Consumer complaint received 2023-11-01
Product: Checking or savings account — Checking account
Issue: Managing an account — Cashing a check
Company: CITIBANK, N.A. (VA)

I recently finished the basement of my house and published it on XXXX marketplace for rent. Many people approached me including a girl with XXXX ID XXXX XXXX ( the scammer ), introduced herself as a health worker who is currently residing in XXXX and will be moving to Virginia in XX/XX/2023 for a new contract. After communicating with her, she agreed to rent my basement for {$1600.00} per month. She told me that she will send me a check for {$2900.00} so I can take one month rent as advance and transfer the remaining to the moving company. 

On XXXX XXXX, 2023, after receiving the check in the email, I deposited it into my bank account from my cell phone using my Citibank application. I then called bank and asked the banker that is it possible that if I deposit a check into my account and it bounces back? And the banker responded to me that no, once the check is deposited into your account, it does not bounce back. After depositing the check for {$2900.00}, only {$540.00} was immediately available in my account. The scammer requested me to send the funds that are available in my account to her moving company. In a good intention, I said okay and wrote her a check for {$540.00}. She urged me to send the money using XXXX as she explained that the moving company is also in XXXX and majority of the banks dont accept checks there. I have the chat records that I already submitted to the bank but can submit again if required. I send her the {$540.00} using XXXX using the email address she provided. On the next day, XXXX XXXX, {$220.00} of the check amount was available in my account and I sent her moving company {$250.00} using XXXX again. On the XXXX day, XXXX XX/XX/2023, {$700.00} of check was available and I transferred it through Wire transfer as XXXX didnt work anymore maybe because there is a daily limit on XXXX XXXX. In the meantime, I got suspicious about the process as she was consistentlhy asking me to send the money only using XXXX and since she never answered my phone calls. I called the company that sent me the check ( XXXX XXXX XXXX ) and asked them if they know XXXX XXXX and if they issued me this check. The company denied, saying that it is a scam and we do not know any girl with this name. 

I immediately called the bank to stop the wire transfer and I was provided with a case number for follow up. I also called the police who then showed up at my house and I explained all this to the police deputy too. I also called the bank on the third day and asked them again about the funds, the bank representative told me that the check was verified thats why the funds are in my account. On the other hand, the girl started threatening me on XXXX XXXX and she introduced someone as her management representative who texted me on my number. He also started threatening me and was trying to force me to send the rest of the money ( {$1400.00} ). Another person using another number introduced himself as XXXX from New Mexico Police who texted me and asked why I am not sending the money that belonged to XXXX XXXX and started threatening me that they will put me in jail etc. I showed all the messages to the police deputy and by this time, all the funds of the check were available in my account. 

The police deputy asked me if I have lost my money? I said no, I have not paid them from my money, but I am worried that this money might be used in other illegal ways that I dont want to become a part of it. The police deputy then asked me to send them their money back. He said, it is a felony to keep their money in my account, this conversation occurred around XXXX in the evening. After being taken under great pressure, I sent them the remaining {$1400.00} that evening using a wire transfer and I slept in peace. When I woke up in the next morning, my account was in negative {$2800.00}. I called the bank and filed a claim about the {$1400.00} too after making a claim for the {$700.00} and the {$740.00} using XXXX. 

The bank partially paid {$100.00} for the {$250.00} case but deniad all my other claims. I appealed against the bank decision as my petition was and is more about the process of how the check was not verified in four days. In fact I was the one calling the company to verify the check and I was the one calling police and bank to stop the transactions. I seek your help in this regard. I have all the chat history with the numbers and addresses the scammers used. If the bank would verify the check for me on the very first day, I would never lose any money, but I am not a professional person with banking background to know that how banks processes checks. I sent them money because the bank verified the check and confirmed me in the phone multiple times that the once the check is deposited, the scammers wont be able to take out the check from my account and as a result the money is deposited in my bank account.