Someone Steals My Credit Card Number So They Can Buy Credit Protection From Experian

[Ed. Note: Reader J. first mistakenly told us the credit bureau involved in this story was TransUnion. He subsequently corrected his error and the text has been edited accordingly to reflect Experian as the credit bureau.]

Credit protection programs often cost money. So what’s a someone who can’t get the credit to buy such a program supposed to do? Well, in this case the answer was apparently “steal someone else’s credit card number.”

Consumerist reader J. writes in with this head-scratcher:

So I was perusing though my recent credit card statement the other day, when I noticed a charge from [Experian] for $19.95. Having recently requested my annual credit report, I figured I must have “accidentally” clicked on some type of “credit protector” option.

I tried filing an online charge dispute with my credit card company, but for some reason they wouldn’t take the dispute, because of some arrangement they have with [Experian], and told me to contact [Experian] myself.

A quick call to some outsourced customer service rep from [Experian] and I was able to confirm that Credit Protector seemed to have been purchased with my credit card. But for someone named Angela C. (they wouldn’t give the full last name)

Since I don’t know any Angelas, I asked them, “Angela Who?” All I got back was, “We’re not allowed to give over that information.”

I quickly demanded a refund, which they did agree to. I did ask if they thought it was weird that someone used MY credit card to purchase a program that is supposed to protect you against such things… All I received back was, “Have a nice day… click.”

We’re going to assume the Experian rep didn’t actually end the conversation by saying “click,” but it is funny to imagine a CSR doing that rather than actually hanging up the phone, mostly because it reminds us of this scene from one of the greatest movies of all times:

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