Consumer complaint received 2025-04-16 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: VA

Complaint narrative:
Summary of Events XX/XX/XXXX Due to the layout of XXXX XXXX XXXX in XXXX, XXXX at the behest of an airport employee took a commercial taxi from XXXX XXXX  to XXXX  XXXX to meet my brother who arrived on a different airline. I was told by the airport employee that the airport shuttle between terminals only came every XXXX minutes. I had never been to this airport before. The taxi ride was approximately five minutes long if that.

Upon arriving at XXXX XXXX the taxi driver informed me that the ride cost XXXX pesos, approximately XXXX US dollars. As I had just arrived in XXXX and did not have any local currency, I attempted to pay with US dollars, but the taxi drive told me he was unable to accept US dollars. I then provided the taxi drive my American Express platinum card to pay for the ride. The taxi driver showed me that the wireless handheld billing device said XXXX pesos prior to me handing him my credit card. The taxi driver proceeded to attempt to c

harge my credit card but implied that he was having connectivity issues with the device, and the charge wasnt processed. The taxi driver did not hand my credit card back. The taxi driver again entered XXXX pesos on the wireless handheld billing device and attempted to charge my credit card but continued to imply that he was having connectivity issues, and he got out of the taxi. The taxi driver proceeded to walk closer to the airport terminal as if they were trying to connect to the terminals Wi-Fi signal. At this point I also got out of the taxi as well and after a couple minutes of this attempting to get a wireless signal persisting, I then took my credit card back from the taxi driver and handed them XXXX US dollars which was more than sufficient to cover the cost of the taxi ride.

Additionally, on this date I paid for a private transportation vehicle from XXXX XXXX XXXX to our resort in XXXX XXXX XXXX which cost XXXX US dollars. 
I returned to my home in XXXX, Virginia on XX/XX/XXXX. 

XX/XX/XXXX While reviewing my credit card charges via the American Express app I noticed two separate charges for {$480.00} on XX/XX/XXXX, however in some documents American Express lists the transaction date as XX/XX/XXXX. One of the charges is from a merchant titled XXXX XXXX  and the other is from a merchant titled XXXX XXXX, both for {$480.00}. 
I contacted American Express customer service and provided a representative the same explanation as above for what occurred on XX/XX/XXXX. I stated to the American Express representative that neither of these charges were amounts that I authorized any merchant to bill to my credit card nor did I take two separate taxi rides or authorize my credit card to be charged through multiple merchants. I took one taxi ride and handed one individual, the taxi driver, my credit card to charge XXXX pesos as agreed to and displayed on their handheld billing devices screen. The representative acknowledged understanding what occurred and submitted disputes for both of the charges. 

XX/XX/XXXX I received secure messages notifications from American Express via email with the messages themselves on their website regarding these two disputed charges.

The letter for the dispute against the merchant XXXX XXXX stated M

erchant has provided supporting documentation showing that your Card was submitted as the form of payment for the transaction. Therefore, without proof of different payment method and/or a cash receipt, we are unable to pursue further. The letter for the dispute against the merchant XXXX XXXX stated In response to our inquiry, the merchant has provided the attached support indicating that your American Express card ending XXXXwas provided for payment of the disputed amount. We are providing you with an opportunity to review the merchant 's response. If you still question the charge, please provide us with proof indicating that it was paid by other means, and we will be glad to reopen the investigation.

Attached to each secure message letter was the corresponding receipt from the merchants XXXX XXXX and XXXX XXXX. The timestamp in the receipts is XXXX and XXXX, one minute and fourteen seconds apart. Each receipt has a graphical representation of XXXX XXXX XXXX on the second page. Each receipt contains an image of a signature which is not my signature nor anything remotely close to it. 

XX/XX/XXXX I contacted American Express and was routed to the fraud services department. I again explained to the representative exactly what occurred on XX/XX/XXXX and recapped the disputes I filled on XX/XX/XXXX. I explained to the representative the issue with the multiple charges existing in the first place, with the different merchant names, with the timestamps of the receipts, and with the forged signatures. 
I explained to the representative how I have been an American Express member since XXXX and they have 14 years of signatures they can compare the ones on their receipts to in order to see that it is not my signature authorizing these charges.

The representative stated because I provided the merchant with my credit card that meant that I authorized these charges to be billed. To this I again explained that I did not take multiple taxi rides with different merchants, I did not authorize my credit card to be billed multiple times, nor did I authorize the amount that was billed each time and that I only authorized a very lower amount to be billed to my credit card one time. The representative continued to state because I provided the taxi
driver my credit card meant I was liable for the charges. I explained to the representative that based on this logic it meant I could never hand my credit card to any employee anywhere again. No matter what unauthorized fraudulent charges or illegal activity they conducted once having my credit card or if they charged an entirely different amount or multiple different amounts that under this rationale, I would be financially liable. Basically, under this rationale if I handed a bartender my credit card and they charged multiple amounts grossly higher than they said they would that I would be liable for the charges simply because I presented my credit card to them to pay an entirely different amount.

The representative asked me if I had a receipt for the cash payment I made to the taxi driver. I explained that no, I did not have a receipt for the cash payment just the same as the taxi driver did not provide me with a receipt for either of the unauthorized and fraudulent charges which they billed my credit card for. Nearly nobody when paying cash for a taxi receives a receipt unless possibly if traveling for business and then they would probably use a credit card for invoicing purposes.

The representative reopened the disputes for reinvestigation. 

XX/XX/XXXX I again received secure messages notifications from American Express via email with the messages themselves on their website regarding these two disputed charges.

This time the letter for the dispute against the merchant XXXX XXXX stated In response to our inquiry, the merchant has provided the attached support indicating that your American Express card ending XXXX was provided for payment of the disputed amount. We are providing you with an opportunity to review the merchant 's response. If you still question the charge, please provide us with proof indicating that it was paid by other means, and we will be glad to reopen the investigation.

This time the letter for the dispute against the merchant XXXX XXXX stated We have reviewed all the supports once again. The merchant has provided attached signed record of charge for your reference. In the absence of any proof of cash payment we will not be able to investigate further. We truly want to help you with the resolution, but we are bound by decisioning based on merits of paperwork and here merchant commitment was fulfilled. 

XX/XX/XXXX I made one final attempt to contact American Express to discuss these disputes. I requested to speak with a customer service supervisor. I again explained everything that occurred on XX/XX/XXXX and my previous interactions with American Express employees. I explained the discrepancies with the receipts, the fraudulent signatures, and everything else as stated above. 
I also highlighted this sentence from the second XXXX XXXX dispute letter The merchant has provided attached signed record of charge for your reference which stated that American Express was using forged signatures as their rationale for me being financially liable for the charge. Once more I explained to the representative how I have been an American Express member since XXXX and they have 14 years of signatures they can compare the ones on their receipts to in order to see that it is not my signature authorizing these charges and clear signs that fraud was committed.

Yet again the representative stated because I gave the individual my credit card that it meant I authorized these charges, and I was liable for them due to the merchants providing these receipts. Immediately upon a transaction being submitted American Express system knows if the charge was made via the cards chip, the tap feature, being swiped, or in the information was manually entered. These receipts submitted by the merchants confirm nothing beyond charges having been processed and provide XXXX evidence to their validity. Never mind that I did not take two taxi rides, nor I did not authorize the exorbitant charges for the amount that was billed by the merchants which was one taxi driver from a criminal organization.

American Express, a U.S. registered business is facilitating international illegal credit card fraud and profiting from it through the transaction fees which American Express charge merchants for processing payments. American Express at a minimum is complicit in allowing this illegal credit card fraud to be charged against the credit card for which they are the supporting financial institution. Once becoming aware of the illegal activity and doing nothing to remedy it through means available to them. Then American Express is explicitly involved in supporting and profiting from illegal credit card fraud.

Company response to consumer: Closed with monetary relief