Consumer complaint received 2024-12-27 00:00:00
Product: Credit reporting or other personal consumer reports — Credit reporting
Issue: Problem with a company's investigation into an existing problem — Their investigation did not fix an error on your report
Company: Synovus Bank
State: CA

Complaint narrative:
Subject : Dispute of Identity Theft-Related Collection Account Dear CFPB, On XX/XX/year>, I received a letter regarding an identity theft fraud concern with XXXX about a collection account associated with XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX This account, with an ending balance of {$71.00}, was previously owned by First Progress Credit Card which is serviced by Synovus Bank. 

I have a police report sent to XXXX on file documenting identity theft and fraud related to this account. On XX/XX/year>, Synovus Bank sold the First Progress credit card account to XXXX XXXX XXXX. Subsequently, on XX/XX/year>, XXXX XXXX XXXX placed the account with XXXX XXXX XXXX for servicing. 

Despite submitting the required documentation, including the police report, XXXX notified me that the fraudulent information linked to this account would not be blocked from my credit report. Pursuant to Section 605B ( c ) of the Fair Credit Reporting Act ( FCRA ), XXXX is obligated to block such information upon receiving valid documentation. My request was improperly denied, and I believe the investigation was not conducted in compliance with FCRA requirements. 

XXXX investigation results stated that First Progress Credit and XXXX XXXX XXXX were not currently reporting on my credit file. However, this was never the basis of my dispute. The First Progress account would not appear on my credit file if it had already been sold to XXXX XXXX XXXX through Synovus Bank. Additionally, XXXX XXXX XXXX identity theft-related transactions were part of the police report but were never reported to XXXX. 

It appears Synovus Bank sold the First Progress Credit Card account without fully disclosing its association with the First Progress credit card, referencing only its affiliation with Synovus Bank. This lack of transparency is misleading and has contributed to the misrepresentation of the account to XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX. 

Several provisions of the Fair Credit Reporting Act ( FCRA ) may have been violated. Here are the relevant laws and potential violations : 1. Section 605B - Block of Information Resulting from Identity Theft 2. Section 611 - Dispute Procedures-Potential Violation : XXXX failed to adequately investigate your dispute, relying on irrelevant information about First Progress Credit and XXXXXXXX XXXX XXXXXXXX rather than addressing the grounds of my dispute related to XXXX XXXX XXXX and XXXXdentity theft.

3. Section 623 - Responsibilities of Furnishers of Information-Potential Violation : Synovus Bank and XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX have violated this section by failing to accurately report the association between the First Progress credit card and Synovus Bank . This misrepresentation appears deceptive

and may have contributed to the erroneous reporting. Summary of Potential Violations : XXXX : Failed to block the disputed information under Section 605B and did not conduct a proper investigation under Section 611.

Synovus Bank and XXXX XXXX XXXX : Potentially violated Sections 623 and 609 ( e ) by failing to report accurate information and not providing clarity about the account.

I request your assistance in ensuring compliance with FCRA provisions and addressing this matter, including the removal of fraudulent information from my credit report.

Thank you for your attention to this issue.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation