Consumer complaint received 2023-03-27
Company: CITIBANK, N.A.
State: NY
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:
Roughly 1 year ago today, I hired a contractor based out of XXXX, NY to help with an exterior and kitchen renovation for my home in the mountains, about 45 minutes away. With a large wedding planned on the property for XX/XX/XXXX, my fiancee and I wanted to make sure the house was as nice as it could be. In XX/XX/XXXX, I gave my XXXX XXXX card to my contractor to pick up supplies as needed for the job on the way up to our house. Several weeks later, my fiancee had a XXXX in the middle of the night. Over the course of the next 2 months, she was found to have a XXXX XXXX, I married her legally in the hospital, she needed to have XXXX XXXX and she was then found to have XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX. On XX/XX/XXXX, during this period of intense personal and financial struggle ( she was no longer able to work, hospital bills, etc. ) my contractor began making fraudulent charges on my account. And while we were consumed with wedding cancellations, XXXX 's, XXXX and existential trauma, he went on to make a total of 34 fraudulent charges, totaling just under {$8000.00}. He bought himself and his crew expensive new tools, shop vacs, etc, and bought all the supplies needed to build someone else 's fence and remodel at least one other person 's bathroom. Meanwhile, we were so immersed in the chaotic, dramatic and dire life-and-death situation we faced, I did not notice the extraordinary balance on this account until XX/XX/XXXX, long after he had stopped showing up for work - leaving me with a half-finished kitchen. I immediately froze the account, pored over every statement, compiled a list of the charges, and presented them to the fraud department of Home Depot Credit Card which is a product of CITIBANK.

It took multiple calls and over a month for CITIBANK to confirm receipt of the faxed materials they had me send. It was told it sometimes took that long to open a fax. (!? ) Initially, they credited every charge back to my account, which was a MAJOR relief. And as I waited until XX/XX/XXXX for confirmation that the charges had been cleared ( 2 months after I filed the complaint ), I began seeing every charge reappear on my account! CITIBANK had determined that this was equivalent to handing your child a credit card to buy ice cream and he returns with a new pair of sneakers and that I would be responsible for every single charge. This was not the case. This is the case of professional contractor willingly committing 34 individual accounts of fraud over 6 months ( averaging about {$400.00} per visit ) against a couple that was struggling with early onset XXXX XXXX. Over and over again, even 2 months after he stopped showing up for work. 

I was stunned to learn that CITIBANK had made this judgement and upon their request, filed a police report naming the contractor ( though we are trying to avoid confrontation for our own safety reasons. ) This person was never officially a registered user on my card either, as can be confirmed on the website, they just flagrantly and frequently abused the system, conning not just me but the other clients he was buying materials for. 

I have asked CITIBANK to reconsider, to review the security footage, to transfer these charges to his account directly and no accommodation whatsoever has been made. There has been no pursuit of the contractor, only a repeated declaration that I am at fault and must pay the balance in full. 

Meanwhile, I am struggling with my own debt, accrued trying to finish the renovations myself. This situation has tanked my credit score and I was rejected for a HELOC because of my debt-to-income ratio. Charges on the card usually carry a 6-month XXXX interest free period, but I only found out about these charges in XXXX and CITIBANK took 2 months to let me know that I am responsible for the charges. And so now, EVERY MONTH, there are very high balances due and deferred interest is skyrocketing. 

CITIBANK has told me to pursue this as a civil issue through the courts when neither they nor the police officer who filed the report thought it would achieve anything more than creating more interest and more debt on my end. 

The handling of this situation by CITIBANK has been inhumane and predatory, if not criminal. As a consumer, I am at a loss and unable to keep up with the financial devastation this has wrought.

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