Consumer complaint received 2026-06-10 00:00:00
Product: Checking or savings account — Checking account
Issue: Managing an account — Problem making or receiving payments
Company: CITIZENS FINANCIAL GROUP, INC.
State: DE

Complaint narrative:
On XX/XX/year>, I became the victim of an impersonation scam involving individuals who claimed to represent Citizens Bank Fraud Prevention and XXXX. I received a call from a person who stated that there was suspicious activity involving my personal checking account and a separate issue involving XXXX. I was told that my personal checking account would need to be closed due to the suspected fraud. The caller then transferred me to another individual whom I believed was a legitimate XXXX representative. During this process, I was instructed to accept screen-sharing access and was guided through transactions on my phone. Believing I was working with legitimate fraud representatives from Citizens Bank and XXXX, I followed their instructions to move funds from my personal checking account to my business checking account and then send {$1800.00} through XXXX as part of what I understood to be a fraud-protection and account-security process. I was later instructed to reply YES to a text message, which I understood at the time to be part of the fraud-resolution process. I later learned that the individuals were scammers and that the transaction sent funds to a third party. I contacted Citizens Bank immediately after realizing what had occurred and promptly reported the incident as fraud. I initially reported the incident to Citizens Bank Fraud Department by phone through the corporate office on the same day I discovered the unauthorized transaction. Following this call, the bank arranged an in-person appointment for me at my local branch ( XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX, DE Acme location ). At the branch, I met with representative XXXX XXXX. I provided him with the details of the incident and supporting evidence, including screenshots and information related to the impersonation call and XXXX transfer. I also retained a voicemail in which the caller identified himself as a Citizens Bank fraud representative before I returned the call. These materials support my understanding that I was communicating with legitimate bank representatives. XXXX and the branch XXXX, XXXX XXXX, were attentive and assisted in escalating my claim for fraud review. Based on this interaction, my case was initially treated as a potential scam and forwarded for further investigation by the fraud department. My concern is not only the denial of my claim, but also the handling of the investigation. The claim was denied on the basis that I authorized the transaction. However, I repeatedly requested copies of the documents, records, and evidence relied upon in reaching that determination and did not receive them in a timely manner. I also received different explanations regarding the denial during the appeal process. In addition, the manager and representative of my local Citizens Bank branch reviewed the circumstances, recognized that the incident involved individuals impersonating bank representatives, and escalated the matter on my behalf. Despite this, the claim remained denied. More recently, I received correspondence that appeared to reference my newer business account rather than the older business account involved in the transaction at issue, raising concerns about which account and transactions were actually reviewed during the investigation. I am requesting copies of the documents, records, and evidence relied upon in denying my claim, clarification regarding which accounts and transactions were reviewed, and a fair reconsideration of the claim based on the full circumstances of this impersonation scam and the inconsistencies in the investigation process. NOTE : I am including supporting evidence with this complaint, including screenshots of ( XXXX ) the incoming phone call that appeared to originate from Citizens Bank, ( XXXX ) screen-sharing/remote access activity during the call, and ( XXXX ) the XXXX confirmation message showing the YES authorization. The XXXX confirmation screenshot shows that I entered YES to approve the transaction. However, this occurred while I was on a live call with individuals impersonating Citizens Bank and XXXX representatives, who were guiding me step-by-step and instructing me to respond quickly as part of what they described as a fraud-prevention process. I did not understand that this response was final authorization of a {$1800.00} transfer to a third party.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation