An American living abroad in France took to TikTok after a credit card was opened in her name without her knowledge, prompting viewers to share similar stories.
In a now-viral video, Amanda Rollins (@americanfille) revealed that credit cards are virtually nonexistent in France, though she still retained a single American Express card.
“We just have debit cards,” she said in her video, which had over 230,000 views as of Tuesday afternoon. Yes, American Express exists in France, she said. But if you have an American Express card in France, Rollins explained, whatever money purchasers spend that month is automatically deducted from their bank at the end of the month. “So you better have that money,” she said.
@americanfille @chasebank please explain how this hapoened!!! #chasecreditcardscam #chasefreedom #chasebank #creditscam ♬ original sound – Amanda Rollins
In short, the ability to “spend what you don’t have” does not extend overseas, Rollins said. She added that while credit scores are important in the U.S., they don’t exist in France.
Rollins said she was shocked, then, when her best friend, who is in charge of receiving her mail back home in the U.S., notified her that a Chase credit card was opened under Rollins’ name.
“I don’t have an account with Chase Bank,” Rollins said. “They don’t know my social security number—or they shouldn’t. They don’t know any details about me.”
Rollins said she felt “violated” after realizing that the bank would’ve needed sensitive information about her, including her address, social security number, and income. To make matters worse, Credit Karma later notified Rollins that a new credit card was opened in her name, leading Rollins to make a long-distance call back to the U.S. to sort out the issue.
“I don’t even have an account with Chase. I’ve never spoken to Chase. I’ve never put my foot inside of a Chase branch,” Rollins said. “What the f*ck is this?”
Viewers quickly revealed how they’ve dealt with similar situations.
“This happened to me a few years back. Like 8 accounts opened in my name. Go to each of the 3 agencies and freeze your credit,” one viewer advised.
“this EXACT thing happened to me with chase. I called them and told them it wasn’t me, they canceled it,” another shared.
Others warned Rollins about the possibility of identity theft, urging her to freeze her credit accounts until the issue was resolved.
“Same thing happened to me. Someone stole my identity and used my real address. Got the card in the mail already maxed out,” a third user revealed.
The Daily Dot has reached out to Rollins and Chase by email for futher comment.