Consumer complaint received 2024-03-04
Product: Credit 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. (VA)

My problem is with Citi Costco XXXX credit card addresses XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX MO XXXX and Citi Costco XXXX XXXX XXXX  XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX MO XXXX XXXX 
Basically, in my opinion, because my charges are paid automatically from my bank, Citi has my money and has no incentive to refund the money from disputed charges. Thus, with no description of their investigation ( not detailed even when requested ), Citi closed the dispute after verbal notification of only 6 of the series of 20 disputed charges and has stonewalled my case ever since. The Citi Costco letter of XX/XX/XXXX ( see below ) did not indicate they had provided a Reasonable Investigation per Circular XXXX from the XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX 
Citi Costco XXXX XXXX on XX/XX/XXXX acting on my verbal, first, partial report of 6 fraudulent charges sent a letter that said : " Your dispute has been closed. '' and, in part, " .... during our investigation we learned that you provided the merchant ( s ) with your account information for a series of purchases ... .. " Since you provided your account number to the merchant ( s ), we don't consider this fraudulent activity. '' If you want to pursue this matter further, you'll need to reach out to the merchant ( s ) directly. '' Copy of letter XX/XX/XXXX attached. 
Citi Costco dated XX/XX/XXXX sent a letter to me headlined " We're looking into the dispute ''. And ending : " Citi is on your side before, during and after every purchase. Your Citi Team ''. Copy of letter XX/XX/XXXX is attached. 
I tend to think these are, for the most part, " form '' letters designed to discourage disputers. 
On XX/XX/XXXX, I sent a letter to both Citi Costco XXXX XXXX XXXX ( above header ) which in part vigorously contested their decision that the six charges they investigated for a total {$32000.00} were valid charges, my dispute was invalid and that the dispute is closed. I said I never gave my card number to these merchants, if indeed they are legitimate merchants, which is doubtful. 
The letter then itemized 14 other invalid charges 2 to the same merchant as the 6 previous, 10 to another merchant for the same monthly amount ( {$54.00} ) and 2 earlier charges to still another merchant. The last two merchant 's charges indicated they were in VA ( assumed to stand for Virginia ). 
All the charges are listed in a separate attachment and total {$1000.00} that I want refunded to me because those charges are frauds and I did not authorize them or give those people my card number. 
I asked for Citi to tell me how they determined I gave my credit card number to the merchant ( XXXX )? Also, even a limited investigation of the merchants listed as being in VA would reveal the Virginia State Corporation Commission had no record of those merchants ( a necessity for doing business in Virginia ). 
I asked Citi to provide the name and street addresses of the merchants. [ the listed phone numbers are " toll-free '' so even rough physical location was not available. ] I have yet to receive a written reply to my letter of XXXX XXXX, XXXX or any further written correspondence from Citi. 
In a call I made to the Citi number on the back of my card on XXXX XXXX, XXXX, I learned : A ) that Citi Costco had received my letter of XXXX XXXX. 
B ) that ( per XXXX ) my case was closed and will not reopen. She will provide no written confirmation of what she will say or an answer to my letter of the XXXX because my case is closed. 
XXXX did add that the {$9.00} charge [ the first disputed charge from XXXX XXXX ] was for a free gift and, as I understood her, the remaining disputed charges were for additional gifts. I said I had never made such charges. 
C ) I asked to speak to a supervisor. After a long wait, ~ 3 minutes, an apparently male voice came on the line but was impossible to understand. The call then hung up. A recall from Citi by a female voice was on a line with a lot of static ; I asked her to recall on my cell line which I provided. There was no cell or other call. 
A Citi message was left on my land line from security XXXX ( XXXX ) in late XXXX or early XX/XX/XXXX. 
The next day I followed instructions & called Citi on the card telephone number. I spoke to XXXX? for a long time. I asked for written reply to my letter of XX/XX/XXXX and for Citi to act positively on my full 20 requests for return of my money from the disputed charges. She said she would pass on requests to security but could do nothing herself. 
I have not heard from Citi since then. 
I have reported the series of twenty fraudulent charges to my local XXXX XXXX, VA police and to the F.B.I. XXXX  fraud / identity theft unit. I am a XXXX XXXX, XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX veteran ( XXXX XXXX XX/XX/XXXX to XX/XX/XXXX ). XXXX XXXX award among others. Am over XXXX XXXX XXXX so I am an XXXX. 
The above is true to the best of my knowledge and belief.