Capital One Opened An Account For The Boy
April 29, 2011
WALLINGFORD, Conn. -- Kristie Addy become alarmed when her 5-year-old son started getting regular junk mail from Capital One, urging him to sign up for a credit card.
"For about a month and a half, every month we'd get a new one, and a new one, and a new one,” Addy said.
The family called the credit bureaus, worried that someone had stolen Hunter’s identity. They told her that her son was too young to have a credit file and suggested she apply for a card, knowing he’d get rejected. They said that should make the junk mail stop, but the plan backfired.
“It got approved instantly within 60 seconds. So, we then hung up the phone and let them know right away that it shouldn't have gotten approved. It should have been kicked out because the birthday didn't match. They said they would handle it and wouldn't send out the card,” Addy said.
But Capital One sent her the card and opened the account. A week later, 5-year-old Hunter was the proud owner of a Capital One Platinum card.
“I thought I did the right thing by letting them know that something was wrong with their system. A 5-year-old shouldn't get a credit card. If I hadn't gotten the mail, anyone could have picked it up and activated it and used it,” Addy said.
Addy’s shock over getting the card turned to frustration when she called Capital One from her home phone. The automated system recognized the number and activated the card automatically.
“I pressed 0 for customer service, and I let them know what was going on. The guy advised me that he couldn't speak to me because I wasn't the account holder. He had to talk to Hunter, and when I told him that Hunter was 5 years-old he continued to say that I couldn't talk to him, he had to talk to Hunter,” Addy said.
So, Addy called the I-Team, which called Capital One. Within 48 hours the company contacted Addy and straightened out the situation. The account is now closed and the company promised the card won’t show up on Hunter’s credit report.
The company said Hunter was able to get the card because it’s specifically designed for people with little or no credit.
A spokesperson for Capitol One told the I-Team that it offers customers, even accidental ones, 100 percent fraud protection.
“I assumed in this economy it's harder to get credit so for a 5-year-old to get a $500 platinum card with no history and a fake birth date seems pretty darn easy to get a credit card these days,” Addy said.
Thomas Coe, a professor of finance at Quinnipiac University,said no one is checking backgrounds.
“There's no individual checking, there's no person going through and screening paper applications like we used to when I was younger, so these things just automatically happen,” he said.
Unlike old paper applications, credit card systems today have an algorithm. If Hunter met the requirements without having a lot of negatives, he’d get approved. Hunter did not have debt, bills, or a single late payment on his record.
“He's probably one of their better customers,” Coe said of Hunter.
In a similar situations, customers should call the credit card company immediately and have the card canceled. Customers can also request that the company remove them from their mailing list by calling 1-888-567-8688. Another option is the Direct Marketing Association website at Direct MarketingThe association will remove customers from their records.
April 29, 2011
WALLINGFORD, Conn. -- Kristie Addy become alarmed when her 5-year-old son started getting regular junk mail from Capital One, urging him to sign up for a credit card.
"For about a month and a half, every month we'd get a new one, and a new one, and a new one,” Addy said.
The family called the credit bureaus, worried that someone had stolen Hunter’s identity. They told her that her son was too young to have a credit file and suggested she apply for a card, knowing he’d get rejected. They said that should make the junk mail stop, but the plan backfired.
“It got approved instantly within 60 seconds. So, we then hung up the phone and let them know right away that it shouldn't have gotten approved. It should have been kicked out because the birthday didn't match. They said they would handle it and wouldn't send out the card,” Addy said.
But Capital One sent her the card and opened the account. A week later, 5-year-old Hunter was the proud owner of a Capital One Platinum card.
“I thought I did the right thing by letting them know that something was wrong with their system. A 5-year-old shouldn't get a credit card. If I hadn't gotten the mail, anyone could have picked it up and activated it and used it,” Addy said.
Addy’s shock over getting the card turned to frustration when she called Capital One from her home phone. The automated system recognized the number and activated the card automatically.
“I pressed 0 for customer service, and I let them know what was going on. The guy advised me that he couldn't speak to me because I wasn't the account holder. He had to talk to Hunter, and when I told him that Hunter was 5 years-old he continued to say that I couldn't talk to him, he had to talk to Hunter,” Addy said.
So, Addy called the I-Team, which called Capital One. Within 48 hours the company contacted Addy and straightened out the situation. The account is now closed and the company promised the card won’t show up on Hunter’s credit report.
The company said Hunter was able to get the card because it’s specifically designed for people with little or no credit.
A spokesperson for Capitol One told the I-Team that it offers customers, even accidental ones, 100 percent fraud protection.
“I assumed in this economy it's harder to get credit so for a 5-year-old to get a $500 platinum card with no history and a fake birth date seems pretty darn easy to get a credit card these days,” Addy said.
Thomas Coe, a professor of finance at Quinnipiac University,said no one is checking backgrounds.
“There's no individual checking, there's no person going through and screening paper applications like we used to when I was younger, so these things just automatically happen,” he said.
Unlike old paper applications, credit card systems today have an algorithm. If Hunter met the requirements without having a lot of negatives, he’d get approved. Hunter did not have debt, bills, or a single late payment on his record.
“He's probably one of their better customers,” Coe said of Hunter.
In a similar situations, customers should call the credit card company immediately and have the card canceled. Customers can also request that the company remove them from their mailing list by calling 1-888-567-8688. Another option is the Direct Marketing Association website at Direct MarketingThe association will remove customers from their records.
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