Consumer complaint received 2024-12-10 00:00:00
Product: Checking or savings account — Checking account
Issue: Problem with a lender or other company charging your account — Transaction was not authorized
Company: CITIBANK, N.A.
State: NY

Complaint narrative:
How Citibank Policies Let Fraud Win and Penalize Working Parents Im a longtime XXXX XXXX and filmmaker who has spent years working on documentaries and collaborating with nonprofits across XXXX, including XXXX XXXX, XXXXXXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX  I live in XXXX with my family, including my spirited XXXX daughter, who inspires much of what I do. 

Recently, I directed and produced a short documentary funded by the XXXX XXXX, which provides grants for XXXX education. This project was deeply meaningful to me, both as a filmmaker and as someone dedicated to preserving history and raising awareness. 

But in XXXX, while working on this project, something devastating happened : a check I issued to a crew member was stolen and whitewashed. The thief altered the amount to {$4900.00}, changed the payee, date, and even forged my signature. They cashed it successfully. I only discovered the fraud months later while reviewing records after a particularly overwhelming periodbalancing this film, raising my daughter, and trying to help my dad from afar when he suffered a XXXX. 

Initially, Citibank acknowledged the fraud, reimbursing me because the handwriting didnt match mine. It seemed like a clear-cut case of fraud, especially since I have a carbon copy of the original check and evidence that the criminal involved is a wanted felon. However, weeks later, Citibank reversed its decision, citing a XXXX reporting window in their policy. This reversal felt like a punishment for being a working mother with caregiving responsibilities. 

Even my XXXX XXXXXXXX admitted she doesnt always review her statements within 30 days. And my contact at the XXXX XXXX summed it up perfectly : These for-profit companies are set up to deny claims, letting felons win and saying they dont care about the fraud. It feels like a system designed to favor corporations over consumers who may not have the time, resources, or energy to fight back. 

This experience has left me questioning whether policies like these genuinely serve the publicor if they are simply a way for banks to avoid accountability. Are we really expected to act as our own fraud departments, sifting through every transaction while managing the demands of work, family, and life? 

It reminds me of something XXXX XXXX XXXX, a XXXXXXXX XXXX and subject of one of my earlier films, often said : Just because something is law, does not make it just. Policies like these dont serve justice ; they protect profits at the expense of consumers like me. 

This situation is not just about one check. Its about how systems fail people every dayespecially those who already have too much on their plates. Its time to start the larger conversation about the responsibility of banks to protect their customers, not penalize them for being human. 

XXXX 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