Consumer complaint received 2026-05-06 00:00:00
Product: Checking or savings account — Checking account
Issue: Managing an account — Problem using a debit or ATM card
Company: CITIBANK, N.A.
State: CA

Complaint narrative:
I have a long-established joint checking/money market account with my mother who is XXXX XXXX XXXX. The account has maintained a balance of around {$20000.00} forever and small checks are written from it each month for my mothers living expenses. She does not do online banking ; she gets paper statements in the mail and pays her bills with handwritten checks. She deposits all checks in person through the ATM. Between XX/XX/year> and XX/XX/year> ( date of discovery ) -my mother was locked out of her computer by a scammer claiming to be a XXXX XXXXXXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX I was able to get into the computer the evening of XX/XX/XXXX. We found this individual got into her computer through an email attachment, utilized her IP and moved approximately {$320000.00} out of XXXX XXXX and into her Citibank Checking account... mixed it with funds from the money market account and immediately wired it out to numerous individuals in amounts ranging from {$10000.00} - {$49000.00}. My mom had no idea any financial transactions were occurring. We immediately called Citibank to notify and the account was frozen. I was instructed by the reporting XXXX to fill out a XXXX form, and needed the routing numbers- and have not been able to obtain. I was also told that Citibank would be calling within XXXX hours to follow up and no one ever did. On XX/XX/XXXX, we visited the local Citibank branch and met with the account XXXX, XXXX XXXX. He mentioned he recognized our names as he was seeing them frequently. He said he had been trying to contact XXXX given the abnormal account activity. He looked up his log and found he had documented repeatedly calling a disconnected phone number that had been changed XXXX years ago for my XXXX XXXX XXXX mother. He made no attempt to send a letter, email, or try and call me the joint account owner ( me ) for which he had a valid number. Also - we did not receive transaction confirmations for these very large wire transfers.... Only XXXX that ironically came to my mother 's email on the morning of XX/XX/XXXX for {$49000.00}.... which my mother did not see as she was still locked out of her computer. I have hXXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX all of her emails back to XX/XX/XXXX to validate this. After lunch we met with XXXX again and he noted that it was on his mind that if he had gotten through on the first call, this could have all been stopped at {$10000.00} ( the first flagged transaction ). So far, Citibank has refuted the debit transfers totaling {$12000.00} - saying my mother approved them ( she did not ). I have requested the investigation materials. We are still waiting on determinations of the large transactions. My concern is that XXXX some transactions totaling $ XXXX moved through a checking account over 40 days, that held a balance of {$20000.00} for many years ... and the account was never frozen, positive contact was never made with either owner - and XXXX owner is XXXX ... the crime falls under elder abuse. Transactions of this nature are highly uncharacteristic of account history and should trigger questions. Is repeatedly calling and documenting a disconnected number due diligence on a joint account? If I had received that call, I would have froze the account immediately XXXX enforcement has been contacted and reports filed to the best of our ability. No follow up interview with Citibank has ever occurred. Customer service is calling and just being transferred around to offshore assistance that are difficult to understand. I will gladly provide any additional information requested.

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