless of content, required payment through XXXX 

Complete Financial Breakdown Across All Accounts : Total Verified Transactions : XXXX Total Amount Fraudulently Charged Across All Accounts : {$18000.00} Time Period : XX/XX/XXXX through XX/XX/XXXX Breakdown by Financial Institution : XXXX XXXX XXXX Credit Card ( ending XXXX, card XXXX ) : XXXX transactions = {$7700.00} Discover Credit Card ( ending XXXX ) : XXXX transactions = {$8800.00} XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX transactions = {$240.00} Charges Specific to Discover Account XXXX : This account was charged {$8800.00} across XXXX fraudulent transactions to XXXX  between XX/XX/XXXX and XX/XX/XXXX. All charges appeared on statements as " XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX Individual transaction amounts ranged from as low as {$23.00} to as high as {$610.00}, with a clear pattern of escalation over time. 

Analysis of the transaction history reveals a systematic escalation pattern designed to maximize financial extraction over time. In the early stage covering XX/XX/XXXX through XX/XX/XXXX, charges ranged from {$58.00} to {$230.00}, serving to establish the payment pattern and build trust without immediately raising concerns about excessive costs. In the middle stage spanning XX/XX/XXXX through XX/XX/XXXX, charges increased dramatically to between {$580.00} and {$610.00} per transaction, coinciding with the deepening of the XXXX  connection and more extensive correspondence as the relationship appeared to progress. In the late stage covering XX/XX/XXXX through XX/XX/XXXX, charges remained consistently high at {$590.00} to {$610.00} per transaction, indicating longer and more frequent messages as the relationship appeared to be progressing toward an actual meeting in person. 

In XX/XX/XXXX, approximately XXXX months after the initiation of contact, I grew suspicious and conducted independent research using reverse image search technology. I discovered that the photographs used in the XXXX XXXX profile were stolen images belonging to a real individual and had been misappropriated for use in romance fraud schemes. The same photographs appeared on XXXX XXXXXXXX XXXX website under a profile using the name " XXXX '' with XXXX XXXX XXXX Additionally, these same photographs appeared on multiple scam-reporting websites and fake profile databases, including fake-scam.info and various other platforms dedicated to documenting romance fraud operations. The stolen photographs depicted a XXXX woman in various poses and settings, and these exact images had been reported by multiple other victims who had fallen prey to similar romance scams. I further discovered that these photographs had been used in numerous documented fake profiles across different platforms, including profiles operating under the names XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX all utilizing the same stolen photographs to perpetrate romance scams against unsuspecting victims. 

On XX/XX/XXXX, I filed a formal abuse report with XXXX XXXX customer support, which was assigned XXXX XXXX XXXX. In my report, I explicitly stated that I had spent XXXX months making payments for translation services to communicate with XXXX XXXX, only to discover that the profile was impersonating another person using stolen photographs. I reported that I had spent approximately XXXX to XXXX XXXX dollars on what I believed was a genuine relationship, only to discover the entire operation was fraudulent. 

On XX/XX/XXXXXXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX I received a response from XXXX XXXX XXXX, represented by XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX. The response definitively confirmed the fraudulent nature of the account. The official response stated : " Thank you very much for bringing this matter to our attention. XXXX XXXX # XXXX has been suspended on XXXX XXXX Please be careful and do not send money to any women unless you are truly sure about her being genuine. '' This official confirmation from XXXX XXXX conclusively established that the profile was fraudulent and that I had been victimized by an organized romance scam operation. The XXXX  platform 's immediate suspension of the account upon receiving my report further validates the fraudulent nature of the profile and the scam operation. 

Multiple factors clearly indicate that this was part of an organized criminal fraud operation rather than the actions of an isolated individual scammer. The same stolen photographs have been used in multiple documented scam operations across different platforms and in different countries, indicating a systematic approach to identity theft and fraud. The XXXX service appears to be specifically designed and operated to facilitate romance scams, with its strategic integration into XXXX platforms, its XXXX  pricing model that maximizes charges, and its apparent lack of meaningful verification processes to prevent fraudulent use. The sophistication of the operation, including the detailed email explaining various XXXX XXXX options and strategically directing victims to specific platforms, suggests professional-level planning and execution. The professional appearance of the payment processing through XXXX and the legitimate-looking transaction descriptions were designed to avoid triggering fraud detection systems. The systematic nature of the fraud, operating continuously over XXXX months with consistent messaging patterns and methodical financial extraction, indicates organizational structure rather than opportunistic individual criminal activity. 
Inadequate Fraud Detection by Discover : A particularly concerning aspect of this fraud is the apparent failure of fraud detection systems at Discover. Over the course of XXXX months, my Discover account ending in XXXX was charged XXXX separate times to the same merchant, XXXX, totaling {$8800.00}. These charges followed a clear pattern of escalation. Despite this obvious pattern, which should have triggered automated fraud detection alerts, Discover never contacted me to verify these transactions or flag them as potentially fraudulent. The failure of these fraud detection systems allowed the fraud to continue unchecked for XXXX months and enabled the accumulation of substantial losses. Had Discover implemented adequate monitoring and reached out to verify even XXXX of these transactions, the fraud could have been identified much earlier and the total losses significantly reduced. This systemic failure in fraud prevention contributed substantially to the magnitude of my losses. 

The total verified financial loss of {$18000.00} across all accounts represents a devastating financial impact. This amount represents a substantial portion of my income and savings and has created significant financial hardship. Beyond the direct monetary loss, I have incurred additional costs associated with credit card interest on balances that accumulated due to these fraudulent charges, the time and effort required to document and dispute these charges across XXXX different financial institutions, and potential impacts to my credit score and financial standing. 

The emotional and psychological harm has been equally severe. I genuinely believed I was developing a real and meaningful relationship with someone who shared my desire for companionship and partnership. I invested XXXX months of emotional energy, hope, and trust in what I believed was a genuine connection with another person. The betrayal of discovering that every interaction over this extended period was a calculated deception designed solely to extract money from me has caused substantial emotional distress, feelings of violation and betrayal, embarrassment and shame at having been deceived, loss of trust in others and in online interactions, and XXXX about my financial situation and ability to recover from these losses. 

I am providing comprehensive documentation to support this complaint, including complete transaction histories from all XXXX financial accounts showing every XXXX charge with dates, amounts, and transaction details. I am including screenshots and printed statements from each financial institution documenting the charges. I am providing evidence of the fraudulent XXXX XXXX profile, including archived webpage captures from the XXXX XXXX showing the profile as it appeared during the time of the fraud. I am including official correspondence from XXXX XXXX customer support confirming that XXXX XXXX was fraudulent and has been suspended from their platform. I am providing evidence demonstrating that the photographs used in the profile are stolen images that have appeared in numerous other documented romance scam operations. I am including email correspondence with the individual claiming to be " XXXX '' showing how I was directed to use the XXXX service. I have compiled this evidence into XXXX separate zip file archives that comprehensively document every aspect of this fraud.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation