A National City woman says she was wrongly held responsible for more than $1,600 in charges tied to a six-night stay at a luxury London hotel that she never booked. “It was a luxury, a hotel. One that I’ve never seen before. Overlooking the water, a beautiful place,” Smith said, as she look ed at the hotel’s website. Addie Smith can now laugh about the experience of credit card fraud that had her fuming for weeks. Transaction alert She said she first learned about it when she received a text alert from Capital One. “[It asked] ‘Are you trying to book a trip?’ And I responded by saying ‘no’,” Smith recalled. She believed that rejecting the transaction would stop it from going through. Instead, she said the charge appeared on her account later that night. “You have a feeling of hurt that somebody has violated your privacy. And I just, I was angry,” she said with a laugh that she admitted to not having when it all happened. Smith said she called Capital One right away. “To let them know someone had charged on my card,” she said. “And I said, ‘Can you reverse that charge? ‘ and he said yes,” Smith recalled. Fraud claim denied But a few weeks later, she received a letter from Capital One stating that the company had investigated the matter and found insufficient evidence of fraud. So she was back on the hook to pay the $1,600. Still, she stood her ground. “I am not paying for someone else having a luxury vacation,” Smith said. Determined to challenge the decision, Smith filed a police report and conducted her own investigation. She then sent a certified letter explaining that she had disputed the charge from the moment she received the alert. Smith goes through all the paperwork she used to try to prove she never authorized the credit card purchase in London. She also wrote that the email address used for the reservation was not hers and was not associated with her credit card account. She further stated that she had never traveled outside the United States and could prove she was at work during the dates of the London stay. “And I’m trying to explain to them, I can’t be in two places at one time,” Smith said. “And it’s only me that lives here, and I have not given my credit card to anyone.” After waiting two weeks for a response, Smith called Capital One again. “And I said, ‘Did you receive it? He [the representative] said yes…and he said there’s nothing I can do, the case is closed.” Smith said. Smith said she refused to make any payment on the disputed charge because she feared it could be interpreted as accepting responsibility. “Because if I had made a payment that would have given them the impression that yes, this was my charge,” Smith said. NBC 7 Responds helps Running out of options, Smith contacted NBC 7 and Telemundo 20 Responds. “I remember seeing a couple of your segments, and I said, okay, let me reach out to them, Smith said. After NBC 7 Responds contacted Capital One to ask about Smith’s claim and why it had been denied, the company did not explain. About a week later, however, Capital One sent us a message saying: “We have looked into the matter, and the individual has been made whole.” Smith said the person who stole her credit card information may have enjoyed a memorable trip to London, but she is relieved she will not have to pay for it. “You did a great job. I appreciate it so much because now I can smile and not be mad all the time,” Smith said with a laugh. Smith also credited AARP with helping guide her through the claims process. The Identity Theft Resource Center is also a great resource should your identity ever be compromised. This story was originally reported for broadcast by NBC San Diego. AI tools helped convert the story into a digital article, and an NBC San Diego journalist edited it for publication. ...read more read less