Consumer complaint received 2025-02-23 00:00:00
Product: Credit card — General-purpose credit card or charge card
Issue: Other features, terms, or problems — Other problem
Company: CAPITAL ONE FINANCIAL CORPORATION
State: FL

Complaint narrative:
Subject : Urgent CFPB Complaint Capital Ones Security Failures, FCRA & FTC Act Violations, and Deceptive Practices To Whom It May Concern, I am filing this formal complaint against Capital One for severe security failures, violations of federal law, deceptive business practices, and unauthorized access to my credit report. Capital One has : Approved my credit application but refused to grant me access to my own account.

Conducted hard inquiries on my credit before verifying my identity.

Admitted on recorded calls that they allow accounts to be created and credit cards mailed out before fully verifying applicants.

Provided conflicting and misleading statements about my identity verification.

These actions constitute clear violations of the Fair Credit Reporting Act ( FCRA ), Equal Credit Opportunity Act ( ECOA ), Federal Trade Commission Act ( FTC Act ), and Consumer Financial Protection Act ( CFPA ) and expose millions of consumers to fraud and identity theft. 

Background of Capital Ones Misconduct XX/XX/2025 : I was officially approved for a Capital One QuicksilverOne credit card. 
XXXX XXXX XXXX  : Capital One repeatedly requested ID verification, facial recognition photos, and proof of address, which I fully complied with. 
XX/XX/2025 : Capital One confirmed that my updated information was successfully verified. 
Despite all verifications, Capital One continues to deny me access to my own account. 
Supervisors on recorded calls have admitted : Anyone can submit an application using another persons information, and Capital One will run a hard credit inquiry without verifying the person first. 
An account can be created, and a credit card can be mailed out before the identity of the applicant is verified. 
Only after an account is created does Capital One fully verify identity, meaning fraudsters can easily obtain credit in someone elses name. 
I was also falsely told that my date of birth did not match my account informationdespite previously being told that my updates were verified. 
These admissions confirm that Capital Ones policies allow identity theft and fraud while simultaneously denying rightful access to legitimate account holders.

Capital Ones Federal Law Violations 1 Fair Credit Reporting Act ( FCRA ) Violations 15 U.S.C. 1681b Capital One has violated multiple provisions of the FCRA by running hard credit inquiries before verifying applicants, exposing consumers to fraud and unauthorized credit damage.

Legal Violations : FCRA 1681b ( f ) : Prohibits unauthorized access to consumer credit reports.

FCRA 1681n & 1681o : Allows legal action against institutions that willfully or negligently violate credit reporting laws.

Capital One has ADMITTED they allow hard inquiries on unverified applicants, which is an outright violation of FCRA.

2 Equal Credit Opportunity Act ( ECOA ) Violations 15 U.S.C. 1691 Capital Ones practice of approving credit applications but refusing access without explanation violates ECOAs anti-discrimination and adverse action requirements.

Legal Violations : ECOA 1691 ( d ) ( 2 ) ( A ) : Capital One must issue an adverse action notice if it denies access after approval.

ECOA 1691 ( a ) : Prohibits lenders from unfairly discriminating against applicants.

If Capital One is approving applications and then selectively blocking access to accounts, it is engaging in discriminatory lending practices.

3 Federal Trade Commission Act ( FTC Act ) Violations 15 U.S.C. 45 Capital One is engaging in unfair and deceptive business practices ( UDAP ) by : Approving credit applications without verifying identity Running hard credit inquiries on unverified applicants Sending out credit cards before confirming applicant identities Denying rightful account holders access without justification Legal Violations : FTC Act 5 ( 15 U.S.C. 45 ) : Prohibits unfair and deceptive business practices.

Capital Ones process creates a massive security risk and enables financial fraud on a national scale.

4 Consumer Financial Protection Act ( CFPA ) Violations 12 U.S.C. 5531 Capital Ones refusal to provide access while admitting that anyone can submit an application and receive credit before verification is an abusive financial practice that violates CFPAs consumer protection laws.

Legal Violation : 12 U.S.C. 5531 : Prohibits unfair, deceptive, or abusive acts or practices in consumer financial transactions.

This practice exposes consumers to identity theft while violating their rights to access accounts for which they have been approved.

Demand for Immediate Action I am formally requesting urgent regulatory intervention from the CFPB to : Obtain and review all recorded calls from my interactions with Capital One representatives and supervisors, where they admitted to these security failures.

Require Capital One to provide an immediate and detailed explanation for its denial of access to my approved account.

Investigate Capital Ones process of running hard credit inquiries before verifying applicants.

Review Capital Ones policies for compliance with FCRA, ECOA, FTC Act, and CFPA.

Impose penalties on Capital One for enabling unauthorized credit applications, violating consumer protection laws, and failing to uphold proper identity verification standards.

Capital Ones refusal to provide account access despite full identity verification combined with its admission that applications can be submitted, credit inquiries conducted, and accounts created before verification represents an unprecedented security failure that places millions of consumers at risk. 

Supporting Documents & Evidence : Approval Email ( XX/XX/2025 ) Confirming credit approval. 
Verification Requests ( XXXX XXXX XXXX ) Showing multiple ID and security requests. 
Address Confirmation Email ( XX/XX/2025 ) Proving successful verification. 
Statements from Capital One representatives on recorded calls Admitting to unlawful practices. 
This is a clear violation of federal consumer protection laws and requires immediate regulatory enforcement against Capital One. 

Sincerely, XXXX XXXX XXXX : XXXX XXXX

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation