Consumer complaint received 2024-04-25
Product: Checking or savings account — Checking account
Issue: Managing an account — Deposits and withdrawals
Company: CITIBANK, N.A. ()

My name is XXXX XXXX XXXX. My Citibank checking account has been blocked for a week now, despite reaching out to them four times without receiving any solution. 

On Tuesday, XX/XX/XXXX, I made a {$30000.00} transfer from my personal Citibank account to my business account, also with Citibank. I've made transfers before without any issues. 

On Wednesday, XX/XX/XXXX, I received an email from Citibank asking me to contact them to verify the transaction. I called the same day, spoke with a Citibank advisor, answered security questions, and went through verification. They assured me everything was fine and that the transfer would proceed. 

On Thursday, XX/XX/XXXX, I received an email stating that the transfer was canceled, and the money would be returned to my checking account. However, when I checked my account, my checking account was gone, along with the money. 

I contacted my personal banker, who informed me that the account was blocked due to suspected fraud, likely because of this transaction. They gave me the number for the risk department to call. 

On Friday, XX/XX/XXXX, I called and spoke with another Citibank advisor from the risk department, explaining the situation. They confirmed the account is under review and that I need to wait 24 to 48 hours for a bank account specialist to complete their review and unblock the account. 

By Wednesday, XX/XX/XXXX, after 72 business hours, my account remained the same, without access to my checking account or the ability to withdraw my money. I called again and recounted everything to the advisor, who said the account is still under review and that they hadn't received a response from the account specialist. They promised to prioritize my case and provide a response by the afternoon. 

Today, XX/XX/XXXX, the situation remains unchanged. I haven't received a response from Citibank, and it's been a week since I've been unable to access my money, which is causing significant inconvenience. I called again, spoke to another Citibank advisor, they informed me that they still haven't heard back from the account specialist and that I should wait another 24-48 hours, which is unacceptable given the length of time I've been dealing with this issue. 

Citibank hasn't provided any explanation as to why the account remains blocked, nor have they indicated if they need additional information from me to verify and unblock it. They haven't offered any assistance, and I have {$50000.00} in my account that I need to use and transfer to my business account to operate and cover expenses. 

It's clear that this situation is causing you significant inconvenience and stress. You may want to consider escalating the issue within Citibank or seeking assistance from a consumer protection agency if Citibank continues to provide inadequate responses. 

I'm attaching images of the emails I received regarding the transfer, as well as the email from my personal banker informing me that the account was blocked ( which, Citibank is not even capable of sending an alert email about this- they simply make your account disappear ). I'm also including screenshots showing how my account appears in the app, where my checking account doesn't appear and I have no access to it, as well as records of the times I've called Citibank