American Express delayed disclosure of fraud to customer resulting in loss to customer.

In August 2006 I called American Express to inquire why I received a Credit Balance Refund Check for $12,000.00. At the time my account had been active since 1984.  During the conversation the representative uttered the words: “Anti-Money Laundering Regulations.”  At the time I had no idea how these words related to my account. The representative did not disclose to me at that time that there were several fraudulently endorsed credit balance refund checks associated with my account. However, in hindsight it is clear they were aware, but did not inform the customer.

Given time to think about the previous conversation, in December 2006 I called again to inquire if any other Credit Balance Refund Checks had been sent to me previously. The American Express Customer Service representative said there is no record of my account.

I repeated my request on dozens of separate occasions only to be told they had no record of my account.

After more than two years and hundreds of hours of effort, I received in March 2009 acknowledgement from American Express that three Credit Balance Refund Checks payable through First Union Bank, now Wachovia Bank Ft. Lauderdale Florida totaling $10,370.45 were mailed to me in 2001 and had cleared. I replied that I did not receive these checks.

I requested images of the checks to prove the signature endorsing the checks was not my signature. American Express refused to provide images of the endorsed checks.

American Express was in possession of my signature on file as well as the signature on the fraudulently endorsed checks. Comparing the signatures made the fraud evident to them.  However, they continued to refuse to provide the account owner with a copy of the checks.

Previously, whenever I asked American Express why I did not receive a statement for a given month they told me not to worry; it is their policy to not send statements when there is no activity for the account. On none of these occasions when I called did they inform me that credit balance refund checks sent to me had been fraudulently endorsed.

When I presented this information on July 16, 2010 to an Executive Assistant of Judson C. Linville, President, U.S. Consumer Card Services Group her response was: “We will not discuss this with you”.

I am currently seeking legal representation.