Aug 13, 2008 7:53 pm US/Pacific
Tight Credit? Girl, 4, Selected for Platinum Card
SAN FRANCISCO (CBS 5) ―
Sophia Greenland is a four-year-old with a very grown-up toy - she was pre-selected for a Capital One credit card. "Which I thought was a little ridiculous. So I called the credit card company and you know I said I want you to take her off the list," said Sophia's dad, Peter Greenland.
First, Capitol One said they needed the girl's birth date or social security number. Greenland wouldn't give it to them, because of identity theft concerns. "If somebody was going to steal that information, she's four years old. Her identity is gone. It's hard to get back," said Greenland.
The company wouldn't budge and the offers kept coming. Then we got involved. CBS 5 ConsumerWatch called Capital One and they immediately took Sophia's name off the list. They said they only needed her name and address.
In a statement, they added, "Capital One does not target children for our solicitations. We apologize to the Greenlands for any inconvenience and concern this has caused. It was clearly an error on our part."
The family believes her name got on a list after a trip. "We got her a frequent flyer number. So I don't know if it came from there. I'm not really sure," said Greenland. Capital One says they get names from mailing lists, which often don't include the person's age.
To stop this from happening to your child, go to
www.optoutprescreen.com to permanently opt out of pre-approved credit card and insurance offers. Also, keep your child off mailing lists. Use your own name when subscribing to magazines, shopping online, or buying a cell phone.
Capital One said they screen their applications carefully, so no one under age would get a card.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
Stumble It!
Comments