Consumer complaint received 2023-09-30
Company: CITIZENS FINANCIAL GROUP, INC.
State: KS
Product: Money transfer, virtual currency, or money service
Sub-product: Check cashing service
Issue: Fraud or scam

Complaint:
I trusted my money to Citizens bank and 4 fraudulent withdrawals ( by check ) were made, the total amount being {$9800.00}. 
I was in a XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX during the fraud activity ( XXXX XX/XX/2023 ) Away from my original state and city XXXX XXXX XXXX  ) I was looking through my online banking when I noticed 2 fraudulent withdrawals were made from my bank account. 
Since there is no branch in Virginia, and I was basically locked inside the base, I called the bank and made a complaint. At first they didn't do anything, it took many calls and a third fraudulent withdrawal for them to completely block my account. 
At this point they didn't provide me any new account or debit cards, so I had to borrow money from strangers for basic needs, such as food, hygiene products and bills. When I called they created 3 Claims for the fraudulent withdrawals and they send me by mail. Unfortunately they sent me at the wrong address, even though I told the person over the phone that I was not living there anymore. I tried to ask for them to send to my current address and they told me that was not necessary, they were going to send me the claims over email, ( they were lazy to put all the information necessary for a XXXX address at this point ), so I provided the email and waited for a month, and nothing happened, no claims arrived. I called there again and again and they told me that claims are only send by mail ( so the previous attendant lied to me ). 
At this time I had no access to my bank account, so I called there and asked if I could use my debit card without compromising my bank account, and I probably asked 20 times if that could become a problem, and they told me that it was completely safe, and that they would block any type of transaction except the debit card. It was another lie, they unblocked everything, because right after that a fourth fraudulent withdrawal was made... So again I called there and asked for them to submit the fourth claim and send me the other claims in the right address, and that is when they started refusing service. I told them I was willing to do anything at that point to solve the problem, I even asked my commander to release me to go to the nearest state to talk with any branch from Citizens bank in person. 
But they told me that the claims were only by mail, ( but they were not sending anything at all ). 
So I kept calling over and over again, and they started refusing telling me any information about my account. And every time I called and said my name and phone number the call would end. They started ghosting me. So I kept calling all the time, and finally they talked to me saying that my problem could only be solved in person, that I had a warning in their system about me that they could not provide any information or start any process over the phone. I told them that this would only be possible when XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX ( XXXX XXXX XXXX ), and they assured me it was fine. 
I went to my Citizens Bank branch in XXXX as soon as possible right after my graduation in XXXX and they submitted the claims by mail again and created the fourth claim ( that is what I thought ). 
After 10 days a letter arrived at my house ( just a letter not the claims ) telling me that I could not pursue the claim for the fourth fraudulent withdrawal because it was too late, even though I was trying to do that since it happened, the same day that it happened. But they refused! 
I kept calling the bank to solve this problem, but only at the end of XXXX a manager called me to ask about it. I told her everything and she assured me she was going to help me. She sent me the claims over email, but only 2 of 4 claims, and she gave me a phone number to keep in touch. I replied the signed claims as soon as I could and told her about the one that it was missing, and she never responded me. I am calling her office since then and nobody answer for over 3 weeks now. 

I am tired of this, I trusted my money to Citizens Bank and got legit robbed! 
This is the last attempt to solve the problem directly with Citizens Bank, if they continue to refuse service and do what they are supposed to do, I will definitely pursue this in another way. 

Informations about the fraudulent withdrawals : XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX  ( Document attached ) I don't have access to my account anymore, so I can't provide greater information about the fourth fraudulent withdrawal. ( Screenshot attached ) It should not take more than 5 months to give it back a money that I trusted the bank. 
I did everything I could to solve this. The way I am being treated is unacceptable. 

I feel that I got jeopardize because I am not a XXXX XXXX XXXX, only a XXXX and because I am constantly moving and sometimes unable to be in person because of my XXXX XXXX 
I am currently in great need of that money because I had to move for the XXXX and I had that money saved for that. I can list all the things I've been missing, like when I had to sleep on the floor and eat only cup-noodles for the first month at my new address, because the money that I saved for that was taken from me. Which I think is humiliating.

Company response to consumer: Closed with monetary relief