American Express - Theft of Identity

I would give them no stars if I could! I opened both a Costco ($8500 limit) and a Blue Cash AmEx card ($25000 limit) earlier in the year. I didn't really use them until December. I spent about $3000 on one and about $6000 on the other one the day after Thanksgiving.

The cards were placed on hold, which is not unusual but when I called to let them know that it was me making the charges, they asked me what I was buying and why, and informed me that my cards would be closed. I have never been treated so rudely. I had not even received the bill or had the chance to pay them off.

The accounts were closed and when I got the bill, I paid off both the cards. Then I received a letter telling me that my credit would likely be damaged due to the fact that the cards were closed like they were. Why would they do this? My credit is excellent. I stayed within the credit limits they gave me. I paid off the cards within a month's time. It doesn't seem like it should be legal that they can damage my credit when I did not do anything wrong?

In March 1997 agreed to apply for a student AMEX account. Received a credit card with $1,000 credit limit, used it responsibly, made monthly payments. On or about March 1999, missed a statement/payment and received collections phone calls from AMEX informing that due to the "default" in payment, account was closed, full amount some $1000 due. Paid full amount due, explained this was unjust, vowed to not return as a customer of AMEX.

AMEX reported to all 3 major credit bureas that this account was Closed By Credit Grantor and 2-4 times late. In January 2003 AMEX claimed I now had a separate delinquent $22K account with them, opened in 2000. They told me this was not my account because the Name, Address, Mother's maiden name, and DOB all did not match, and that someone was just using my social security number. They asked me to fax a copy of my Driver's License and Social Security Card to their fax and I did, they then said I was responsible for the account based on the info on file. They refused to send me any documentation whatsoever.

Yet they could not explain why they would have closed my $1000 student credit limit account in 1999 due to default and nonpayment, have that on public records, yet not hesitate to issue "me" a Platinum $22,500 credit line in 2000, less than a year later, despite a previous, recent supposed default and negative experience. It just all didn't make sense!

They continued sending me collections letters and I continued disputing the account, demanding at very least, a copy of the signed application or contract, and copies of the statements showing what in the world I bought adding up to 22K. They never produced any of these vital documents.

In July 2003 I received a court summons addressed to me on the outside but referring to me as "George Mera" (not my name) as the defendant on the inside. I answered the summons in writing and in person with a notice of appearance and an answer. I appeared before the Judge on September 25, explaining I didn't have a lawyer and would have to represent myself. Jaffe and Asher lawyer told the judge and myself that "99.9 of these cases are settled out of court but the amount of the debt is so high". The AMEX lawyer did not even produce a signed application, nor contract, nor statements, for this alleged $22K debt. I pointed this out, and the Judge said we should not continue with the hearing and instead discuss the matter and settle the matter out of court.

In the lobby of the court the AMEX lawyer produced a forged document showing I had supposedly authorized transfer of the account to use by the imposter "George Mera" and had thus supposedly committed to liability for the account. I was shocked they would go through such lengths of perjury to hold me accountable for an theft where I am the most damaged victim. I showed him a copy of my legal name change and explained it would be impossible for American Express to use the same name changed twice unless they were party to the fraud all along.

He then said this was clearly a case of ID theft and apologized, and said having the copy for his files would close the case so I gave it to him. He refused to give me a copy of the document that he produced, perhaps because it was their forgery or perjury of my original? We said he would be calling me if anything else was needed. We shook hands and said goodbye upon leaving the courthouse.

Currently, I am selling my house only to learn that a lien has been placed, a judgement of 22K despite the above! Even more bizarre is that even though AMEX somehow got this judgement at court, they are still harassing me to send money, sending me letters to my address in various names asking me to pay half to "settle" the case before it goes to court!

On two occasions within the last 6 months, American Express has cancelled the card that was in my wallet and issued a new one to persons pretending to be me.

On Friday, December 4th, I tried to use my American Express Card at Don Allen's Service Center (auto repair). The card was not accepted by American Express. I called American Express and only asked if I had a past due amount. They stated that I didn't. I then assumed that the computer had been down when I tried to complete my transaction with the auto repair center earlier that day.

On December 9, 1998 at approximately 10:00 a.m., I checked my home voice-mail from work. There was a message from Ms. L from MAC and PC Solutions. She called to verify a computer purchase for approximately $3,600. Since, I didn't order the computer, Ms. L advised me to call American Express.

I called American Express. They stated that someone had called them (using my name and other information) during the first week of December and asked for a new card. American Express cancelled the card that was in my wallet and issued a new card with a new number. The card was mailed out on the first week of December. I told the representative that I did not call American Express and never received another card.   She then connected me to the Fraud Department. 

In addition, I remembered that a phone repairman came by my house on Sunday, December 6th stating that Bell Atlantic had received a call from me on Saturday stating that I did not have a dial tone on my phone. I told the repairman that I had not had any problems with my phone and I did not place the call. I called Bell Atlantic on December 9th to verify that they had sent a repairman to my house. Bell Atlantic stated that someone had called on Saturday, December 5th and stated that there was no dial tone on my phone and to forward my calls to a 202 number. Bell Atlantic called the number and found out that it was a pager number. The pager service was with American Personal Communications. The Bell Atlantic representative also stated that the voice on the voice-mail stated that her name was Cynthia. 

I called the pager number given to me by the Bell Atlantic representative. The owner of the pager did indeed identify herself as Cynthia on the voice-mail, but it was not my voice.

I then called the Fairfax County Police. They stated that a detective would call me back sometime within the week.

I then had my phone number changed to an unlisted number.

December 10, 1998

Ms. Grayson from the Fairfax County Police called me. She told me to ensure that I called the Postal Inspector. (I did that and also) called the Fraud Victims Department of the following offices to put a Fraud Alert on my files - Equifax, Transunion, and Experion.

I called the Sprint/PCS office to ensure that the pager number used was not in my name. They stated that it wasn't.

I also talked to the Bell Atlantic repair office. Since I have two phone lines in my house, I asked them if I could have a statement placed in my files that states to only have phone calls forwarded to the other line that is in my house upon request. They stated that they couldn't. They also stated that it is common practice for them to forward calls to another number if someone calls and says they do not have a dial tone. 

They do not use any special security precautions - only the business office does. Ms. C, the supervisor, stated that they never had any problems. Then she proceeded to tell me that she didn't even know if she was actually speaking with me. She said that she would call me back the next day. I haven't heard from her.

December 16, 1998

I received a confirmation letter in the mail from MicroWarehouse reference an order. I called Customer Service. They stated that an order for a computer was placed on December 6th and the computer was shipped on the 7th using Airborne Express. The computer was a Tecra 8000 for $4,095.83.

The computer was delivered on December 8th at 10:47 a.m. to an address in Reston, Virginia. 

I called American Express again. They stated that there was a charge of $4,095.83 on the card. In addition, they stated that there was an additional charge of $9.25 made at a Texaco Gas Station at 1765 York Avenue, NE, Washington, DC.

American Express told me to call the Fairfax County Police to get a case number.  I left a message for Ms. Grayson.

December 18, 1998

Ms. Grayson called and stated that they will not open a case unless American Express specifically asks them to do so. She stated that I could not personally press charges because I didn't lose any money and she knows of no laws on the books against someone pretending to be me, having my calls forwarded to another number, using my social security number, and ordering equipment from an unauthorized credit card.

I called American Express and told them that they were going to have to contact the Fairfax County Police directly.

Other Notes

On Thursday afternoon, December 3rd or 4th, I went home early. I noticed that a woman in an older model brown car was following behind the postman. When the postman stopped to put the mail in the boxes, she parked her car, walked over to him, and began conversing. When he finished, she got back in her car and followed behind his truck.

On July 1rd 1999, I received my bank account statement and noticed that over $3,000 of my money had been withdrawn from my bank account using American Express "cash." I called American Express and they stated that they had cancelled the card that was still in my wallet and issued a new card because someone called and stated that I had lost my credit card. The person also gave them my bank account number so that American Express checks/electronic withdrawals could be issued against it. 

I was very angry with American Express because my account (from the last incident) was still under a fraud investigation. They should have called me at work to verify that I really needed the new card.

I was forced to cancel my American Express Account and open a new bank account. I had to go on vacation on July 2nd with no credit card and little money in my bank account. In addition, I was issued new checks but I could not use them in Georgia and Alabama (where I spent my holiday) because the checks did not have an address listed on them. I also had to take time off from work to correct all the problems caused by American Express' errors.