Consumer complaint received 2025-09-27 00:00:00
Product: Credit card — General-purpose credit card or charge card
Issue: Advertising and marketing, including promotional offers — Confusing or misleading advertising about the credit card
Company: SYNCHRONY FINANCIAL
State: AR

Complaint narrative:
I received an email early this morning claiming to be from XXXX bank about " your XXXX CASHREWARDS online credit request '' - I had applied for a Walmart XXXX card on Walmart 's site, but it has been a couple weeks or more and the advertisement I responded to said I would get an instant response. I didn't and now XXXX weeks later, I get this email claiming to be from XXXX bank with a link asking for my social security number, date of birth, and other personally identifiable information. I looked up XXXX banks official website and found a phone number to call their fraud department at https : XXXX XXXX the phone number for the fraud department listed is XXXX. I spoke to someone there who told me that she couldn't see if XXXX had sent this email. I told her my concern was this potentially fraudulent email but she mainly wanted to talk about their credit products and that I needed to wait to get a response in the regular XXXX mail. Again, the number I called was their dedicated fraud department - but the agent wouldn't talk about my concerns about fraud and the safety of my information and this email that must be fraudulent given XXXX bank couldn't verify if it was really from them. 

I don't know if Walmart really uses XXXX for their XXXX cash back card. I know that the Walmart site said they gave instant responses if clicked apply, and they didn't ( I estimate XXXX weeks since clicking the ad on Walmart 's site, and I've had no further communication until today, with this possibly fraudulent email. I am concerned that Walmart has shared my information with whoever sent this email claiming to be XXXX bank, and XXXX banks own fraud department can't verify if this email is from them. I'm not sure if the issues are Walmart, or XXXX bank, or both. But no reputable company should be sending emails soliciting social security numbers, date of birth, and other personally identifiable information through unverifiable email addresses with no ability to confirm the email is from them. 

Both Walmart and XXXX bank should do a much better job of protecting customers, fully disclosing accurate-as-advertised terms and conditions and not use click bait and other aggressive and deceptive business practices such as this " instant approval '' offer that wasn't true, then follow up with what appears to be fraudulent emails that neither company can confirm if it's really them. If it's not them, they how did my information provided to Walmart get leaked to whoever is sending these emails. 

Walmart is the biggest company in the world. Too big to be lying to consumers about " instant approvals '' and they should fully disclose the accurate terms, including who and whether the bank providing the credit offer will contact us, how to verify authenticity, etc. They should protect consumer information so that we aren't receiving fraudulent emails requesting our social security number, date of birth, etc. associated with clicking anything on their websites. 

Thanks for investigating these XXXX companies. Neither of these companies seem to have the best interests of consumers in the United States in mind. 

Thank you.

Company public response: Company has responded to the consumer and the CFPB and chooses not to provide a public response
Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation