Consumer complaint received 2025-04-27 00:00:00
Product: Prepaid card — Gift card
Issue: Problem with a purchase or transfer — Charged for a purchase or transfer you did not make with the card
Company: AMERICAN EXPRESS COMPANY
State: NY

Complaint narrative:
This is a resubmission as American Express is attempting to gaslight the consumer. 

A {$1000.00} AMEX gift card was given to me by a vendor for XXXX. I activated the card through https : //balance.amexgiftcard.com/ on XX/XX/12 around XXXX via my XXXX ( traceable by IP address ) on our way to a XXXX dinner reservation we intended to use the gift card for. When paying for the card around XXXX, it declined. I immediately checked the balance via balance.amexgiftcard.com and there was a transaction around XXXX at a XXXX XXXX location in New Hampshire for exactly {$1000.00}, but we reside in XXXX XXXX XXXX. I called the number on the back of the card immediately ( XXXX ) and they promised to put the transaction on hold until further investigation. Yet they cleared it after XXXX  days. I've made XXXX different calls to the same number demanding a resolution and was told every time I have to wait XXXX days for a verdict. They have failed to block the fraudulent transaction, and today I received their verdict where they declined my dispute with no explanation given. American Express and XXXX Incentives have made no effort to rectify the situation. I do not understand what type of " investigation '' they completed as I have all the evidence and a simple IP address trace can prove I can't physically be in two faraway states within less than XXXX hours. I also told them I have the physical card and I'm happy to provide any proof they made need. They never contacted me for any and simply denied my dispute with no valid reason. 

With the first complaint submitted through CFPB, American Express ' response was : " Our investigation indicates that your Gift Card was compromised due to the use of a Gift Card balance check website or phone number that was unaffiliated with American Express and was likely fraudulent or not secure. '' In saying this, they are essentially insinuating that the website printed on the back of all their own gift cards https : //balance.amexgiftcard.com/ is unaffiliated and potentially fraudulent. 

The reality is, I followed the exact instructions provided by American Express themselves. I used the web address printed clearly on the card to activate and check the balance, and when I noticed an issue, I called the phone number that was also listed directly on the card. These were not random websites or third-party services they were the official resources provided by American Express on the product they issued. 

Yet now, AMEX is attempting to deflect responsibility by labeling their own printed information as " unaffiliated. '' This not only shows a shocking lack of accountability but also raises serious concerns about their internal security measures and customer protection policies. If the official information printed on their cards can't be trusted, how are consumers expected to safely use these gift cards at all? 

Instead of standing behind their product and protecting their customers, American Express seems more interested in shifting blame onto innocent consumers who did nothing more than follow their provided instructions. It's unacceptable and raises larger questions about the security, integrity, and reliability of American Express ' gift card program as a whole. * *

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation