Consumer complaint received 2023-08-10
Company: CITIBANK, N.A.
State: CA
Product: Checking or savings account
Sub-product: Checking account
Issue: Managing an account
Sub-issue: Funds not handled or disbursed as instructed

Complaint:
1. On XX/XX/, at approximately XXXXXXXX XXXX, I XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX deposited a cashier 's check drawn from XXXX XXXXXXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX, XXXX XXXX XXXX California, XXXX, in the amount of {$7500.00} into my Citibank Checking Account. After completing the deposited transaction, I asked the bank teller when the deposited funds would be made available for withdraw and the bank teller said the next day, on XX/XX/XXXX XXXX 
2. On XX/XX/, at XXXXXXXX XXXX., 30 minutes after depositing the cashier check in the amount of {$7500.00} into my Citibank Checking Account, I tried to access my online banking account with Citibank, and the account was blocked, and reflected the message [ sic ] contact Citibank at 1 ( XXXX ) XXXX, because there has an issue with one or more of your accounts that has not been resolved. 
3. On XX/XX/, at approximately XXXXXXXX XXXX, I called Citibank at XXXX ( XXXX ) XXXX, and spoke to a Citibank Representative who then stated that the reason my Citibank Chekcing Account was blocked, was because [ sic ] you XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX has deposited a fraudulent check in the amount of {$7500.00} into your CitiBank Checking account, and we Citibank, has reported you to our Citibank Fraud Department for investigation, and you, XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX must immediately call our Citibank Fraud Department, because you are under criminal investigation, because you wrote and deposited a fraudulent check into your Citibank Checking Account, and your Citibank checking account has been closed, and the deposited funds of {$7500.00}, has been reversed back to Citibank. You must call Citibank Fraud Department immediate, at XXXX ( XXXX ) XXXX, and select option XXXX 
4. On XX/XX/, at approximately XXXX XXXX., I called Citibank Fraud Department, and a representative said that you [ sic ] XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX has been reported to us by Citibank to have deposited a fraudulent check, in the amount of {$7500.00}, into your Citibank Checking Account, on XX/XX/, and for that reason, you are under criminal investigation, your account has been closed, and the deposited funds in the amount of {$7500.00}, from the cashier check you deposited into your checking account, has been reversed back to Citibank N.A. , and you are under criminal investigation by our Fraud Department ; Therefore, you shall not receive any funds from the check you deposited in the amount of {$7500.00}, on XX/XX/XXXX XXXX 
5. I then replied that I did not make a fraudulent check, and then deposit it into my Citibank Checking account. I said that someone else relinquished the check to me on payment due regarding a business matter with their firm. Citibank Fraud Department then replied, [ sic ] what is the name, and contract information of the person who gave you the check in the amount of {$7500.00}, in which you deposited into your Citibank Checking Account. I said the person who gave me the check for payment on a business matter is XXXX XXXX. Citibank Fraud Department then said that it needed to contact Citibank and let them know that XXXX XXXX is the person who made, and then gave me the fraudulent check that I deposited into my Citibank Checking Account for {$7500.00}. 
6. On XX/XX/, at XXXXXXXX XXXX., I called Citibank Fraud Department, to follow up on the fraud investigation, and was informed that Citibank instructed the Fraud Department to call XXXX XXXX, to inform XXXX XXXX, that she gave XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX a fraudulent check in the amount of {$7500.00}, that XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX tried to deposit into her Citibank Checking Account. 
7. XX/XX/, I have not heard back from Citibank, or Citibank Fraud Department, and my deposited fund in the amount of {$7500.00} has reversed back to Citibank, Im under investigation for fraud, and my Citibank Checking Account has been and deactivated. 
8. On XX/XX/XXXX XXXX XXXXXXXX from Citibank Executive Officer Called, to acknowledge the receipt of the Notice of Lawsuit, and to say that Citibank stands by its decision to have accused me, ( XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX of writing and depositing a fraudulent check into my Citibank Checking Account. XXXX then stated that because of my race, and the amount of the check is what set off the fraud alert. 
9. On XX/XX/, I received in the mail, a check from Citibank N.A., written in the amount of {$6600.00}.

Company public response: Company has responded to the consumer and the CFPB and chooses not to provide a public response
Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation