Consumer complaint received 2021-07-27
Company: CITIBANK, N.A.
State: NY
Product: Money transfer, virtual currency, or money service
Sub-product: International money transfer
Issue: Fraud or scam

Complaint:
I was hired over the internet by a cryptocurrency company ostensibly based in XXXX XXXX. 

Immediately after being hired, I found that the nature of the work was not at all as it had been described to me, and for which I was hired. 

The employer, XXXX XXXX, requested me, as part of my job, to set up an External Account, which it identified as XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX, and had me request 4 money transfer over a period of 8 days from XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX to be deposited into my Checking Account with Citibank. The transfer requests were for {$5000.00} each. The first such transaction occurred on XX/XX/2021. 

I was instructed, via XXXX, by the person training me from XXXX, XXXX, XXXX XXXX, to use the money, and go and buy bitcoin from a locally-based bitcoin machine located at a convenience store in XXXX XXXX, NY. for {$5000.00}. 

The pattern and instructions were the same for all 4 transactions : request {$5000.00} from XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX ; take the money to the convenience store ; buy {$5000.00} worth of bitcoin ; and text back the Bitcoin Purchase Receipt to XXXX XXXX via XXXX XXXX. The company always texted me a scan of its wallet to access the bitcoin machine. 


While transacting with Citibank to request and withdraw the funds from my account, Citibank, on multiple occasions, sent warning signals and emails that there were problems with the XXXX XXXX  XXXX External Account. 

Citibank, on one occasion, indicated that " the account provider has indicated problems with processing your request '' ; and on another occasion that " as a security precaution, until this problem is resolved, we have put a hold on your ability to submit more of these transactions '', indicating that XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX had problems with the account holder itself on its end. Citibank went on to tell me that once the hold was lifted, it would notify me by email. 

But irrespective of that, on 2 occasions, the money - - {$5000.00} each - - was always there, with no indication that there were continuing problems or issues with XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX, or that there were any strings attached to the funds. 

By the funds being there, I took it to mean that Citibank had resolved the problems or issues it had with XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX ; that the hold on the account was lifted ; and that the funds were cleared, ostensibly so after receiving confirming emails reading : " The funds have been deducted from the account from which you requested the funds be transferred. " ; or " The funds have been credited as of XX/XX/2021 to the destination account, and deducted from the account from which you requested the funds be transferred. '' At this point, there was nothing left to consider. 

But, by XX/XX/2021, 20 days after the first transaction on XX/XX/2021, Citibank had gone back and debited my account for {$5000.00}, {$4900.00}, and {$11.00}, totaling {$10000.00}, for the first 2 transactions that had been made since XX/XX/2021, even though the transactions were listed as having been " Completed '' on its internal, online, customer-only-registered " Transfers Activity Details '' page downloaded on XX/XX/2021 from its website. The latest such printout of the webpage listed the transactions as having been " Rejected '' without offering any explanation. 

Citibank 's actions wiped all the money out of my checking and savings account ; blocked my account ; and has created an overall negative customer-service experience. 

Citibank now holds me personally accountable for the {$10000.00} debt, for which I should not be held responsible.

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