Consumer complaint received 2025-09-10 00:00:00
Product: Prepaid card — General-purpose prepaid card
Issue: Problem with a purchase or transfer — Charged for a purchase or transfer you did not make with the card
Company: AMERICAN EXPRESS COMPANY
State: NY

Complaint narrative:
XXXX XXXX I bought a XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX valid through XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX NY XXXX.   Back at home, I immediately checked the cards available balance.  It was XXXX XXXX XXXX  I used XXXX  to make XXXX  TELEPHONE purchases of XXXX  each.  Shortly thereafter, however, EVEN THOUGH I HAD NEVER TAKEN XXXX  OUT OF MY APARTMENT, I discovered that its remaining balance was XXXX XXXX   Accordingly, I checked the website XXXXXXXXBalance, and found that XXXX  had been used to make XXXX  purchases, all on XXXX and all at establishments that I had NEVER VISITED XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX    Please note the timestamps.  New Yorkers know that its IMPOSSIBLE to get from XXXX  to XXXX in two minutes, nor from XXXX to XXXX in XXXX, nor back again in another XXXX, nor from XXXX to XXXX in XXXXXXXX    Over the next several months, I continued trying to unravel these thefts.\XXXX    First, I called AMEX several times.  On each occasion, AMEX TOTALLY STONEWALLED ME.  In essence, I was told, Its not our problem.  Our cards are the same as cash.  After all, if you drop a XXXX XXXX on the sidewalk, its your tough luck.  Its the same with our cards.   I also went, in person, to the XXXX store on XXXX  XXXX, but was (politely) told that it couldnt help me, either.XXXX   Frustrated, I checked the Internet for Amex XXXX XXXX XXXX  complaints, and found DOZENS of additional tales of mysteriously-disappearing card balances.XXXX   Then, my brother-in-law reported that his company had purchased XXXX-of-dollars worth of AMEX XXXX  XXXX to give to its employees as year-end bonuses, only to discover that, when unsealed and given to a merchant for the first time, the cards had been previously drained of all funds.\n   Consequently, on XXXX I telephoned AMEX once again.  This time, AMEX did offer to investigate, but, on XXXX it denied my claim, leaving me out nearly XXXX   Its only explanation was, After a thorough review, we have determined the card information was provided by you to complete the transactions in question.\n   The rejection went on to explain, In accordance with the Authorized Card Users section of your Cardholder Agreement, if you permit another person to have access to your Card or Card number, we will treat this as if you have authorized such use and you will be liable for all transactions and fees incurred by those personsXXXX   Those assertions by AMEX are PATENTLY UNTRUE.  I never gave the card, or its number, to ANYONE.  I never even carried the card from the confines of my apartment.  Notably, AMEX provided NO EVIDENCE WHATSOEVER with which to back up its defamatory contention.XXXX    But when I called AMEX on XXXX to protest its decisionas well as its rationale--, I was told that its ruling is final, and that nothing more can be done.  Case closed.\n   In my opinion, my experience with this AMEX XXXX  XXXX XXXX say nothing of a similar occurrence with an earlier card--; as well as what befell my brother-in-law; as well as the thefts detailed on the Internet, constitute some sort of an organized FRAUD, of which American Express is, most likely, fully aware, but unwilling to address.'

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation