Unauthorized credit card charge for credit report service

ComplaintsScamsExperian Credit Report

Complaint

0
Smith
Country: United States
Unauthorized credit card charges for $14.95 (FreeCreditScore) and $19.95 (CreditReport) second week of April 2012. Don't panic, it's a sleezy scam, but not a Soviet underworld, they're targeting our identity information, scam.  Chase Bank rep confirmed that they are getting hundreds of complaints, most within the last month. Once you file a dispute with your credit card company, they block Experian from making further fraudulent charges and they contact Experian on your behalf to reverse the charges. A new credit card is not necessary since it's only Experian behind this scam. They are making up stories about third parties using your credit card to scare you into buying their credit protection plan. Contact your state attorney general and file a complaint. Contact the FTC too. I hope the FTC comes down hard on Experian and that we all get a few bucks from the resultant class action suit.

Comments

  • 0
    tj
    | 2 replies
    https://complaintwire.org/complaint/_cTjBIyxT ... -877-2977790-ca

    Suggest you block your card number anyway.

    Various credit report sites are being targeted by id thieves using stolen card numbers.

    If you got a fraudulent Experian charge, your card number is in the hands of someone who might use it on another site as well, so blocking Experian is not enough to stop further fraud.
    • 0
      Pink Tomboy replies to tj
      | 1 reply
      As I'm going through the same desputes (experian credit report charges of 19.95--6 different charges since last Nov.) I've learned that not only did my husband go through the same fraudulent charges a while back, so did the bank teller that was helping me! How does a company get away with crap like this? And how many more people out there are losing money regularly and not even aware?
      • 0
        Dan replies to Pink Tomboy
        Back in June 2013 I was charged the same $19.95 after I requested my free credit report and was ask to provide a credit card for a $1 svce fee. I was charged unknowingly a week later and because I used an old stored away credit card with just $4 on it, my bank paid the $19.95 fee and charged me $5 overdraft fee every other day for a month until they notified me by mail that I owed the bank $160. The bank moved it to collections before I even had a chance to resolve it. Anyway, think of the billions of dollars that Experian is scamming out of people, and as you can see, it is still going on strong. This is a very deliberate business decision by Experian. I will never access their website again. I'm sure their CEO will get a big bonus out of it all. Please notify me of any class-action lawsuit you hear of. I would surely enjoy being a part of it. Thanks
  • 0
    catmomof13
    Its still going on. I just had a charge of $1 for "EXPERIANREP" on my card. MY bank is issuing a new card and Cx the old one. I am concerned that someone is trying to get my personal info using a credit report, but don't want to call Experian and give them any info as they seem to be behind this whole scam thing. Pretty bad when the people you are supposed to go to for help with ID theft and such are the ones behind the whole scam!
  • 0
    Jason Page
    I got hit today for $19.95 from Experian. I will call my bank and see if this was a charge from my debit card or from my bank account check and will close what ever account was used.
  • 0
    Steve
    I was hit by this too. Apparently, when you sign up for the $1 credit report, they also sign you up for their recurring credit monitoring and a 7 day trial. After the 7 days, they start tagging you for 17.95 per month. Of course, they go out of their way to hide that you were signed up for a service you don't want. I didn't find out until after the 2nd charge which was when they sent me the first email about being enrolled in their service.

    To cancel, you will have to call their number (1-888-829-6560) and insist several times that they cancel your account since they will try to sidetrack you. I was also on hold for 15 minutes on a Saturday morning trying to get through, so don't give up because the only way to cancel is by phone. My guess is that they intentionally try to make it as hard as possible to cancel their service. I've seen where some people were able to get them to reverse charges, but I wouldn't count on it. Another option would be to dispute the charges with your credit card company.

    I also am not even sure if this is Experian. The email is signed by someone saying they are from Experian, but the website contact info says it is ConsumerInfo.com.
  • 0
    Maryana
    what should I do to stop it,every month  Experian is charging me $12.95 ?
  • 0
    Jenny
    I just discovered Experian had charged $19.95 on my account. It showed up as a reoccurring debit charge. I called my bank o report this fraudulent charge ( as I never signed up or even knew wwho they were). My bank informed me that I had been receiving charges since July and possibly longer they would have to investigate further. My bank cancelled my card and issued a new one. They will be investigating and a possibility of prosecuting them for fraud.
  • 0
    Matt V
    same thing happened to me pn 02-15-13 called my bank but tghey said i had to call experian and have them reverse the charges. i then caled experian and asked them to fully refund me when they teller said sorry we can only do one refund a yr per customer which has tobe BS at that point i had no choice but to complie with them as they would not refund the second charge. in conclusion [***] experian sucha scam company they run.
  • 0
    Nick
    I got the same charge. It was 19.39 a month when I signed uo for $1 for my credit report.  I was charged five times over the course of five months. I called and cancelled and expressed I wanted a full refund for all 5 monthly charges to no avail. I filed a complaint with the BBB and called experian again later that night demanding the refund again to no avail. I called this morning and asked for a supervisor (I'm not giving up until I am refunded). The lady comes back 5 mins later and says her supervisor said she can refund 3 credit and that I have to send a fax to 949 567 5758 requesting the other two credits. She said give them your "membership number" and name. I included my phone and email. She said within 7-10 business days I will get a response most likely via email. As far as I know, the three months of credit was sent today and will show soon, then the other two will come a few days later. If I do not receive the full credit I will surely call back and raise hell again. It's pretty sad a "credit monitoring service" uses such deceptive practices to scam their customers by not clearly stating a monthly fee is involved. I HIGHLY ENCOURAGE YOU TO CALL MULTIPLE TIMES AND REQUEST A SUPERVISOR. You will get what you want if you bug them enough! File a complaint! Put a stop to the madness! Get your refunds guys!
  • 0
    Erin
    agree with nick -- I would definitely not recommend letting it go 5 months, but I saw the charge hit my account today, called immediately and kept asking for the guy's supervisor until he caved and gave me the refund.  I imagine it's a cost/benefit thing for them -- time is money (particularly the further you go up the food chain), so at some point you wasting their time will become more expensive than the refund.
  • 0
    Anna
    Same thing happened to me. I called my bank to open a dispute and will be getting a new debit card after my vacation. This is some sh*t.
  • 0
    tj
    In general, you should contact your bank immediately in cases of fraudulent charges against your account or credit card.  They can reverse charges back 2 to 3 months if you dispute promptly, under FRB Reg. E or FCBA.

    If you have fraudulent charges going back further, contact your state Attorney General for assistance.

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