Consumer complaint received 2025-01-09 00:00:00
Product: Credit reporting or other personal consumer reports — Credit reporting
Issue: Improper use of your report — Credit inquiries on your report that you don't recognize
Company: SYNCHRONY FINANCIAL
State: GA

Complaint narrative:
On Monday, XX/XX/year>, I received a text message from XXXX XXXX saying " thank you for sharing your phone number with us ... ''. I have never opened any accounts with XXXX XXXX, let alone visited their website, so I immediately called them to verify that no accounts had been opened using my information. They asked me to provide them with some information to check, which I did and the representative confirmed the information was current and forwarded me to fraud, which was really just an XXXX robo call. My credit is usually frozen, but the robo call representative had me freeze my credit. This alarmed me that perhaps my credit was not frozen. I checked with all 3 major bureaus and my credit was indeed frozen, I had to call XXXX to freeze my credit over the phone because I was having trouble logging into the website to check to see if it was frozen. I then proceeded to place an Initial Fraud Alert on my credit with all 3 major bureaus. I checked my credit reports on XXXX XXXX XXXX  and no new inquiries were shown. 

XXXX XXXX XXXXXX/XX/year>, I got a call from XXXX XXXX regarding " my account '' with them. I asked what account they were referring to and they said a XXXXXXXX XXXX  store credit card. I now knew what my credit was being fraudulently used for. I informed them that I did not open this account and asked if they could close it. They said they would close it and would file a report to initiate an investigation, which would take 60-90 days. This put me on edge a little bit, especially because I RARELY go to XXXXXXXX XXXX unless I am dropping off my XXXX packages for returns. 

When I got home from work and line dancing that evening, I immediately went to check my credit report again for all 3 major bureaus. I finally was able to reset my password for XXXX on my XXXX, their mobile website doesn't work apparently. Low and behold ... XXXX showed not only 1 new inquiry I didn't recognize, but 2! An inquiry from Synchrony Financial on XX/XX/scrub>XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXXXX/XX/year>. It was too late to call, but I was stressing about it. 

This morning, XX/XX/year>, I called Synchrony Financial and explained the whole identity theft situation. They told me an application was put in with a furniture store, the exact name was not disclosed and I didn't think to ask, and that it was pending and had not been approved. They cancelled the application for me and asked if I went by another name, to which I responded no because I never have. The representative informed me that my middle name was on the application and asked if I recognized it. As it is my middle name, I responded yes. The representative was very kind and filed a report to have the inquiry removed from my credit report and informed me it would take 60-90 days for it to be removed.

Company public response: Company has responded to the consumer and the CFPB and chooses not to provide a public response
Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation