Troubleshooter resolves thousands of dollars in credit card fraud

DURHAM, N.C. (WTVD) -- Eighty-two-year-old Terry McCabe is on a ventilator and bedridden in his daughter's Durham home after complications from a surgery earlier this year.

To make matters even worse, someone went on a shopping spree and charged thousands of dollars to McCabe's Sams Club credit card account. Terry's daughter Shannon Mccabe didn't know about the charges until she got her dad's credit card statement.

Shannon said she called the credit card company, Synchrony, right away to report the fraud. She said they pinpointed her to a store in Duluth, Georgia. The largest charge of $9,000 was used to purchase cigarettes exclusively.

"I didn't think anything of it. Clearly, we are not in Duluth Georgia buying $30,000 worth of anything or $9,000 worth of cigarettes," Shannon said.

Even more baffling, Shannon said the card was in their possession the whole time. Shannon said what was even more shocking was that after investigating the claim, Synchrony contacted her and said the fraud claim had been denied.

"I'm completely disappointed that this type of a situation that to me, almost is textbook fraud. There's no possible way my dad is in a bed right now attached to a ventilator. He's not buying cigarettes in Duluth Georgia," Shannon said.

Shannon said she was told her dad would be responsible for paying charges.

"I'm really disappointed that they didn't catch these charges happening," Shannon said. "I know that I've had instances where I've used my credit card in neighboring cities in North Carolina, and I've had credit card companies call and say hey, wait a minute."

That's when Shannon got ABC11 involved.

ABC11 contacted Synchrony on her dad's behalf, and within days, they deemed the charges as fraudulent. Shannon said. "I am so happy that you go involved and I am so happy that you took this off our plate."

While Synchrony couldn't comment on the details of the case, a representative sent ABC11 this statement:

At Synchrony, we take customer satisfaction very seriously. Although we cannot comment on the details related to an individual account, we realize the thought of being a victim of identity theft is quite unsettling. After conducting a thorough investigation, the issue has been resolved in favor of the cardholder. Synchrony recognizes that our customers are our business and we constantly strive to offer the highest level of customer service possible.