Consumer complaint received 2024-06-03
Product: Money transfer, virtual currency, or money service — Domestic (US) money transfer
Issue: Fraud or scam — 
Company: CITIBANK, N.A. (NC)

and I am writing to request your assistance in investigating a significant financial crime that resulted in a loss of {$200000.00}. As a loyal Citibank customer and Citigold member residing in XXXX XXXX I am extremely concerned about the handling of this situation and the lack of updates I have received. 

Background : I have been working with XXXX XXXX XXXX as my financial advisor ( XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX. On XX/XX/XXXX, we had a meeting to discuss transferring more money from my XXXX  account to my XXXX account. Following this meeting, XXXX XXXX XXXX sent me an email summarizing our discussion and the planned transfer. Unfortunately, it appears this email was intercepted by a scammer. 

Subsequently, someone assumed the email addresses of XXXX XXXX XXXX and pretended to be them. They instructed me to wire {$200000.00} to a fraudulent account through XXXX XXXX XXXX Believing I was communicating with my XXXX advisor, I complied with the instructions. Shortly after making the wire transfer, I felt something was off and called Citibank to request a reversal of the wire. I spoke to the wire department and was assured that they would stop the wire transfer. 

There should be recorded calls supporting my request, which can be reviewed. Despite this assurance, the transfer proceeded, resulting in a significant financial loss. Since reporting the fraud, I have not received any updates and have been continuously passed around from one customer service representative to another. I have also involved the local authorities and outside legal counsel to assist in recovering the funds. 

I am disappointed that Citibank assured me they would stop the wire transfer when they were clearly unable to. I am also frustrated by the lack of communication and transparency regarding the status of my case. As a Citigold member, I expected better service, including regular updates and a direct contact number. My Citigold account manager has been very responsive but has been unable to obtain any information from the fraud department. 

Request for Assistance : I am requesting your assistance in the following areas : Ensuring I receive regular updates on the fraud claim and conversations with XXXX XXXX XXXX  to determine if the funds have been recovered. According to the detective handling my case, some of the funds may have been recovered by XXXX XXXX XXXX. However, they will not communicate with me directly, and I have not received any updates from Citibank. 

Investigating XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX processing of the wire transfer, particularly considering that the account name I provided did not match the account. 

Updating me on the status of my investigation, including the current standing, any recovered funds, next steps, and expected timeline. 

Addressing the responsibility Citibank bears for informing me that they had stopped the wire transfer when they had not. 

This situation has caused me significant distress, and the loss of {$200000.00} is a tremendous financial burden. I am urgently seeking your intervention to resolve this matter and recover my funds. I appreciate your immediate attention to this issue and look forward to receiving timely updates.