Consumer complaint received 2019-12-12
Product: Credit card or prepaid 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. (AZ)

Complaint:
I accepted an employment position XX/XX/XXXX with a company called XXXX XXXX. A position where I would train for a month and then become full time employee as a XXXX XXXX. I was training every day with my supervisor and because I was doing well with my studies I was ask by him and corporate if I would assist them in purchasing products with pay for their XXXX office. They would provide me a corporate bank account to pay for the items purchases through my credit card. I had no idea that what they were asking me to do would not only result in bank fraud-robbery but also employment and mail fraud, according to XXXX County Sheriff department when I filed a complaint. There was premeditated fraud to rob any bank through false employment. I have contacted Citi Bank several times once I found out I was part of fraud. I would only get the " front '' line reps even though I asked for the Fraud Department and a manager of this department, all I was told was I would get a call from someone in this department. I never received a call from their fraud department or any manager to discuss this horrible situation. I called Citi Bank to get the address for this department to mail a packet with this letter and documents to show them I am a victim of bank fraud. I found out I was given a non-existent address from the rep on XX/XX/XXXX when I went in to mail the packet on XX/XX/XXXX. I went online to find a real address to get it mailed and it was delivered with confirmation on XX/XX/XXXX. 

Below is my letter to Citi Bank describing the fraud that happened to me. 

XX/XX/XXXX Citi Bank XXXX. XXXX  XXXX XXXX, MD XXXX Customer Service XXXX/XXXX  Fraud Department XXXX Re : Fraud Reporting on Acct # XXXX Citi Aadvantage Card To Whom It May Concern : I am writing this correspondent as the several attempts I have made to contact Citi Bank via phone XXXX has gotten me nowhere. If you really do have a fraud department I do not understand why no one from this department has not contacted me on this matter from the first time I called on XX/XX/XXXX and as of the mailing of this letter. I thought time would be of essence when reporting a crime and this doesn't seem to be any concern of Citi Bank. I am concerned. My credit is excellent and I'm in a position to where it can be compromised because of this fraud. 

I was interviewed and hired with XXXX XXXX as a XXXX  XXXX, where I agreed and signed an employment contract to be trained the first month as an XXXX  XXXX to finance-lease equipment. I would train and work remotely from my home until an office opened in XXXX, Az. Once training was completed, I would be hired full-time as an employee for XXXX, per the agreement I signed. 

People Involved : XXXX XXXX - XXXX XXXX XXXX, XXXX, MA XXXX - Web : XXXX Working Hours : XXXX XXXX ET - XXXX XXXX  ET XXXX XXXX, Regional Manager- Special Projects Department Contact Number : ( XXXX ) XXXX XXXX ( cell ) XXXX XXXX XXXX | Senior HR Manager XXXX XXXX XXXX HR Department XXXX , MA XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX HR Manager XXXX XXXX XXXX HR Department XXXX, MA XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX Mr. XXXX XXXX Head of Finance Department XXXX XXXX Senders CA Office Info : Mr. XXXX XXXX , Requisitioner XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX, CA XXXX In my interview and email correspondence, XXXX was setting up an office in XXXX-XXXX, Az area where eventually an office would be set up in XXXX. I signed the contract and started training the first week of XXXX. As I continued to progress and do well in my daily training I was asked if I would be willing to purchase office equipment for the XXXX office for additional compensation. I did not expect to be requested of this task. I was doing well on my studies so I agreed to assist them as I was communicating with my supervisor on a daily basis and everything was professional as any previous position I have had in the past. I was provided everything in writing and instructions to set up a XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX  corporate account XXXX and routing number XXXX to pay for the items as I purchased for them. I was authorized to spend up to {$14000.00} not exceeding {$7000.00} in purchases per day ( see XXXX Banking Instructions enclosed ). 

Per email conversations with my supervisor and provided instructions ( enclosed ), I would transfer amounts to my card then purchase the items on the Purchase Orders provided starting first with a balance transfer to bring my credit card to a XXXX  balance. I was told I could use any card as long as it was credit and not a debit card at which I used my Citi Aadvantage card for these purchases. This was to be a clean wash ; I would transfer money from the XXXX XXXX corporate account I was provided and at the end the final transfer would be the total that would bring my credit card balance back to the way it was before these purchases occurred. 

I was instructed to bring my credit card account to a XXXX  balance with a first transfer, which was successful. And once that payment posted I was instructed to go ahead and purchase the first set of items that was on the purchase order they provided to me. 

Corporate Card and Purchases - Time Line of Activity : XX/XX/XXXX Added Corporate Account to my Citi Aadvantage card profile XX/XX/XXXX Processed balance transfer of {$2100.00} to bring card to a XXXX balance XX/XX/XXXX Citi Aadvantage card email notice : Received Payment Confirmation of {$2100.00} XX/XX/XXXX Citi Aadvantage card  email notice : Payment Posted {$2100.00} XX/XX/XXXX Purchased 1st lined items on PO - XXXX ( 2 ) {$2100.00} and shipping to office of {$88.00} = {$2200.00} XX/XX/XXXX Processed balance transfer of {$2200.00} with success of processed payment XX/XX/XXXX Purchased 2nd lined items on PO - XXXX ( 2 ) {$2900.00} and shipping of {$130.00} = {$3100.00} XX/XX/XXXX Citi Aadvantage card email notice : Received Payment Confirmation of {$2200.00} XX/XX/XXXX Citi Aadvantage card email notice : Payment Posted {$2200.00} XX/XX/XXXX Went online to do a balance transfer of {$3100.00} as I had instructions to process a second purchase order. - Per the purchase order provided there were four items on the order two XXXX and two XXXX. 
I purchased the two XXXX  first, once purchased I was authorized to make a XXXX XXXX transfer to my Citi Aadvantage card to pay for these items. Once the payment posted, I was then instructed to go ahead and purchase the two XXXX of which I did. 

Items Purchased : 2 XXXX  : {$2100.00} XXXX {$88.00} Tracking : XXXX 2 XXXX  : {$2900.00} XXXX {$130.00} Tracking : XXXX Shipped to : Mr. XXXX XXXX, XXXX XXXX XXXX, XXXX XXXX XXXX, XXXX XXXX, CA XXXX Total of Fraudulent Charges : {$5300.00} After purchasing the XXXX  I went online to my Citi Aadvantage card account to make a bank transfer as I was provided a second Purchase Order to purchase additional supplies and that is where I discovered that one of the two payments posted was retracted, where the first transfer done on XX/XX/XXXX was returned. I was confused on the current balance of my credit card as it should have reflected the two payments I transferred from the XXXX XXXX XXXX account. 

XX/XX/XXXX, I immediately contacted Citibank to find out what was going on and how a payment posted could be retracted as I have never seen this before and didn't understand why this was happening. I was told by a Citi Bank representative that I was not authorized to use the XXXX XXXX XXXX corporate bank account provided to me. I told the representative that I did have authorization and had it in writing. I was told to contact the company that provided the bank information of which I did. I called and sent an email to my supervisor Mr. XXXX, to see what the problem was, I still didnt understand how payments could be processed and confirmed but now be retracted. I didnt receive a call back or a reply to my email sent on XX/XX/XXXX from my supervisor. By not responding, since I had been communicating with Mr. XXXX for weeks, I then realized that this was not only employment fraud it was internet bank fraud robbery and mail fraud. I now realized as well I was not even training for a position or will be paid and that I was unemployed again now damaged financially from this crime. 

On XX/XX/XXXX, I contacted Citi Bank immediately again and spoke with a representative XXXX. I spent almost an hour on the phone where I provided as much information I could for her to forward to Citi Bank Fraud department. She told me the fraud department would be informed and would contact me the following week for additional information as it was Friday afternoon when I called. After speaking with XXXX, I contacted my local authorities ; XXXX County Sheriff 's department to file a crime report. After speaking with the deputy that took my report, he recommended that I contact XXXX as this was not only internet bank and employment fraud it was also mail fraud. I have also contacted and filed a report with the FBI and Federal Trade Commission as this is employment fraud, internet bank robbery fraud and mail fraud. I have also supplied information to XXXX XXXX XXXX Bank as they are involved as well and the 3 credit bureaus. I also contacted XXXX to see if they had some way to prevent activation through the serial, Part or IMEI numbers and alert phone companies such as XXXX, XXXX, etc. But they didnt care ; all these numbers and none to assist in stopping fraud or crimes. 

On Tuesday XX/XX/XXXX concerned no one had contacted me from Citi Bank Fraud dept. I called again and just got the runaround. No one would transfer me to the fraud department. Does Citi Bank not take fraud seriously? I don't understand why no one has contacted me about this issue and why I was not transferred to the fraud department. All my other banks have a fraud department ; they mention it when waiting on hold. 

I called Citi Bank again on XX/XX/XXXX to ask for a physical address to forward this letter and corresponding documents to Citi Bank fraud department and I was only provided a PO box address ( which is not trackable ) but was provided a Fraud Department phone number XXXX. Why this was not provided to me on XX/XX/XXXX or XX/XX/XXXX is beyond me. As you will see in the history of my use of this Citi Bank Aadvantage card that I have had for over a year, I have never had a high or exceeded balance ever. I rarely charged items to this card in the past year and never missed a payment or defaulted. Now my card is over the limit, it is under default of payment because of this fraud. I can't even wrap this around my brain how individuals can even do this to anyone and I am shocked that not only have I been damaged with my credit I am not employed and been training for nothing. How XXXX XXXX. 

I had no idea this was fraud until I went online to make another transfer to my card with the XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX  account provided to me for the for the items purchased on their behalf. Apparently from the beginning of my hiring I guess, this was a premeditated plan to steal through false employment. To hire, to deceive, and to use a bank account and routing number to falsely pre-pay for items in using others to purchase for them through an employment contract and professional documents that appeared to be legitimate and legal. What I dont understand is how payments posted and confirmed if this was not a real bank account. 

Financial institutions have way more resources then I do to prevent crime. I have no resources to be able to find these criminals. I have done the best that I know on what to do in a situation like this since this has never happened to me before. I have contacted every entity involved in this crime and filed police reports, maybe one day these criminals will be caught or to help prevent another individual in getting scammed as I have experienced. 

I need your assistance in moving forward. This has been very stressful and your lack of assistance has not helped me with this horrible position I've been put in and the stress you have added to this situation. Every harassing phone call I have received the past three weeks from Citi Bank starts out saying. " Thanks for being a part of the Citibank family '' this is how you treat family? You just blow me off when fraud is reported and continue to harass daily for payment? If I was XXXX  or mugged or any other crime, my family would have helped me. 

So where do we go from here with my account? When I called again on XX/XX/XXXX and could not get XXXX and had to speak to one of your incompetent rude reps ( you should see who I spoke with on this date per your phone logs ), she kept putting me on hold to research, told me there was nothing on file about my call to XXXX and then mentioned to me that they can't go after XXXX  which confused me because I don't know why you would. You should be talking to XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX about this since both banks are both involved with this criminal activity and you have unlimited resources on how to prevent crime more than an individual citizen has. Why you have no record of me speaking to XXXX on XX/XX/XXXX is beyond me as well. Since the past year I have never had the need to contact Citi Bank as I paid my statement every month, hoping by being employed now I would be able to pay the balance down or off. So now that I have had to contact Citi Bank, its been a pretty XXXX horrible experience. You need better customer service. 

Though I enjoy working from home, never again will I accept a remote position. I now face losing my house that I have lived in for 16 years because of this internet bank robbery, employment, mail fraud scam as I am still unemployed with this trauma hanging over me. 

What is going to happen here? Am I going to be hanged for this crime that I had no idea I was a part of or will my Citi Bank Aadvantage card be restored to the way it was before this happened? These purchases are not mine, not in my possession and in no way did I know that a payment transfer could be confirmed paid then retracted after notice of payment posted. I have provided all the information I have to show that I am innocent in this situation as I thought I was working for a company that provided an authorized bank account to pre-pay my account as these items were purchased. I believed these transfers coming from XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX  were legitimate from the confirmations I received from Citi Bank. 

Fraud should be a financial institutions most high importance to prevent and I am shocked how Citi Bank has yet to assist me with this crime or even be interested how an entity can do this and get away with it. This is Pre-meditated Internet Bank Fraud, that should be of concern, do you think the local authorities and FBI can handle all the crimes of our country without your or my help? How easy it is to scam a person searching for and needing employment, than to put on a mask, have a gun and go rob an actual bank? 

I wait for your response via email or phone call, my contact information is below. 

Respectfully, XXXX XXXX Enclosures : XXXX XXXX  Info Instructions XXXX XXXX Transfer Example XXXX PO Letter Citi Bank Payment Confirmation Notices XXXX County Sherriff Dept. Letter FBI Complaint Filed Doc FTC Complaint Filed Doc XXXX Email Correspondence XXXX Company Info. 

CC : XXXX County Sheriff 's Department Case # XXXX Federal Bureau Investigation ( www.iv3.gov ) Complaint Filed Federal Trade Commission Report # XXXX XXXX  Case # XXXX XXXX  XXXX   Dept. Called and Emailed XX/XX/XXXX XXXX XXXX Corporate Headquarters XXXX XXXX XXXX, XXXX OH XXXX XXXX Checking and Savings Customers XXXX XXXX  Fraud Victim Assistance Dept.

Consumer Fraud Division XXXX. XXXX  XXXX XXXX, GA XXXX XXXX  National Consumer Assistance XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX, TX XXXX XXXX Fraud Victim Assistance Dept. 
XXXX  XXXX XXXX XXXX, PA XXXX

Company public response: Company has responded to the consumer and the CFPB and chooses not to provide a public response
Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation