Consumer complaint received 2022-12-29
Company: CITIBANK, N.A.
State: PA
Product: Credit card or prepaid card
Sub-product: General-purpose credit card or charge 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:
On XX/XX/2022, a purchase showed up on my Citibank card from a vendor called " XXXX '' for {$81.00}. I did not recognize this vendor, and could not relate it to any purchases I made. I reported the charges as fraudulent, and locked my card. Weeks went by, and I saw my card was unlocked, so I locked it again. The charge had not been resolved. I checked again in XXXX to find my card unlocked again, so I called to close the card. Citibank issued me a new credit card number. ( Unbeknownst to me, Citibank intended to allow, and did allow, vendors to charge the new account under the old number. I paid those fraudulent charges, and they are not at issue here. ) At this time, Citibank told me the XXXX matter was still under investigation. 

On XX/XX/2022, Citibank sent a letter stating that they had received a response from the vendor saying the charge was legitimate. In the letter, I saw that an order had been made by a customer named " XXXX XXXX '' with the email address XXXX. XXXX XXXX had made the order from my zip code in XXXX, PA, but the order was shipped to a residence in XXXX, Maryland. The items ordered were identified as 'grocery ' and included Arizona XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX and fruit snacks. 

I responded to Citibank in late XXXX through their online system stating that the charge was illegitimate. Whether the vendor has a way to discern this or not, I do not live in Maryland. I have not traveled to Maryland in years. I do not go by the handle " XXXX. '' My phone number is a XXXX ' number ; not a XXXX ' number. I have no idea what XXXX is, and I would never purchase any of the items listed. Citibank 's system indicated that they would investigate my response and respond to me. 

In XXXX, I closed all of my accounts with Citi and spoke with many representatives due to my extraordinary dissatisfaction with their handling of my accounts. In all of these conversations, the instant matter was discussed. In all of those conversations, I was told that the matter was still under investigation. 

In XXXX, when my accounts were officially closed, and my only remaining 'balance ' was the {$81.00}, I began receiving calls and emails from Citibank stating that my account was delinquent and showing that late payment fees were being assessed. Again, I called and spoke with several representatives who told me they understood my frustrations, that they would remove my late payment charges, and that I would receive a communication regarding the resolution. 

The late payment charges that had been assessed at that time were removed, but since then, more have been assessed. I have not received any response from Citibank investigating my claim. Instead, I have clearly been reported to credit agencies as being delinquent in my payments. My credit score has dropped 150 points overnight. I have almost 25 years of debt/credit history and have always paid on time. Consequently, my credit score was near perfect as of XX/XX/2022 before Citibank reported me. 

Citibank has no actual process for investigating a fraudulent charge other than asking the vendor to verify that a charge was made, even though most fraud is the result of a vendor unwittingly accepting an unauthorized persons ' use of someone else 's card. Citibank has repeatedly lied to me about the existence of an investigation, and now has allowed my financial reputation to be harmed. 

I hope that escalating this issue through this agency will result in more action than simply torturing Citibank 's customer service team, who clearly have no power to do anything, but likely spend all day on the phone dealing with complaints.

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