Fraudulent Charge

ComplaintsFinancesMNI Credit Report Monitoring

Complaint

0
A. Maurelli
Country: United States
I recently realized that I was being billed $12.95 from MNI Credit Reporting on a monthly basis.  I have NEVER used an online reporting tool for my credit score.  Even scarier, there seems to be hundreds of complaints regarding this company throughout the web.  After calling them and being put on hold for over 30 minutes, I decided to try again with similar results.  It appears that this company steal your information, and then you can't reach them to cancel the billing.  If the charge is recurring your credit card company can not get your money back - they deem it as user negligence.  Proceed with MNI and FreeCreditReport.com with caution - They are a slippery group of thieves!

Comments

123...78910111213Next
  • 0
    Gene92118
    | 1 reply
    Experian billed us $14.95 on 11/22/11. 12/22/11, 1/22/12 and 2/22/12 for a total of $59.80 on our Citi Visa Card. We NEVER subscribed to any services from Experian and we protested these charges that were refunded on 03/08/12. Then, the next day (3/09/12) Experian again billed us $14.95 and on 3/11/12 for $19.95, both on a Citi MasterCard that was never used since the beginning on October 2011. When I called Experian, they said four people used my one credit card number and eight different people used my other credit card number. I asked them, “If you know many other people are using our cards and the cards of other innocent victims, why do you bill the real owners of the cards who have never even contacted you for any services?” I also asked, “Why do you not require people who sign on for your so-called ‘Free Credit Report’ to include the security code on the back of the card to insure that someone is not using another person’s card without authorization?” Their lame responses to these questions led me to conclude that Experian has devised a new fraud scheme that could yield them hundreds of millions of dollars if they are not stopped. Because Experian is billing thousands of people who have never contacted Experian for credit reports or fraud protection services, they are collecting money monthly from thousands of people who (unlike us) do not know they are being ripped off. When I typed in "$19.95 $14.95 Experian" in a search engine, I was led to a website, www.consumeraffairs.com in which several people submitted reports that replicated the exact experience I had. After researching this matter, I have come to the conclusion Experian intentionally does not ask people for the security code on the back of their credit cards because they want to use credit card numbers of people like ourselves whom they bill without even having our names, addresses, phone numbers, email addresses and other contact information in their files. This arrangement can provide them with DENIABILITY which they did not have when the FTC fined them in 2005 for deceptive and fraudulent marketing.
    • 0
      tj replies to Gene92118
      See the above article on Red Tape Chronicles.

      These clusters of charges for credit reports of unrecognized named individuals appear to be part the the evidence pointing to large scale fraudulent credit card charges used to illegally buy credit reports for sale on the black market or use in identity theft.
  • 0
    Freddy J
    Same happened to me.   14.95 two months in a row.  Very weird.
  • 0
    Me too
    I also was hit with a $20 charge to my card.

    Fraud dept at my bank is reversing the charges and checking into it but what a pain this is for me.  Card has been canceled and new one is being issued and I have a lot of things setup to auto pay to that card.  Grrr...

    Funny thing is that I called Experian to check on it and the person told me she could look up what happened if I gave her my card number.  Lol... yeah, right.
  • 0
    Gene92118
    Experian billed our credit card for four months in a row because they said we signed on for their fraud protection/credit card monitoring service.  We NEVER signed up for any such service, nor did we ever requset one of their scamming "free" credit reports.  If they really monitor your credit card, how would they contact you if they discovered suspecious activity/spending when they don't have you name, address or phone number in their data base.  It appears that they are billing thousands of people monthly for services they are not providing, and in many cases, the people being billed don't realize they are being ripped off.  EXPERIAN has to be one of the biggest fraud operations in existence today.
  • 0
    Me too
    I should add, if you do see fraudulent charges from Experian to your credit card, do not bother calling them to try to get them to remedy the situation. At most,  all they'll do is credit the money back to your card and won't bother investigating how your card was fraudulently used in the first place.

    Call your bank/credit card and open a fraud investigation with them to get it resolved correctly.  Your bank will reverse the charges and investigate.   Hopefully, if Experian gets enough fraud charges against them, they may end up getting closed down.
  • 0
    FUCKYOUARNOLDB
    | 1 reply
    So I got the same problem. Called my bank they transferred me to claims department. We conference called the Experian dudes and then cleared everything up. and some man named Arnold B. got a hold of my card number, but ya your bank will help!
    BTW I was charged $21.20

    CALL BANK FIRST
    • 0
      tj replies to FUCKYOUARNOLDB
      More likely, some id thief pulled "Arnold B"'s credit report, paying for it with your credit card.

      The credit report sites' security is so lax, the crooks are buying credit files with stolen card numbers, often buying several credit reports with the same number.
  • 0
    Ripped again by Experian scam
    | 8 replies
    Just received a a charge in the amount of 19.95 from a source identified as Experian with the same phone # as the above complaints; 877-297-7790 interesting that a reverse phone # look-up ( both cell and land line) reveal that this is an unknown phone #.....how could this be? Well this has gone on long enough now that it is an established scam. There should be some way to fight this. Class-action suite anyone???
    • 0
      | 6 replies
      Thieves want to buy credit reports on other people, but want to remain anonymous, for obvious reasons.
      They use stolen card numbers, and apparently a faked phone number.

      Surprise!
      (at least to Experian)

      The proper target for a class action lawsuit is Experian.

      Problem is, the people who have their cards fraudulently charged can just ask for a refund, and Experian will refund it.  The people whose credit reports were illegally sold to thieves don't even know it, unless they catch an inquiry after pulling their own report, , supposedly made by them pulling their own report, and realize they hadn't pulled it.

      People who don't pull reports will never see it.
      People who regularly pull reports can easily confuse it with one of their own requests.
      Yet Experian knows their security was breached, every time a charge is disputed as fraudulent.
      • 0
        JL replies to tj
        | 5 replies
        TJ you made a very good point --"unless they catch an inquiry after pulling their own report, , supposedly made by them pulling their own report, and realize they hadn't pulled it."

        I pulled my annal free credit report from Experian every year, but I didn't see inquiry that I pulled my own report. I only see some bank etc. pulled my report

        I saw the company (I don't know who they are) below pulled my report
        FIGIS/CHARMING SHOPPES
        Address: 3200 S CENTRAL AVE
        MARSHFIELD WI 54449
        No phone number available

        Should I worry about my identity being stolen?
        Thanks,
        • 0
          tj replies to JL
          | 4 replies
          The name appears to be some sort of retail store chain,
          This may be their website.
          http://www.charmingshoppes.com/

          If so, then the only legitimate permissible purpose for them to pull your credit report would be in response to your application for credit.

          Why don't you write them a letter, mailed certified, demanding to know why they pulled your credit report?
          • 0
            audrey replies to tj
            | 3 replies
            Did you find out how or why that charming shoppes did that?  I found  them on my report
            • 0
              Brittany replies to audrey
              | 2 replies
              I also have that same Figis Charming Shoppes on my credit history!!!  I have never been there or heard of it! VERY WIERD!! the reason i am looking into it is because someone filed my federal tax return this year!!! so ridiculous what people do these days! :(
              • 0
                Brittany replies to Brittany
                | 1 reply
                now that im sitting here thinking about it, i remember receiving a magazine in the mail for Figi's and it said i was pre-approved for some amount of money thru their company...so im pretty sure thats what that is!
                • 0
                  Figi’s Credit Operations Department replies to Brittany
                  Hello,

                  If you have not placed an order with us (figis.com) we believe that you are observing a credit bureau “promotional inquiry” on your credit report.  You have received this inquiry because you satisfied the criteria for credit worthiness to receive a pre-approved credit offer from Figi’s.

                  On the credit report that you received directly from the credit bureau, information about the companies that inquired for the purposes of extending a pre-approved credit offer to you is included for your information.  These inquiries are not revealed to creditors reviewing your credit file.

                  Promotional inquiries do not impact your ability to obtain credit and are not considered in the credit bureau scoring process.

                  Here is an Experian sample credit report link that may be to assist you in understanding your credit report:  http://www.experian.com/assistance/sample-credit-report.html

                  Please contact us at  credit@figis.com if you have any more questions and we would be glad to help.

                  Sincerely,

                  Figi’s Credit Operations Department
    • 0
      Kaye/Florida replies to Ripped again by Experian scam
      I am all for a lawsuit.
  • 0
    Walt
    Add me to the long list of hundreds scamed.  The M O is identical in each case. I got the two charges on my Capitol One card 2 days apart like most here that I have read.  First $14.95 on 4/13/12 and then $19.95 on 4/13/2012. Same 3 way conference with my cards customer service lady on the line and these scum bag Experian [***].  Same story.  They make up a name that supposedly used the card number to "purchase" this service but only give the first letter of the last name.  I fell for giving my credit card number but with my card company listening in.  We'll see what hapens.  My question to all other posters ?  Did Experian make good and refund everyones money without any furthur actions nessasary ?  Did anyone else have any furthur fraudulent charges of any kind after this episode ?  I  can not believe that this still is allowed to happen over and over without some serious goverment action. This is pure fraud and theft by EXPERIAN !  Can you imagine how many others have been charged that don't check off all their charges line by line...
  • 0
    Kaye/ Florida
    Just found a charge of $19.95 to my credit card from experian..a charge I did not make. Will call cc company and get new number.  Interesting that the only time I use this credit card is to purchase from the app. Store.
  • 0
    Ingrid
    Same here. Just yesterday I saw a pending charge on my credit card of $1. I called Experian and "Bob" answered and said to make sure if I needed to call back to use this number 1-800-613-1332 ext 301 and remember his name is Bob. He said this is happening a lot and not to get mad at him. Tried to sell me a report and some protection and he told me if I cancelled my credit card it would ruin my credit rating. I got very angry with him  and hung up on him mid-sentence. I immediately cancelled my credit card(which if you are reporting fraud, will not ruin your credit) and also reported it to the FTC. OH, he also kept telling me they were a private company and could nothing about it--what a bunch of criminals. Why can't the FTC or someone do something about these people?!!
123...78910111213Next

Post a new comment