Unauthorized Hard Inquiry From SYNCB/PAYPAL

[Rikkumz]

I received the letter this morning from Synchrony Fraud Solutions saying my claim is resolved and the account was found not to be opened by me.  One of their listed steps that they are taking is to have the account removed from all of my credit reports.  I don't know if that includes the inquiry too.  If not, I'll just dispute it with the documentation I have from Synchrony.  It's not really a big deal since it's one of only 2 inquiries on my reports anyway...and the other inquiry falls off in August.  

This has definitely been a small life lesson though.  Several decades on this earth and I have never been a victim of identity fraud before.  I guess it was just my turn lol.

UPDATE:  Just checked all 3 credit reports, and the account has been completely removed from all 3.  The inquiry is still on Transunion though.  I'll copy/paste and fire off a letter today while it's still fresh on my mind.  

Thanks for all of the wonderful advice on here!  I will definitely be more vigilant in the future.

[FireMedic1]

Congrats on getting this all resolved.

[Junejer]

The same thing happened to me a few years ago. IIRC, the CL was $3k, but no balance. I caught it pretty quickly and was able to get the account deleted. I was never successful in getting the INQ removed.

EDIT: I found my thread from four years ago. Some wise folks suggested I file a Police Report. I would suggest you do so if this unauthorized INQ is to be removed from EQ. They're a PITA to deal with for stuff like this.

https://ficoforums.myfico.com/t5/General-Credit-Topics/Unauthorized-Inquiry-by-Syncrony-Bank-Paypal/...

[coldfusion]

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@Junejer wrote:

The same thing happened to me a few years ago. IIRC, the CL was $3k, but no balance. I caught it pretty quickly and was able to get the account deleted. I was never successful in getting the INQ removed.

EDIT: I found my thread from four years ago. Some wise folks suggested I file a Police Report. I would suggest you do so if this unauthorized INQ is to be removed from EQ. They're a PITA to deal with for stuff like this.

https://ficoforums.myfico.com/t5/General-Credit-Topics/Unauthorized-Inquiry-by-Syncrony-Bank-Paypal/...

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I read that old thread.

Instead of filing a complaint with the CFPB the correct step was (and still would be) to file a complaint against Synchrony Bank with the FDIC that the inquiry needs to be withdrawn as Synchrony already determined and confirmed that the account opening was fraudulent.

[yourcreditsage]

Glad to hear your situation was resolved! A couple of useful tidbits of information for everyone: 

1. Synchrony Bank is associated with a myriad of credit cards; PayPal is just one of many. Another popular card they offer is CareCredit. When in doubt, here's a list of the cards they offer through their partner companies: https://mysynchrony.com/where-to-shop.html. 

2. Unfortunately, there is a plethora of scams associated with PayPal. It's important to learn about them to avoid becoming a victim. Here's a good source of information: https://www.paypal.com/us/cshelp/article/what-are-common-scams-and-how-do-i-spot-them-help201

Knowledge in action is power! :-) 

YCS