Consumer complaint received 2025-08-19 00:00:00
Product: Credit reporting or other personal consumer reports — Other personal consumer report
Issue: Identity theft protection or other monitoring services — Problem with product or service terms changing
Company: CAPITAL ONE FINANCIAL CORPORATION
State: NY

Complaint narrative:
Taking to XXXX XXXX about what to do about identity theft issues going on since XXXX  I sent a screen shot of all these emails from mailerdaemon of sending to wrong address when I don't send emails from that account XXXX said : YES, absolutely. You should report this to the FTC immediately. 
The situation is no longer just about simple email spoofing, which is a minor annoyance. The fact that you know your identity has been stolen and your information is on the dark web makes the email spoofing a symptom of a much larger problem. 
Reporting this to the Federal Trade Commission ( FTC ) is one of the most important steps you can take. 
Why You MUST Report to the FTC When you file a report at the FTC 's official website, IdentityTheft.gov, you are not just submitting a complaint. You are creating an official FTC Identity Theft Report. 
This report is a crucial legal document that serves as your proof of the crime. You will need it to : Dispute fraudulent charges on your accounts. 
Place an extended fraud alert or a credit freeze with the credit bureaus. 
Have fraudulent information removed from your credit report. 
Prevent companies from attempting to collect debts that were opened fraudulently in your name. 
File a report with your local police department, if necessary. 
Your Action Plan for Identity Theft Recovery Dealing with the XXXX-XXXX  emails is now a low priority. Focus on these critical steps to protect yourself. 
Step 1 : Go to XXXX This is the federal government 's one-stop resource. 
Click " Get Started. '' It will ask you a series of questions to understand your specific situation. 
Based on your answers, it will generate a personalized, step-by-step recovery plan and your official FTC Identity Theft Report XXXX 
Step 2 : Place a Credit Freeze and Fraud Alert This is non-negotiable. It is the single most effective way to stop criminals from opening new credit accounts in your name. 
A Fraud Alert ( free, lasts one year ) tells lenders to take extra steps to verify your identity.

A Credit Freeze ( free ) is stronger. It locks down your credit file, preventing most anyone from accessing it until you " thaw '' it with a special PIN. 
You must contact all three major credit bureaus : XXXX  : XXXX or XXXX XXXX XXXX  XXXX or XXXX XXXXXXXX  : XXXX or XXXX Step 3 : Contact Your Financial Institutions Call the fraud departments of your bank, credit card companies, and any other financial accounts. Inform them of the identity theft so they can monitor your accounts for suspicious activity. 
Step 4 : Perform a Complete Security Overhaul Since your info is on the dark web, you must assume that every password you have ever used is compromised. 
Change every password for every important account ( email, banking, social media, shopping ). Make each one unique and strong. 
Use a password manager to create and store these new passwords securely. 
Enable Two-Factor Authentication ( 2FA ) on every single account that offers it. 
The email spoofing you are seeing is a direct result of your data being in the hands of criminals. They are using your email address as a disposable tool in their spam and phishing campaigns. While you should still create a filter to manage the XXXX  messages, your primary focus must now be on the much more serious issue of full-scale identity theft recovery. 
I said : That's funny you call it and official report because I filed it when identity stolen in XXXX  and because I didn't have any updates for 2 weeks the closed the case and assumed it had been resolved. After cases are closed you can't ever access them again so what authorities are doing anything to try to stop the attacks? Or do they just take the reports? I cnt report with local law enforcement because I live in small rural town and 11 years ago got sober. EVERYONE police, doctors, nurses, government they all hate addicts. The police refuse to let me come to them. The refused to take statements when they were called to my house after someone broke in broke door down stole all my XXXX  and XXXX XXXX meds. The cops said we don't give a XXXX about your drugs. I said well I need the report because even if we got rid of the XXXX  I need my XXXX  and my doc needs to know why none of the XXXX  I take will be in my system. They said good maybe they will stop treating you. When my identity was stolen I filed with ftc and went to local cops to file report with them. They said I was probably scamming someone for drug money and refused to take a statement. Also refused 3 - XXXX calls because it was me... Also can't get primary care or doctors who treat me right and ruining my disability case because of refusal to record diagnosis made by my XXXX previous doctors and won't state I had long XXXX  and am not allowed emergency services and we only have the one hospital for all surrounding XXXX towns maybe XXXX towns XXXX said : Thank you for sharing that. Let me first say that I am genuinely sorry you've had to endure this. What you've described is completely unacceptable and represents a profound, systemic failure of the institutions that are supposed to protect you. The prejudice and dismissal you've faced from law enforcement, especially while fighting to maintain your sobriety ( congratulations on XXXX years, that is a testament to incredible strength ), is appalling. 
You are asking a deeply valid and cynical question : " what authorities are doing anything to try to stop the attacks? Or do they just take the reports? '' Based on your experience, you've hit on a frustrating truth about these systems. Let 's break it down. 
The Role of the FTC vs. Law Enforcement You are correct to feel that the FTC report didn't solve your case. Heres the distinction that is often misunderstood : The FTC ( Federal Trade Commission ) : The FTC is primarily a data collection and civil enforcement agency, not a criminal investigation body for individual cases. When you file a report, you are feeding data into a massive national database. They use this data to identify large-scale fraud rings, spot new trends, and sue major companies. For the individual, the primary purpose of the XXXX report is to serve as a legal toolthe official document you use to prove to banks, credit bureaus, and other entities that you were a victim. They " close '' cases because they don't " investigate '' them in the way a detective would ; they log the data and provide you with the recovery paperwork. Your experience of it being a " fire and forget '' system is, unfortunately, how it is designed to function for individuals. 
Law Enforcement ( Local Police, FBI, Secret Service ) : These are the agencies responsible for criminal investigations. As you've experienced firsthand, local police are often unequipped, unwilling, or, in your case, unacceptably prejudiced, to handle complex cybercrimes like identity theft. 
Your Situation is Untenable. Here 's a New Strategy. 
You are completely cut off from the primary, local avenue for help. This means you must bypass them entirely and focus on a strategy of federal reporting and aggressive self-defense. 
1. Go Federal - Bypass the Local Police Entirely Since your local law enforcement is not an option, you need to report to federal agencies that have jurisdiction over these crimes. They do not care about your small-town politics or personal history. 
The FBI 's XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX ( XXXX ) : This is the main federal portal for reporting cybercrime. File a detailed report at XXXX. This goes to the FBI and is routed to relevant federal and international law enforcement agencies. This creates a record of the crime completely outside of your local police department 's influence. 
Contact Your State Attorney General 's Office : This is a critically important step. Your State AG 's office has a XXXX XXXX XXXX that often investigates identity theft and fraud. They are a state-level law enforcement agency that is separate from and more powerful than your local police. Search for " [ Your State ] Attorney General Identity Theft '' to find their reporting process. 
2. Focus on Aggressive Self-Defense ( The XXXX XXXX ) If the authorities won't be your sword, you must be your own shield. The goal is to make your identity so difficult and annoying to use that the criminals move on to an easier target. 
A Permanent Credit Freeze is Non-Negotiable : This is your single most powerful tool. With a freeze in place at all three bureaus ( XXXX, XXXX, XXXX  ), no one can open a new line of credit in your name. You can temporarily " thaw '' it with a PIN if you need to apply for credit yourself. Given your situation, this freeze should be permanent. 
Get a New XXXX Report : I know the last experience was frustrating, but you may need a current report to dispute new fraudulent activity. Think of it not as asking for help, but as using a government website to generate the legal paperwork you need to help yourself. 
Consider an Identity Theft Protection Service : Normally I'm cautious in recommending these, but in your case of ongoing, documented identity theft with no police support, a service like XXXX XXXX, XXXX, or XXXX  could be worthwhile. They provide monitoring of the dark web, credit files, and bank accounts, and crucially, they often come with insurance and U.S.-based case managers who can do some of the legwork for you.

You are right to be angry. The system has failed you. Your sobriety shows you have an immense capacity for resilience, and you will need to apply that same strength to this fight. Forget the local police who have wronged you, and focus on the federal channels and defensive tools that can actually empower you.. 

Seems like every system is and has failed me since this happened and long before. Credit reports require the police reports or copies of ftc ID theft reports I can't get. I reported identity theft in XXXX  and has not ended like ftc days, recently my social security number was found with someone else 's information attached. I put the photo as an attachment in this email. About my social security number their is someone's name and address and nothing I can do about it. It's been long time and my mental health challenges prevent me from going and trying to fight with these authority figures any more. 

IM GETING SO SO TIRED I CANT DO IT ANYMORE PLEASE HELP THANK YOU for your time From XXXX XXXX XXXX

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation