Fraudulent application for credit

Temp20211002at
New Community Member

I just got a credit rejection letter from Synchrony Bank stating they were unable to complete my request for a PayPal Credit account, which was apparently submitted about a week ago.  That's great news to me, because I NEVER AUTHORIZED A REQUEST for PayPal credit.  Given that they've recently been hacked (Google it, it's been in the news most of the past week) my only conclusion is that one of two things is happening:

  • Someone hacked my account and is applying for credit in my name
  • Synchrony Bank is attempting to open credit for any account on PayPal and something on file here didn't match my credit report.

Either way, I'm not at all pleased.  Best part is, there's NO contact info for this bank on the rejection notice, and only a number to call for support with your credit card on the PayPal site.  The only reason I know PayPal is involved is because it mentions it in the request; the return address on the rejection form is literally a P.O. Box in Florida.  There are ZERO options for reporting this to PayPal, or Synchrony, and if you call the number on PayPal, the automated system demands lots of info about "your account" (which I don't have) to connect to a person, and hangs up if you don't give it what it wants in a couple trys.

 

I've changed my password, but otherwise am now debating closing my PayPal and writing off the whole mess.  I only use this account for donating to charities and an occasional random small purchase.  Not worth the risk if the underlying parent company is being hacked regularly, and/or is engaging in fraudulent activity like auto-applying for anyone with and account.

Login to Me Too
8 REPLIES 8

PoorCustService
Contributor
Contributor

No response from paypal and no way to call paypal. I did contact the bank and had them cancel the pending request and put a stop on any other applications in the future. Still can not get any help from paypal to resolve how this happened. Bank claims the only way anyone can request a card is from paypal. My account does not seem to have been messed with so I( think possibly someone opened up another paypal account using my name and address but again NO SERVICE PAYPAL is no help or even any option to solve this.

Login to Me Too

holyterr
Contributor
Contributor

SAME SAME SAME!!!! The only difference is, it's TWICE now for me!! I got the exact same letter - someone applied on March 26th and then applied AGAIN on April 1st! I noticed your post is a year old, so this is WAY after the Synchrony hack issue! I called Synchrony first, and it's that same issue of the horrible IVR system trying to route me to the right place by having me give 'em my account info that doesn't exist of course! I finally got someone after literally repeating "blah blah blah" every time the robo-operator asked me anything until it finally gave up and sent me to a live person. I explained in detail and she just said we don't handle PayPal accounts here, and would I like her to transfer me to the proper dept - of course I said yes, and it transferred me to the same exact number you call when go to PayPal's "Contact Us" info and call the number. It hung up on me when it picked up background noise, so I then came here to the PayPal site to try and reach someone (this is how I found out the previous call was directed to the main PayPal number - called and got the same robot saying the same things) I searched for how to resolve the issue and when of the self help options under fraud (and similar) were unrelated to my issue, it said calling this numbe[Removed. Phone #s not permitted]was recommended and to use this 6-digit code they provided that's good for 10 minutes to "get me directly to the experts I need"... yeah... there's no point that code works for anything whatsoever. That number gave me robo-lady wanting account info I can't give, hung up on me 3 times, then finally got me to a person after doing the EXACT same "blah blah" thing I did at Synchrony, LOL! So this guy (just like the chick at Synchrony) has a super harsh accent, and I had to explain this very simple to understand issue IMO, 3 or 4 times. Still unsure he understood at all! I read the letter verbatim and gave him the reference numbers. He couldn't find anything of course because the application was never processed because they couldn't verify my identity. Yes, great, but what I want, is to have it notated on my PayPal account or wherever it is you can report this so that it STOPS! I mean HELLO? I know it's great it didn't go through, so nothing's on my credit report, but I don't want someone continuing to apply in my name! Period! They've applied twice with a week between the 2, and I just got that 2nd letter today. So am I gonna get another next week when try again April flippin 8th? And how are they using my info? Are they IN MY PAYPAL ACCOUNT and applying from there? Um...a bunch of my cards and accounts are in there!! I'm **bleep** and word vomiting, sorry... point being he couldn't do anything to help me because he couldn't pull up the application (OMG, YES BECAUSE IT DIDN'T PROCESS) with the reference numbers provided from the letters, and I have no PayPal credit account. My regular PayPal account is another dept. (Jesus....) The resolution center report process has 2 options: Dispute a charge or unauthorized activity, which is done by you choosing the associated activity from the list in your account. There is no activity as it's been a while since I've used PayPal, and then below that, the "Did this solve your problem? Yes or No" option which starts ya all over. There is nothing whatsoever to help with this issue, and every community reference is of course never responded. So I'm with you, I'm DONE! Closing my entire account NOW. However... still no idea if that een helps because no one can tell me how it happened or to prevent it!! SO FURIOUS!!! Obviously. Sorry so wordy...

Login to Me Too

PoorCustService
Contributor
Contributor

As I posted before this keeps happening to me and now for the 4th time. This activity does hit your credit report as a declined for lack of identity. Synchrony is suppose to submit you called and application was not you and action should be removed from your credit report. Synchrony say the only place a application can be submitted is from paypal period. My account has not been breached in any way but it is obvious one can open a duplicate account on paypale in your name and address. These people get a email telling them the exact words on your official letter you receive in the postal mail. By that letter they know you have good credit so they keep trolling the net trying to find the correct answers they get wrong on the application. No way to reach  paypal to remove the fake account and stop this because paypal does not care period. Also even if you cancel your paypal account this will not stop!  What needs to be done is to start a class action law suit!

Login to Me Too

holyterr
Contributor
Contributor

That is EXACTLY what I was worried would happen! Well I guess I have that to look forward to!! I am still gonna close my PayPal account just on principal, ya know? I am so furious, this is BEYOND unacceptable! Thank you so much for the info, I'll go ahead and try to get someone who is willing to help me at Synchrony, and I'll be on my way as soon as I post this to freeze my accounts with the 3 credit bureaus too since you verified my fears that eventually they'll figure out the info they need and it WILL show up! I went through years (literally like 20 years of disputes and score drops and problems getting any credit approved through ZERO fault of my own, I pay my bills!!) of problems from unauthorized crap that started basically at the start of the ability for people manage their finances online. I finally have a good score, better rates, not denied everywhere, and no new surprises showing up on my report for about a year or so now. And now this. FANTASTIC. Anyone who wants to starts a class action suit can definitely COUNT ME IN!

Login to Me Too

KK4Kids
Contributor
Contributor

This is not something PayPal or Synchrony bank can assist you with.  Once someone has your personal info, they can apply for credit cards, PayPal credit, apply for  unemployment insurance in whatever state you live in, etc.  This is not related to YOUR PayPal account.  This is someone using YOUR information who likely created a PayPal account using your information and then applied for PayPal credit.  You need to freeze your credit, put a fraud alert on your credit and file an identity Theft report with the FTC.   You should also go to USPS.com NOW and put in a change of address for any old addresses you've lived at in the last 3-5 or even 10 years bc these thieves often use an old mailing address so the related mailings never find their way to you.  Had I not recently renewed the change of address from our home we left 3 years ago, I would have never received this Synchrony bank letter NOR received the letter that someone applied for unemployement benefits in my name.  There could be much more to this that what you are seeing!  So take action now to protect your credit and your ID.  Start here ---> https://www.identitytheft.gov/

Login to Me Too

KK4Kids
Contributor
Contributor

See reply I just posted to someone elses's comment on this topic.  I suspect there is nothing PayPal or Synchrony bank can or will do about this.  You need to take the steps I mentioned to protect your ID/your credit bc someone has your info!

Login to Me Too

KK4Kids
Contributor
Contributor

I got this letter today (from Synchrony Bank).  Anyone who has received this letter BEWARE -- someone  has your SSN, DOB, etc and you are a victim of identity theft.  Although they were not successful (because I have a fraud alert on my credit and a freeze on all three credit bureaus), you should (a) report this to the FTC at https://www.identitytheft.gov and (b) call Equifax and have a fraud alert placed on your credit and (c) put a freeze on your credit with EACH of the 3 credit bureaus.  Slightly unrelated, a friend of mind had someone use her SSN and personal info and old address to create a paypal account (not a credit acct for PayPal).  They sold a lot of merch under her SSN with an account she had no idea they had created and years later she got a letter from the IRS demanding taxes, penalties and interst on the unreported 1099 income from the paypal business.  Talk about a mess!  Protect your ID and freeze your credit!  With a ID Theft Report via the stie I mentioned about, you can extend the fraud alert from 1 year to 7 years!  This is what I'm working on right now.  Also, if you've moved in the last 3-5 years, go to usps.com and put in a forwarding/change of address order for your past addresses to your current address.  I had recently done this for our last two addresses due to a neighbor forwarding me a piece of mail still going to our old house.  So I put in forwarding orders from a house we left 4 years ago and one we left three years ago just to capture any stray mail.  Had i not done this, these letters would have never come to me and I would have no idea someone is using my info!  Bonus - you'll get some good coupons from USPS when you put in your change of address order!

Login to Me Too

Temp20220220
New Community Member

Yeah this is still happening! 

Same as everyone else - I just got a letter from Synchrony Bank saying they declined a PayPal Credit application because they were "Unable to Verify Your Identity". Well thank goodness. I ALREADY have a credit freeze active at all three bureaus, so I'm not sure if that's what saved me or if the thief just didn't have enough info? 

My issue is that Synchrony/PayPal has a monstrosity of a robo-menu for customer service. I first called Synchrony, where I had a hard time reaching anyone because I DON"T HAVE AN ACCOUNT and they want those details before they'll connect you to anyone. Then they wanted my SS# - and I'm like NO, I'm worried about fraud now I'm not going to give you my full SS. I was eventually able to reach a real person but while she did have an understandable accent, she wasn't much help. Since the account was never opened, Synchrony can't flag it, and apparently can't flag my information, either. She told me to contact PayPal (since I have an existing, non-credit account) and that I needed to ask them to put an alert on my existing PayPal account, and that it's possible the thief hacked my PayPal account - since there is no fraudulent activity on my original account, I think it's more likely someone opened a duplicate account with my name and address. 

Anyhoo - that gets me booted back to PayPal, which again, wants all my information to talk to me, and connect me to a series of folks with very strong accents who are hard to understand and have poor quality headsets so everything is static-y or muffled. The last gentleman I spoke to may or may not have been able to put an alert on my account (and why do I have to call to do this, anyway? Why can't I just flag my own account online?), he was obviously having trouble concentrating because he had to ask me to repeat my email address 3 times. 

So, now to try to figure out fraud alerts - yay. I already put dual authentication on most of my sensitive/finance/email related accounts, and I'm changing passwords. My credit is already frozen thanks to the idiots at Experian who leaked my data, so now I'll investigate fraud alerts. Thanks to the folks who suggested renewing your change of address forms - that's a good idea. 

Good luck anyone with this problem - I'm sure PayPal isn't exactly responsible for this, but their customer service setup sucks, and since this is an ongoing issue you'd think they could do more to prevent duplicate accounts or something. 

Login to Me Too

Haven't Found your Answer?

It happens. Hit the "Login to Ask the community" button to create a question for the PayPal community.