Consumer complaint received 2025-03-13 00:00:00
Product: Credit card — General-purpose credit card or charge card
Issue: Problem with a purchase shown on your statement — Card was charged for something you did not purchase with the card
Company: CITIBANK, N.A.
State: CA

Complaint narrative:
Dear Sir/Madam, I am filing a complaint against Citi credit card for improperly handling a fraudulent transaction on my Citi credit card. Despite submitting all required documents and evidence, Citi refuses to acknowledge the fraud and is wrongfully holding me responsible for the charge. 

These are the details provided to Citi credit card regarding a fraudulent charge for a booking with what I thought was the XXXX  XXXX, reservation number XXXX and Flight Confirmation XXXX XXXX for travel from XXXX XXXX ( XXXX ) to XXXX XXXX XXXX XX/XX/XXXX to XX/XX/year>. The actual XXXX  XXXX has confirmed the fraudulent nature of the booking. Below is a detailed account of the events : Initial Booking : On XX/XX/year>, I searched online for XXXX  XXXX ' contact and called the number displayed on XXXX. I was connected to an individual who identified himself as " XXXX, '' claiming to be an XXXX  XXXX agent. He stated that he could offer better pricing than online because I had called directly to the XXXX  XXXX. I provided all my familys travel information to him for the booking. XXXX sent me an email containing the traveler details and asked me to confirm the spelling of all names. He requested I reply with, Yes, I confirm, if the information was correct. ( see attached documentation ) After I confirmed via email, XXXX put me on hold and later informed me that the tickets were confirmed, and my credit card had been charged. He stated that the tickets would be emailed to me within XXXX business days. 

On XX/XX/year>, I had not received the tickets and emailed XXXX. He replied, stating, Its still under process, and the customer service team will be emailing across the details to you. ( see attached documentation ) I responded to the email immediately, stating that The ticket was purchased XXXX days ago. You helped me book my reservation. My booking number is XXXX. I was told that the ticket will be emailed to me in a few days. However, I have not received anything yet. Therefore, I am reaching out to you with this email. I received no response after this follow-up email. 

Concerned about the situation, I contacted XXXX  XXXX directly via their official chat service on XX/XX/XXXX, XXXX agent confirmed that the booking was fraudulent and advised me to immediately call XXXX  XXXX XXXX XXXX number, XXXX. I called the number provided and spoke with an official live agent. He stated the following that the confirmation number I provided was fraudulent. And that the fraudulent company purchased the airline tickets and refunded it within XXXX hours using gift certificates. He mentioned that the reservation could have been sold to multiple individuals. I was advised not to travel using the reservation number and to rebook the reservation online. He strongly recommended that I file a dispute with my credit card company. Based on his advice, I filed a dispute for fraud with my credit card company the same day ( XX/XX/year> ) and rebooked my tickets directly with XXXX  XXXX for a different travel date to avoid complications, as the fraudulent company had my personal information. 

On XX/XX/year>, I received an email from " XXXX XXXX, '' claiming to represent the same company. He provided an e-ticket confirmation using the same booking reference ( Flight Confirmation XXXX XXXX XXXX. However, the attachment did not resemble a legitimate airline ticket. ( See attached, file name : Email From Flight XXXX ) The " e-ticket confirmation '' he had provided me was not confirmed by the XXXX  XXXX. I also attached email confirmation from official XXXX  XXXX for comparison. ( see attached documentation, file names : Rebook Ticket Sample XXXX and Rebook Ticket Sample XXXX ) On XX/XX/year>, I contacted XXXX  XXXX XXXX XXXX at XXXX for further clarification. I spoke with an agent named XXXX, who started a case for this matter ( XXXX XXXX : XXXX ). XXXX confirmed that the ticket was again fraudulent. The ticket had been purchased using gift certificates for amounts different from the {$890.00} charge on my credit card. And that the email address and other information associated with the ticket did not match my details. There were discrepancies in the PNR ( Passenger Name Record ) that she could not disclose. XXXX submitted an official case on my behalf, and XXXX  XXXX has provided written confirmation of the fraudulent nature of the booking. ( Please see the attached email from XXXX  XXXX for reference. ) Given these details, I respectfully requested Citi card that my case be evaluated and the charge of {$890.00} be reversed. However, Citi is improperly categorizing this as a dispute rather than a fraudulent transaction. Citi has not provided any evidence that the merchant fulfilled their obligations. Instead, they are shifting the financial loss to me. Citis response is unfair and against consumer protections. 

Attached are : My communication with the fraudulent individuals. 
Correspondence and confirmation from XXXX  XXXX. 
Documentation of my rebooked tickets with XXXX  XXXX. 
Please let me know if additional information is required to resolve this matter. 

Thank you for your time and attention to this case.

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 non-monetary relief