Consumer complaint received 2023-09-07
Company: CITIBANK, N.A.
State: MD
Product: Credit card
Sub-product: General-purpose credit card or charge card
Issue: Closing your account
Sub-issue: Can't close your account

Complaint:
In XX/XX/XXXX, my CITI COSTCO XXXX credit card account was seriously compromised. I asked customer service/fraud department to investigate and close the account. My card was just replaced after few more fraudulent charges they identified, last four of the card XXXX. This was the last card I received.After paying the last statement ( see attached ) seeing they did not close the account yet, I blocked myself the card/account on XX/XX/XXXX. Prompted by an alert by mail, Sunday, XX/XX/XXXX I called again.I was transferred to fraud department talked to " XXXX from Texas '' who promised she will verify me and close the account. After this call my account info was changed, email, address etc, I was locked out of my own online account and starting this moment new credit cards were issued, cards I did not request, authorize nor I did receive. What I did receive were the alerts of " suspicious activity ''. As a good customer I called every time and after few people hung up on me I talked to the fraud department ; I told them is fraud and ID theft and I begged them to close the account ; each time they promised to verify and close the account but instead issued a new credit card. Last episode was on XX/XX/XXXX. I talked to XXXX who asked me if I agree to forfeit my {$80.00} rewards on the card. I said " yes '' just close the account.She promised to send me in XXXX h an email to confirm the account closing. Saturday, XX/XX/XXXX, called to inquire about the email I did not receive, talked to XXXX, who communicated that the account is not closed, and a new card was issued on Friday, XX/XX/XXXX. The COSTCO CITI credit card customer service was/is enabling and perpetuating the ID theft, on XX/XX/XXXX perpetrators tried to compromise my CITI bank account I was paying the credit card with. I went in person to the CITI bank location in XXXX and closed the bank account I had since XXXX ; the private banker was outraged by my story, talked on a secure line with CITI COSTCO credit card, fraud department, disputed all fraudulent charges pointed out all wrong info on my account, changed by perpetrators ( email address, residential address etc. ) ; the call ended with the promise that I will receive in 30 days a letter that will confirm the closing of the credit card account. The private banker thought the issue was resolved ( see attached her email ) XXXX XX/XX/XXXX to speed up the process I sent a letter to the CEO of CITI BANK and CEO of CITI COSTCO XXXX card telling my story ( attached ). I received a reply from CITI executives communicating that I will have an answer in 15 days, but 30 days later still no answer. On XX/XX/XXXX I sent by email to Citi Executives the ID theft report together with the letter detailing the laws the credit cards have to abide by in these cases and on XX/XX/XXXX sent by mail the same documents to the fraud department together with their last alert ( at that time ) dated XX/XX/XXXX ( attached ). Their answer to all this, was to send another alert with " suspicious activity '', dated XX/XX/XXXX, for a totally different card,. No explanation, no answer, no communication, all they wanted, it was for me to step back on the hamster wheel and call them, practically to do again what I did for the last 8 months, with absolute no information, no result and no resolve. 
Please see the attached documents. 
I am an exemplar customer, I always paid in time my dues, I never have passed a deadline for anything not only credit cards payment, before the ID theft my XXXX score was XXXX or more.

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