Consumer complaint received 2026-01-29 00:00:00
Product: Credit card — General-purpose credit card or charge card
Issue: Problem with a purchase shown on your statement — Credit card company isn't resolving a dispute about a purchase on your statement
Company: AMERICAN EXPRESS COMPANY
State: NY

Complaint narrative:
I am filing a complaint against American Express for failure to protect my account from a sophisticated vishing ( voice phishing ) scam that resulted in {$30000.00} in unauthorized fraudulent charges. During this attack, scammers impersonating American Express officials fraudulently obtained my government-issued driver 's license photo, which gave them access to complete my identity verification and authorize charges on my account. 

I have XXXX open case numbers with American Express : - Case XXXX ( disputed charge : {$6200.00} ) - Case XXXX ( disputed charge : {$24000.00} ) - Case XXXX ( opened to upload fraud documentation after initial inquiries were closed ) CRITICAL : I reported BOTH fraudulent charges to American Express via secure chat on XX/XX/XXXX at XXXX PM ESTduring the active fraud attack. Amex acknowledged both charges in their system and promised to set up fraud cases. Despite this real-time notification, American Express allowed both charges to post on XX/XX/XXXX. 

American Express refused to escalate my fraud case to a supervisor and improperly reversed a provisional credit without explanation. Evidence suggests my account information was breached prior to this attack, enabling the targeted fraud. 

-- - DETAILED ACCOUNT OF EVENTS DATE OF INCIDENT : XX/XX/XXXX LOCATION : I was at my workplace ( employment records available ) FRAUDULENT CHARGES : {$6200.00} and {$24000.00} ( Total : {$30000.00} ) TIMELINE OF ATTACK : XXXX XXXX EST - I received a text message appearing to be from American Express stating that a {$6200.00} charge at XXXX had been DENIED. This text was spoofed by scammers as part of a coordinated multi-vector attack. 

XXXXXXXX XXXX  XXXX - Scammers called me from XXXX ( XXXX ) XXXX, identifying themselves as American Express fraud department representatives. The call came immediately after the fraud alert text, which made it appear legitimate. 

XXXX XXXX XXXXXXXX - Second call from the same number. 

XXXX XXXX XXXXXXXX - Third call from the same number. 

XXXXXXXX XXXX XXXX  - I texted back to the spoofed fraud alert : " NO this was not a valid attempt. '' This text was sent to the scammer 's system, not to real American Express. 

XXXXXXXX XXXX XXXX - I answered the call. The person on the phone identified themselves as an American Express fraud department agent investigating the XXXX charge. Based on the timing ( immediately after the fraud alert ), the caller 's professional demeanor, and the fact they had knowledge of my account details including my recent card downgrade to Green card, I believed I was speaking with a legitimate American Express representative. 

XXXX PM - XXXX PM EST - The scammer kept me on the phone for approximately 40 minutes. The scammer claimed to need to " verify my identity '' and instructed me to provide a photo of my driver 's license via a link they would send me. 

I CLICKED THE LINK THE SCAMMER PROVIDED AND UPLOADED A PHOTO OF MY DRIVER 'S LICENSE, believing I was completing a legitimate identity verification process with American Express. 

CRITICAL SECURITY VIOLATION : Per American Express 's own security guidelines, legitimate Amex representatives will NEVER ask for copies of government-issued identification, driver 's licenses, or personal identification documents via links, text messages, or any unsecured method. I was fraudulently induced to provide my government-issued ID through social engineering by someone impersonating an American Express official .

WHILE ON THE PHONE WITH THE SCAMMER, I RECEIVED THE FOLLOWING TEXT MESSAGES : XXXXXXXX XXXX XXXX - Text : " Charge activity was recently confirmed as not fraud '' XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX  Text : " Charge activity was recently confirmed as not fraud '' XXXXXXXX XXXX XXXX  - Text : " You verified two different charges '' XXXXXXXX XXXX XXXX  - Text : " Charge activity was recently confirmed as not fraud '' XXXX PM EST - Text : " Charge activity was recently confirmed as not fraud '' These text messages prove the scammer was using the account access they gained ( combined with my personal identification information and driver 's license ) to authorize fraudulent charges in real-time while I remained on the phone, believing I was speaking with an American Express agent . 

CRITICAL FRAUD REPORTING VIA SECURE CHAT - XX/XX/XXXX : XXXX PM EST - I initiated a secure chat with American Express on my online account, stating " I need help with a transaction. '' XXXX PM EST - Amex asks if I am concerned about a XXXX charge of {$24000.00} on XX/XX/XXXX. I respond " Yes '' - confirming I am aware of and concerned about this charge. 

XXXX PM EST - Amex states in their response : " I have checked and see that both the charges were marked as not fraud. '' This statement proves American Express had BOTH fraudulent charges visible in their system at this exact moment. 

XXXX PM EST - I immediately respond : " They are fraud. I was just talking to someone from the fraud team about the XXXX charge and it seems like they made another one. '' I explicitly report BOTH charges as fraudulent : - The {$6200.00} charge ( the " XXXX '' charge I was discussing with the scammer ) - The {$24000.00} charge ( the charge Amex just confirmed to me ) XXXX PM XXXX - Amex responds : " I will quickly report the charge ( s ) in question as fraud. To set up the fraud case and card replacement, we need to ask few questions and request you to please stay connected with us. '' Amex explicitly acknowledges they will report " the charge ( s ) '' ( plural ) as fraud and set up " the fraud case '' ( indicating they understood multiple fraudulent charges ). 

XXXX PM XXXX - Amex confirms full charge details : - XXXX - {$24000.00} on XX/XX/XXXX - Green Card ending XXXX - NEW YORK, NY - Merchandise & Supplies Department Stores -- - AMEX 'S CATASTROPHIC FAILURE : BOTH CHARGES POSTED DESPITE REAL-TIME FRAUD REPORT This is the most damning evidence of American Express 's negligence : XXXX. At XXXX PM EST on XX/XX/XXXX, I reported BOTH fraudulent charges via authenticated secure chat on my online account 2. Amex acknowledged they could see both charges in their system ( " I have checked and see that both the charges were marked as not fraud '' ) 3. I explicitly confirmed both were fraudulent 4. Amex promised to " quickly report the charge ( s ) in question as fraud '' and set up fraud cases 5. Despite this real-time, documented notification on XX/XX/XXXX, BOTH charges were allowed to post to my account on XX/XX/XXXX XXXX. The cases associated with this XX/XX/XXXX chat were later closed prematurely American Express had every opportunity to : - Stop the charges from posting - Investigate in real-time - Contact me to confirm- Take immediate preventive measures American Express failed on all counts.

-- - EVIDENCE I WAS NOT AUTHORIZING THESE CHARGES 1. LOCATION : I was at work during the entire incident ( XXXX PM - XXXX PM EST on XX/XX/XXXX ). I have employment records confirming my presence at the workplace. 

XXXX. PHONE CALL : I was on a phone call with what I believed was an American Express fraud agent for XXXX minutes ( XXXX PM - XXXX PM EST ). I did not have the ability to leave work, travel to XXXX, and make purchases while actively on the phone. 

XXXX. IMMEDIATE FRAUD REPORTING : At XXXX PM, I responded to the fraudulent text with " NO this was not a valid attempt '' ( though this went to scammer 's system ). More importantly, at XXXX PM EST, I reported BOTH charges to real American Express via authenticated secure chat during the active fraud attack.

4. CHARGE TIMING : The charges were authorized at XXXX PM, XXXX PM, XXXX PM, and XXXX PMall while I was actively on the phone with the scammer. These exact timestamps prove the scammer, not I, authorized the charges. 

XXXX. MERCHANT LOCATIONS : I did not visit any XXXX locations on XX/XX/XXXX. The charges were posted to locations I have never been to. 

6. GOVERNMENT ID WAS STOLEN : My driver 's license photo was obtained fraudulently via social engineering. This proves scammers had control of the identity verification process and used my stolen ID to authorize charges on my account. 

XXXX. DOCUMENTED FRAUD REPORT : I have a complete chat transcript showing I reported both charges as fraud on XX/XX/XXXX at XXXX PM EST via secure chat with American Express XXXX 

-- - HOW THE SCAMMERS OBTAINED ACCOUNT INFORMATION EVIDENCE OF PRIOR DATA BREACH : The sophistication of this targeted attack reveals that scammers possessed detailed account information BEFORE the vishing attack : - XX/XX/XXXX : I downgraded my American Express Platinum card to American Express Green card. The card number remained the same. 

- XX/XX/XXXX : I made a verified legitimate charge using my XXXX card. 

- XX/XX/XXXX : Scammers launched vishing attack. The spoofed text specifically mentioned a " GREEN CARD '' charge from XXXX. 

CRITICAL FINDING : Scammers could not have known I possessed a GREEN card ( versus Platinum, Gold, or another Amex product ) unless they had prior access to my account information, including : - My current card product type - My recent downgrade on XX/XX/XXXX - Real-time account metadata This was NOT a random vishing attack. This was a TARGETED attack by scammers with prior knowledge of my account. American Express failed to : 1. Secure my account information from data breach 2. Notify me of any data breach 3. Investigate how scammers obtained detailed account information 4. Prevent scammers from using breached account information to execute targeted fraud -- - CRITICAL SECURITY FAILURES BY AMERICAN EXPRESS FAILURE # 1 : Scammers obtained my government-issued ID American Express representatives are trained never to request government-issued identification via unsecured links or digital methods. By allowing scammers to pose as Amex agents and obtain my driver 's license photo via an unsecured link, American Express failed to : - Provide adequate employee training on identity verification procedures- Implement system safeguards to prevent government IDs from being sent via external links - Warn customers about the specific tactic of requesting driver 's license photos This represents a massive security and compliance failure. Scammers now have : - My full name - My photo - My address - My driver 's license number - My birth date Combined with my Amex account information ( which was previously breached ), scammers had everything needed to commit identity theft and complete fraudulent charges.

FAILURE # 2 : ALLOWED BOTH CHARGES TO POST AFTER REAL-TIME FRAUD REPORT This is American Express 's most damning failure. At XXXX PM EST on XX/XX/XXXX, I reported BOTH fraudulent charges ( {$6200.00} and {$24000.00} ) to American Express via authenticated secure chat during the active fraud attack.

Amex 's own records show : - They acknowledged both charges in their system at XXXX PM EST - They stated : " I have checked and see that both the charges were marked as not fraud '' - I immediately corrected them : " They are fraud '' - Amex promised : " I will quickly report the charge ( s ) in question as fraud '' - Complete chat transcript exists as evidence Despite this real-time, documented notification on XX/XX/XXXX, American Express XXXX XXXX Allowed BOTH charges to post on XX/XX/XXXX - Did not escalate the cases for proper investigation - Closed the cases associated with this XX/XX/XXXX chat prematurely - Did not contact me to follow up American Express 's fraud detection system should have : - Flagged the real-time chat notification at XXXX PM - Cross-referenced with the charges being authorized at XXXX PM, XXXX PM, XXXX PM, and XXXX PM - Identified the connection between the vishing attack and the fraudulent charges - Prevented the charges from posting Instead, both charges posted anyway, and the associated cases were closed early. 

FAILURE # 3 : Refused to escalate case to fraud supervisor On XX/XX/XXXX, I discovered the fraudulent charges had posted. I opened two separate cases : - Case XXXX for the {$6200.00} charge - Case XXXX for the {$24000.00} charge When I called American Express to explain the vishing scam, phone spoofing, stolen driver 's license, real-time fraud report via chat, and the charges that posted despite my notification, and requested escalation to a fraud supervisor, American Express REFUSED to escalate my case . 

After the initial inquiries were closed, I opened a third case ( XXXX XXXX ) to upload fraud documentation and submit a formal fraud claim. Despite having THREE open cases and extensive evidence, no fraud XXXX has reviewed my evidence of : - The calls from XXXX ( XXXX ) XXXX - The XXXX phone call with a scammer impersonating Amex - The stolen government-issued identification ( driver 's license ) - The real-time text message evidence showing charges being authorized while I was on the phone - The XX/XX/XXXX real-time fraud report via secure chat with documented chat transcript - The prior account information breach - The fact that charges posted after being reported as fraud FAILURE # 4 : Improperly reversed provisional credit without explanation American Express initially issued a partial provisional credit of approximately {$12000.00} ( only 39 % of the total fraudulent amount ). As of XX/XX/XXXX, even this partial credit has been removed from my account without explanation or notification. 

This reversal suggests American Express is denying my entire fraud claim without proper investigation, despite having documented evidence of my real-time fraud report on XX/XX/XXXX. 

FAILURE # 5 : Did not acknowledge American Express 's own security protocol violation American Express 's official security guidelines state : " American Express will NEVER ask you for identification documents, government IDs, or driver 's licenses via text message, email, or external links. '' Scammers violated this exact protocol by asking me for a driver 's license photo via a link while impersonating Amex agents. This is the exact tactic that American Express warns consumers to never fall for. I was successfully socially engineered through no fault of my ownI was tricked by criminals exploiting what should be a secure process, only to learn that providing government ID via a link is explicitly prohibited by Amex 's own security guidelines.

FAILURE # 6 : Data breach notification and investigation American Express has not : - Acknowledged any data breach - Investigated how scammers obtained my account information - Notified me of any security incident involving my account - Explained how scammers knew about my XX/XX/XXXX card downgrade - Investigated how my driver 's license information is now in the hands of criminal scammers -- - VIOLATIONS OF LAW FAIR CREDIT BILLING ACT ( FCBA ) VIOLATIONS : 1. Amex failed to acknowledge my dispute within 30 days 2. Amex refused to escalate to a fraud supervisor for proper investigation 3. Amex failed to provide written explanation of findings 4. Amex improperly reversed provisional credit without documentation 5. Amex is attempting to hold me liable for unauthorized charges obtained through fraud 6. Amex failed to investigate the scam despite evidence of identity theft and government ID fraud 7. MOST CRITICALLY : Amex received a real-time fraud report via authenticated chat on XX/XX/XXXX but allowed both charges to post anyway TRUTH IN LENDING ACT ( TILA ) VIOLATIONS : Amex failed to provide clear disclosure of my rights regarding unauthorized charges and fraud dispute procedures.

GRAMM-LEACH-BLILEY ACT ( GLBA ) VIOLATIONS : Amex failed to protect my account information from unauthorized access. Evidence shows account information was compromised prior to the vishing attack. Additionally, Amex failed to prevent identity theft using my government-issued identification. 

IDENTITY THEFT COMPLAINT : Scammers obtained and fraudulently used my government-issued driver 's license information in connection with unauthorized charges on my American Express account XXXX This constitutes identity theft under federal law. 

-- - REQUESTED RESOLUTION 1. Full reversal of both fraudulent charges totaling {$30000.00} - Charge 1 : {$6200.00} ( XXXX XXXX ) - Charge 2 : {$24000.00} ( XXXX XXXX ) XXXX. Full provisional credit for the entire disputed amount : {$30000.00} 3. Restoration of provisional credit that was improperly reversed 4. Zero liability for any portion of these charges 5. Written documentation explaining : - Why the partial provisional credit was reversed - How scammers obtained my account information - What data breach occurred - What investigation was conducted - Why Amex allowed scammers to request and receive my government-issued ID- Why BOTH charges were allowed to post after my real-time fraud report via secure chat on XX/XX/XXXX XXXX. Escalation to fraud supervisor for proper investigation of all three cases 7. Account monitoring to prevent future fraud 8. Confirmation in writing that both charges have been fully reversed and permanent credit is applied 9. Investigation into how my government-issued driver 's license is now in the possession of criminal scammers -- - SUPPORTING EVIDENCE ATTACHED XXXX. Screenshots of all text messages from XX/XX/XXXX ( XXXX PM - XXXX PM ) : - Spoofed fraud alert text at XXXX PM - " Charge confirmed as not fraud '' texts at XXXX PM, XXXX PM, XXXX PM, XXXX PM - " You verified XXXX different charges '' text at XXXX PM 2. Screenshots of fraudulent charges posted to account : - {$6200.00} ( XXXX XXXX ) - {$24000.00} ( XXXX XXXX ) 3. Employment records confirming I was at work on XX/XX/XXXX ( XXXX PM - XXXX PM EST ) 4. Complete chat transcript from XX/XX/XXXX at XXXX PM showing real-time fraud report of BOTH charges to American Express 5. Email from American Express dated XX/XX/XXXX acknowledging fraud investigation 6. Documentation of partial provisional credit that was subsequently reversed 7. Detailed timeline of all events 8. Phone records showing calls from XXXX ( XXXX ) XXXX 9. Written account of vishing scam, phone spoofing, stolen government ID, and social engineering attack 10. Documentation of three open cases with American Express -- - STATEMENT I am a victim of a sophisticated, multi-vector vishing scam involving phone spoofing, text message spoofing, social engineering, and identity theft. Scammers obtained my government-issued driver 's license photo through fraudulent impersonation of American Express officials . Evidence indicates my account information was breached prior to this attack, enabling the targeted fraud. 

I did NOT authorize these charges. They were obtained through coordinated fraud while I was at work on the phone with scammers impersonating American Express agents. 

MOST CRITICALLY : I reported BOTH charges ( {$6200.00} and {$24000.00} ) to American Express via authenticated secure chat on XX/XX/XXXX at XXXX PM ESTduring the active fraud attack. American Express acknowledged both charges in their system and promised to set up fraud cases. Despite this real-time notification, American Express allowed both charges to post on XX/XX/XXXX. 

The scammers now possess : - My government-issued driver 's license photo - My full name, address, and date of birth - My Amex account information- Access to my identity This represents a complete identity theft and account takeover. 

American Express has : - Allowed scammers to fraudulently obtain my government ID - Received a real-time fraud report on XX/XX/XXXX via secure chat but allowed both charges to post anyway - Refused to escalate my case to a fraud supervisor despite three open cases - Improperly reversed the provisional credit without explanation - Failed to investigate the vishing scam - Failed to investigate the data breach - Failed to investigate the identity theft - Violated FCBA protections I am requesting : - Full reversal of both fraudulent charges ( {$30000.00} ) with zero liability - Investigation into how my government ID was compromised - Account security measures to prevent future fraud If American Express does not resolve this matter, I will pursue all available legal remedies, including litigation and regulatory complaints to state financial regulators and law enforcement.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation