Consumer complaint received 2026-03-05 00:00:00
Product: Credit card — General-purpose credit card or charge card
Issue: Problem with a company's investigation into an existing problem — Their investigation did not fix an error on your report
Company: FIFTH THIRD FINANCIAL CORPORATION
State: TX

Complaint narrative:
I am filing this complaint regarding unauthorized transactions on my credit card issued by Fifth Third Bank. The only transaction I authorized was a purchase at XXXX for approximately {$100.00}. About a week later, when I logged in to pay my balance, I noticed multiple additional transactions that I did not make. These included purchases at XXXX XXXX XXXX, XXXX XXXX, and other merchants. I never received a fraud alert text, email, or phone call from the bank about these charges. I immediately contacted Fifth Third Bank to report the fraud. During my first call there was significant miscommunication with the representative, which resulted in an incomplete dispute being filed. About a month later I was informed the dispute was denied. When I called back, another representative told me that not all transactions had been reported and that I should not have paid any of the smaller charges. A second dispute was then filed including all of the transactions. About a month later that dispute was also denied. I continued calling the bank for help and was repeatedly told that I needed to provide proof that I did not make the purchases. However, these transactions occurred months earlier, and surveillance footage at most stores is typically only retained for XXXX days. I contacted XXXX XXXX XXXX directly regarding the {$840.00} transaction. They informed me that my bank would need to contact them to obtain any footage or records. When I relayed this information to Fifth Third Bank, a supervisor told me that they do not contact third parties or accept phone numbers to retrieve evidence. Another representative named XXXX later helped me submit an additional dispute for the remaining large transactions, including the XXXX XXXX XXXX purchase of {$840.00} and a XXXX XXXX purchase of {$160.00}. These were again denied. I was later told by the bank to file a police report, which I did, and I provided the report number to the bank. A representative then told me that the police report would not help with anything. Throughout this process I repeatedly asked the bank what additional information or documentation they needed from me. I was consistently told to provide proof that I did not make the purchases, but no one explained what type of proof would be acceptable. I cooperated fully and remained respectful during every interaction. Because the fraudulent balance remained on my account and I refused to pay for transactions I did not make, my credit score dropped from XXXX to XXXX. I have been building my credit since I was XXXX XXXX XXXX, and this situation has caused serious financial hardship. I have experienced difficulty obtaining financing for a replacement vehicle after my previous cars engine failed, and this situation has caused significant stress and financial problems for me and my family. I am requesting that these unauthorized transactions be properly investigated, removed from my account, and that my credit reporting be corrected. These transactions were unauthorized and were reported to the bank. Under the Fair Credit Billing Act, I should not be held responsible for fraudulent charges on my credit card.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation