Consumer complaint received 2020-07-13
Product: Credit card or prepaid card — General-purpose credit card or charge card
Issue: Problem with a purchase shown on your statement — Credit card company isn't resolving a dispute about a purchase on your statement
Company: CITIBANK, N.A. (CA)

1 ) What is the complaint about? 

The fact that on XX/XX/2020, a male criminal in XXXX, XXXX illegally charged {$7100.00} on my Citi Cards MasterCard. ( There were three illegal charges made, one after another on the same day, from three different companies '' for {$2200.00}, {$2400.00}, and {$2400.00}. ) See attached Citi Cards statement.

2 ) What type of problem are you having?

I have been dealing with Citi Cards for four months regarding this matter. They say, that because I dont have any documentation, like a receipt or receipts, as proof, my claim is invalid. Yet, Citi Cards can not tell me what they think I purchased for these charges. How can I have receipts for something I didnt buy, and my credit card was returned to me and told the card didnt work? ( See further explanation that follows. ) Only recently ( XX/XX/2020 ) has Citi Cards reversed one of the charges made on my card by this criminal. But for some inexplicable reason refused to credit the two others. 
When I called this last week, I was given no explanation why one of the charges was reversed, and at the same time, told I owed the other two charges. 

I was also told by XXXX ( Employee # : XXXX ) in Billing Disputes, that because they, Citi Cards, could not collect said funds from the businesses in XXXX, I am now responsible for paying. XX/XX/XXXX, I was told that I owe the money because I approved the transaction. Again, how could I have approved these charges on my credit card when I was told the card didnt work, and it was given back to me? 

3 ) What happened? 

I attempted to pay for a taxi ride from the airport in XXXX, XXXX to a hotel in XXXX with my Citi Card. I gave the credit card to the thief who put it in what I thought was a legitimate card reader. He gave me back my card and said, It doesnt work. Youll have to pay the driver in cash, yourself.

At the time, I assumed Citi Cards rejected the charge because it was my first day in a foreign country, even though I had called Citi Cards days before I left to say I would be traveling. When my wife and I arrived at our hotel, I paid the taxi driver in cash. 

Citi Cards says that because I do not have a receipt for this taxi ride, which had nothing to do with the charges on my credit card, my claim is therefore invalid, and I must pay them the money illegally charged to my card by the thief.

Citi Cards can not tell me what I supposedly purchased for these three charges. Citi Cards can not logically explain how, by me not having a receipt for a taxi ride has anything to do with being scammed for {$7100.00} by another man, a thief, in XXXX. They have also asked for receipts from these three scammed charges that I did not make, and therefore do not exist, and say there is nothing they can do about the situation without them. 

As soon as we got Wi-Fi set up on our cruise ship, one or two days later, I checked my Citi Cards statement online, and discovered I had been scammed. I immediately called and reported it to Citi Cards. They canceled my card and said I could deal with the scam when I returned home approximately two weeks later, and it would all be taken care of. But from the first day I returned home and called Citi Cards, they have refused to correct the illegal charges.

The waters have become further muddied by the resolving only one of the charges but not the others, as previously stated.

Also, I am being charged monthly interest on these unauthorized and still disputed charges.

4 ) What company is this complaint about? 

Citi Cards, XXXX. XXXX  XXXX, XXXX XXXX, South Dakota XXXX Also, the companies in XXXX, XXXX, who received the stolen money. ( Although, I do understand you have no jurisdiction to deal with these foreign entities. ) XXXX XXXX, XXXX, XXXX {$2200.00} XXXX XXXX, XXXX, XXXX {$2400.00} XXXX XXXX, XXXX, XXXX {$2400.00} resolved/canceled XX/XX/2020 Total : {$7100.00} New total : {$4600.00} 5 ) Who are the people involved? 

The criminal in XXXX, XXXX who illegally used my card. [ Name unknown ] Citi Cards investigators who are refusing to remove these unauthorized, illegal charges made by the criminal in XXXX. 

I have received two update statements from Citi Card regarding the other two charges.

One dated XX/XX/2020, the other XX/XX/2020. Both say, The assigned Security Associate [ no name given ] will contact you if they need any additional information. I have had no contact with anyone from Citi Card, only billing statements saying I owe this money.