Consumer complaint received 2019-09-03
Company: CITIBANK, N.A.
State: UT
Product: Credit card or prepaid card
Sub-product: General-purpose credit card or charge card
Issue: Advertising and marketing, including promotional offers
Sub-issue: Confusing or misleading advertising about the credit card

Complaint:
In the midst of dealing with a potential identity theft, I received a business Envelope from Citibank. I opened it and it contained a welcome packet to let me know about my benefits and with an account number and my name listed on checks that could be seemingly drawn, and a w-9 tax form, and other account related information. I did not know of any banking relationship or credit relationship with Citibank. There were sentences about services you can NOW use ( emphasis mine ), and on the front it said action required. Is that the phrase that is considered deceptive or does that let them off the hook? I spent the rest of the day calling Citibank and checking my credit reports across all reporting agencies. In my phone call with Citibank, I explained the situation and what I was concerned and they eventually sent me to the fraud division, where I was told the materials didnt include a 16 digit account number ( they kept pretending to look up my account by my social, which they asked for on the XXXX phone call. ) Nothing. No accounts, and yet here for all the world looked like A package that was welcoming me as a new client of Citibank. As you can see there was an account number listed with my name on many of the pages, but smaller than 16 digit, more like a checking account. I was and am furious at this marketing deception. The people in the fraud kept going off the phone as though being coached, and when returned would just say it would have a 16 digit number. In the packet it tells me to fill out all these forms as a new client ... and that my card would be coming. All in all, the people in the fraud did not seem concerned that there might be scam being perpetrated in my name. I mentioned this and they told me to send whatever information to XXXX ... I told the woman on the phone that if I found out it was a marketing phishing scam, I would not be happy. All she kept repeating was send my whatever to the spoof email. When I realized they didnt really care, I suspected they were behind it ... the woman hung up without really letting me know they were concerned at all. Upon closer inspection of the materials I finally found a few places where the wording sort of indicated this was not a welcome packet, but an elaborate ad for me to sign up for services. It is hard to tell really. I gave them my social security over the phone, THEY requested it, to make sure there was no account with my information. All the materials had phone numbers that were actually Citibank numbers. I feel like I have been spoofed by Citibank. I am a college graduate, I know how to read ... but for all the world the packet feels like a scam to get me to sign up for credit or services i absolutely do not want, especially from Citibank considering their past of deceptive practice. This is the first complaint I have filed, because your agency is supposed to help with this. Under current governance I do not believe my concerns will be heard as far as this kind of predatory marketing. At the very least, I would like someone to point out where In this barrage of seemingly new account information, do they tell me its promotional. I should have perhaps known, given Citibanks reputation, but considering I have been having trouble with my credit being used without my permission recently, I was worried someone had opened an account with a credit line in my name. I will send pics of the whole packet, and i welcome even a short response guiding me to where I should have been looking on this giant lie of a new account that I supposedly had. I gave them my name, they verified my address, they used my name and said there was no account, and THEN sent me to fraud after I expressed concern and THEN they asked for my social to look up the account. I think they knew XXXX well there was no account and could not and would not tell me their complicity over the phone, yet they took more private information from me in my request. I am livid. And terrified that the in my current situation and my concern for my credit protection, that I spent the day awash in anxiety and stress because they would not come clean that it was a marketing tool. How far exactly can businesses go in lying to you while they gather information? I would love a response ... thank you for your work.

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