Consumer complaint received 2022-06-23
Product: Checking or savings account — Checking account
Issue: Opening an account — Account opened as a result of fraud
Company: CITIBANK, N.A. (FL)

On XX/XX/XXXX my identity was stolen, used to hack into my Citibank online account, used to open up two unauthorized checking accounts and used to send $ XXXX of my savings to an unknown XXXX recipient ( s ). I was never scammed or convinced by anyone into sending these funds from my established devices, these were sent for me when my account was hacked. 

First, the hackers moved money from my savings account ending in XXXX to my checking account ending in XXXX. I had these accounts with Citi for over ten years and theyre the only bank accounts Ive ever had. Once the money was in my checking account ( XXXX ) they tried sending $ XXXX but I believe they reached a transfer limit because at first that did not go through. 

They then OPENED two checking accounts ending in XXXX and XXXX WITHOUT MY CONSENT AND AUTHORIZATION. Citibank lets you open accounts online very easily but you need extremely private information : they had my social security number. These accounts were opened and then the money started being sent off through XXXX, fractions at the time. Once again : I never used my devices to send these XXXX transfers. The funds were sent while my account access was compromised to and sent to a phony name ( XXXX XXXX ) with the recipient email being different in every single transfer ( see attachment ) and there were many : $ XXXX would ultimately be sent off from these 3 checking accounts ( XXXX and fraudulent XXXX, XXXX ) in transfers of either {$2500.00} or {$500.00}. 

I reported this to the police and to the FTC as well, then I filed claims with the bank because they never caught this identity theft while it happened so I had to report it. It Here we are, almost 3 months later and I am still dealing with an overdrawn checking account, which will close in 18 days with a balance of - {$4900.00}. The bank stands by their decisions to only honor my claims for the $ XXXX sent from the fraudulent accounts and they are DENYING my claim for the other $ XXXX that were sent from my original checking account. They state lack of credibility? They themselves confirmed there was ID Theft so this makes no sense at all. 

If ONE of the many XXXX transfers is confirmed to be fraudulent, without my authorization and consent, and if identity theft is CONFIRMED by the bank then ALL of the transfers have to be considered fraudulent. There is a picture of a letter from the bank admitting there was ID theft attached to the email. This was all part of the same crime on the same day to the same phony recipient done by the same identity thieves. You cant say only half of the crime is identity theft and the other isnt. This fraud is obvious and I feel like it has been grossly mishandled by the elusive back-office fraud prevention team that has no direct point of contact. I cant call them, cant make more appeals and the bank has gone as far as blaming me for this and saying I owe them the money. 

I am reaching out for help, this is so urgent because my whole financial life depends on it. I am a XXXX XXXX XXXX millennial with student loan debt that only has bank accounts with Citi and has worked for over a decade on paying things on time and having good credit of XXXX. The banks faulty investigation will ruin me more than it already has : I havent been able to use my checking account or debit card for months. I need any type of guidance please. Not only do I want the bank to honor all my claims because they recognized there was ID theft, I am thinking of taking legal action because of the many damages caused to me.