Consumer complaint received 2026-03-19 00:00:00
Product: Credit card — General-purpose credit card or charge card
Issue: Other features, terms, or problems — Privacy issues
Company: CITIBANK, N.A.
State: RI

Complaint narrative:
Company : Citibank Product : Credit Card Issue : Fraud / Identity Theft / Account Takeover What happened I am reporting a full account takeover and identity theft incident involving my Citibank credit card account. In XXXX of XXXX A fraudster was able to : Gain access to my account Change my email address, phone number, and mailing address Lock me out of both phone verification and online access Conduct XXXX unauthorized transactions totaling over {$14000.00} Cause my credit card account to be closed without my authorization This incident represents a complete breakdown of account security controls, not a simple unauthorized charge dispute. Failure to provide access and verification Immediately upon discovering the fraud, I contacted Citibanks fraud department. XX/XX/XXXX During that call : I was told my identity could not be verified I was not provided alternative verification methods I was not meaningfully asked questions to confirm my identity The call was terminated with the statement : We will reach out to you At that time, the fraudster had already changed all of my contact information. Citibank had no valid way to contact me, yet no escalation or recovery path was provided. I was left : Locked out of my account Unable to verify my identity Unable to access online banking Without support while fraudulent activity continued XXXX - Branch intervention required I was forced to go in person to a Citibank branch in XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX, where a bank manager ( XXXX ) was able to verify my identity and assist me in reporting all XXXX fraudulent transactions. This demonstrates that verification was possible, but appropriate procedures were not followed by the fraud department. Failure of paid protection service I have been paying monthly for Safeguard Protection on my Citibank credit card for years. Despite this : The account takeover was not prevented No effective alerts reached me No controls stopped high-volume fraudulent transactions My contact information was changed without adequate safeguards This raises serious concerns about the effectiveness and representation of this service. Consumer harm As a direct result of this incident : I experienced over {$14000.00} in fraudulent charges I lost access to my account and financial information My credit score has been negatively impacted due to nonpayment tied to fraudulent activity My long-standing account was closed without my authorization I am still working to regain full account access and control What I am requesting 1. Confirmation that I am not responsible for any fraudulent charges 2. Full removal of all unauthorized transactions 3. Restoration of my account or equivalent credit line, including preservation of account history if possible 4. Correction of any negative credit reporting resulting from this incident 5. A detailed explanation of how this account takeover occurred and why safeguards failed 6. A review and refund of Safeguard Protection fees 7. Assurance that my contact information and account access have been fully restored and secured Additional information This incident reflects failures in : Account security controls Identity verification procedures Customer access during fraud events As a customer who paid for additional protection services, I expected meaningful safeguards and recovery support. Instead, I was locked out and unable to access assistance during a critical situation.

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