Consumer complaint received 2022-08-17
Company: CITIBANK, N.A.
State: CO
Product: Credit card or prepaid card
Sub-product: Store credit card
Issue: Problem with a purchase shown on your statement
Sub-issue: Credit card company isn't resolving a dispute about a purchase on your statement

Complaint:
My Home Depot Credit Card was stolen before I ever received it. I opened an account on XX/XX/XXXX. On XX/XX/XXXX at XXXX, while I was at work in XXXX XXXX CO ( I work XXXX Monday-Friday and this can be verified on XXXX XXXX  Location tracking with my phone, the same one that received the fraud alert ) I received a text from the Home Depot Fraud Department ( phone number XXXX XXXX XXXX " Free Home Depot Citi Fraud Msg : XXXX XXXX XXXX Did you attempt {$320.00} at THE HOME DEPOT on XXXX? Yes=1, No=2. Reply STOP to Opt-Out. At XXXX, I immediately replied " No ''. At XXXX, the messaging service replied, " Free Msg : Home Depot Citi Fraud Dept : Thank you for your response. To open a fraud dispute, please call us at XXXX. '' Right as I clicked on the phone number to call them, they called me at the same time at XXXX from XXXX XXXX ( Citigroup Tech ). We talked for 13 min, 49 sec. The woman I spoke with told me that they would be launching a fraud investigation right away and she canceled my " XXXX '' card and issued me a new card. 

Right away after the phone call, I went onto my homedepot.com account and was able to see the purchases that were made, since I applied for the card with my homedepot.com login it was automatically linked to my account, I could see the exact times, checkout locations ( cashier and self-checkout was used ), and every single item that the person purchased. The card was used at the Home Depot in XXXX, CO 3 times total, one after XXXX, one after XXXX, and the one after XXXX that was then declined and triggered the fraud message to my phone. I did not think to download those records since they were in my personal homedepot.com account. They have since been removed from my account, but the purchase date and amounts are available on my credit card statement with reference numbers. After seeing that information, I quickly filed a police report with the XXXX Police Department, I received the confirmation of my filed police report at XXXX to my personal email address. I received the official PDF copy of my police report on Tuesday, XX/XX/XXXX, at XXXX XXXX  to the same email address ( " Your online report has been approved and the permanent case number is XXXX '' ). I did a quick research prior to filing the police report, I wasn't sure if I should file it with the department where I lived or where the card was used. My research indicated that I should file the report with the police department where the card was used, that's why I filed it with the XXXX Police Department. 

I did receive the new card a couple weeks later. I opened the letter that my new card came in, and to my surprise, the card has a sticker on it that says " YOUR CARD IS ACTIVE AND READY FOR USE ''. I CAN NOT believe that they send active cards through the mail without any requirement to call a number and provide some sort of security information to activate them. 

The amounts of the unauthorized transactions on XX/XX/XXXX that went through are : {$1200.00} ( reference number : XXXX ) and {$780.00} ( reference number : XXXX ) I received a letter from Home Depot Credit Services on XX/XX/XXXX ( the letter is dated XX/XX/XXXX ) stating that they have made recent attempts to reach my by telephone and they have been unsuccessful. Contact them immediately regarding the claim of fraud with the referenced account ( XXXX ) and that I have 10 days to call them or they will further the investigation with the limited information that they have. I received the letter after their call hours ( XXXX XXXX Monday through Friday ). I called them right away in the morning before work at XXXX XXXX ( XXXX their time ) on XX/XX/XXXX. I told the lady I spoke with that I have not received any phone calls or messages from them at all since XX/XX/XXXX when the claim was made. I checked to make sure she has my correct phone number and she said she did. Then she proceeded to ask me a few more questions. The fraud department needed my driver 's license number and state, where I believe the card was stolen from, and I informed her that I made a police report right after talking to the fraud department and I gave her the permanent case number ( same as above ). I told her I don't have reason to believe that the card was stolen from my mailbox, since I live in an apartment with locked mail boxes and there was no evidence of a break-in at that time, but since I hadn't received the card that it must have been stolen while in mail transit. That was it for that phone call. It was 10min and 38 sec long. 

Today, Tuesday, XX/XX/XXXX, I received another letter in the mail dated XX/XX/XXXX ( dated 5 days after the " attempting to reach you letter '' ). This letter states that " We have completed our investigation regarding your claim of unauthorized use on the above referenced account ( XXXX ). Based on our review, we have determined that you are responsible for the charges in question. '' Further it is written, " Our decision was based, in part, on the following : The facts and/or information reviewed as part of the investigation does not substantiate the claim of unauthorized use. We've conducted our investigation using the the information that you provided about the dispute. With the information we had, it wasn't enough to support your claim and resolve the dispute in your favor. As a result, we have re-billed the disputed charges to your account and consider our investigation complete. '' NOTE : On my online account, the charges in question were posted to my account on My Home Depot Credit Card was stolen before I ever received it. I opened an account on XX/XX/XXXX. On XX/XX/XXXX at XXXX, while I was at work in XXXX XXXX CO ( I work XXXX Monday-Friday and this can be verified on XXXX XXXX  Location tracking with my phone, the same one that received the fraud alert ) I received a text from the Home Depot Fraud Department ( phone XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX " Free Home Depot Citi Fraud Msg XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX Did you attempt {$320.00} at THE HOME DEPOT on XXXX? XXXXes=1, No=2. Reply STOP to Opt-Out. At XXXX, I immediately replied " No ''. At XXXX, the messaging service replied, " Free Msg : Home Depot Citi Fraud Dept : Thank you for your response. To open a fraud dispute, please call us at XXXX. '' Right as I clicked on the phone number to call them, they called me at the same time at XXXX from XXXX XXXX ( Citigroup Tech ). We talked for 13 min, 49 sec. The woman I spoke with told me that they would be launching a fraud investigation right away and she canceled my " XXXX '' card and issued me a new card. 

Right away after the phone call, I went onto my homedepot.com account and was able to see the purchases that were made, since I applied for the card with my homedepot.com login it was automatically linked to my account, I could see the exact times, checkout locations ( cashier and self-checkout was used ), and every single item that the person purchased. The card was used at the Home Depot in XXXX, CO 3 times total, one after XXXX, one after XXXX, and the one after XXXX that was then declined and triggered the fraud message to my phone. I did not think to download those records since they were in my personal homedepot.com account. They have since been removed from my account, but the purchase date and amounts are available on my credit card statement with reference numbers. After seeing that information, I quickly filed a police report with the XXXX Police Department, I received the confirmation of my filed police report at XXXX to my personal email address. I received the official PDF copy of my police report on Tuesday, XX/XX/XXXX, at XXXX XXXX  to the same email address ( " Your online report has been approved and the permanent case number is XXXX '' ). I did a quick research prior to filing the police report, I wasn't sure if I should file it with the department where I lived or where the card was used. My research indicated that I should file the report with the police department where the card was used, that's why I filed it with the XXXX Police Department. 

I did receive the new card a couple weeks later. I opened the letter that my new card came in, and to my surprise, the card has a sticker on it that says " YOUR CARD IS ACTIVE AND READY FOR USE ''. I CAN NOT believe that they send active cards through the mail without any requirement to call a number and provide some sort of security information to activate them. 

The amounts of the unauthorized transactions on XX/XX/XXXX that went through are : {$1200.00} ( reference number : XXXX ) and {$780.00} ( reference number : XXXX ) I received a letter from Home Depot Credit Services on XX/XX/XXXX ( the letter is dated XX/XX/XXXX ) stating that they have made recent attempts to reach my by telephone and they have been unsuccessful. Contact them immediately regarding the claim of fraud with the referenced account ( XXXX ) and that I have 10 days to call them or they will further the investigation with the limited information that they have. I received the letter after their call hours ( XXXX XXXX Monday through Friday ). I called them right away in the morning before work at XXXX XXXX ( XXXX their time ) on XX/XX/XXXX. I told the lady I spoke with that I have not received any phone calls or messages from them at all since XX/XX/XXXX when the claim was made. I checked to make sure she has my correct phone number and she said she did. Then she proceeded to ask me a few more questions. The fraud department needed my driver 's license number and state, where I believe the card was stolen from, and I informed her that I made a police report right after talking to the fraud department and I gave her the permanent case number ( same as above ). I told her I don't have reason to believe that the card was stolen from my mailbox, since I live in an apartment with locked mail boxes and there was no evidence of a break-in at that time, but since I hadn't received the card that it must have been stolen while in mail transit. That was it for that phone call. It was 10min and 38 sec long. 

Today, Tuesday, XX/XX/XXXX, I received another letter in the mail dated XX/XX/XXXX ( dated 5 days after the " attempting to reach you letter '' ). This letter states that " We have completed our investigation regarding your claim of unauthorized use on the above referenced account ( XXXX ). Based on our review, we have determined that you are responsible for the charges in question. '' Further it is written, " Our decision was based, in part, on the following : The facts and/or information reviewed as part of the investigation does not substantiate the claim of unauthorized use. We've conducted our investigation using the the information that you provided about the dispute. With the information we had, it wasn't enough to support your claim and resolve the dispute in your favor. As a result, we have re-billed the disputed charges to your account and consider our investigation complete. '' First off, I am furious. I am disappointed with all the information that I gave them and more information that I can give them ( my XXXX XXXX  location stuff, verification form my employer, etc ) that they are saying that I am responsible for this. Secondly, I know there are cameras at the home depot self-checkouts at least and they can have an actual photo of this person since they know the exact times and locations these transactions took place. Thirdly, the purchases are totally not normal. They are all each about XXXX min apart, he/she purchased duplicates of things each time they checked out, I could see everything on the online receipts before they were removed from my account ( may still be able to access from Home Depot using the reference numbers on my credit card statement, listed above ). Lastly, I called them on XX/XX/XXXX from their XX/XX/XXXX letter, within the 10 day period. And on XX/XX/XXXX, only 5 days after they mailed that letter, before I even received it, they sent out the letter stating my claim is denied. I am calling them again tomorrow morning when their office opens ( XX/XX/XXXX, again within 10 days from the last letter of XX/XX/XXXX ). I really don't understand what is going on here and it truly feels like they did absolutely nothing to actually investigate this claim of fraud on my behalf. I will provide anything and everything possible to help this investigation. Not just for me, but I would really be ecstatic if they could actually catch the person who did this and keep them from doing it again.

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