Consumer complaint received 2026-01-02 00:00:00
Product: Debt or credit management — Credit repair services
Issue: Didn't provide services promised — 
Company: CITIBANK, N.A.
State: WI

Complaint narrative:
Company : Citi Bank, N.A. 
Issue : Deceptive practices/ Misrepresentation / Unauthorized third-party payment authorization Related entity : XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX 
Related CFPB Complaint : XXXX ( XXXX XXXX XXXX  ) I am submitting this complaint against Citi Bank , N.A. for misrepresentation and deceptive practices that resulted in unauthorized payments being made to a third-party debt collector, XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX 
This complaint is directly related to CFPB Complaint ID XXXX filed against XXXX XXXX XXXX and involves the same two accounts and the same payment transactions. 
When I contacted Citi Bank by phone, my intent was to pay two accounts directly to Citi Bank, which were originally Citi Bank accounts. 
During that call, Citi Bank representatives contacted XXXX XXXX XXXX by phone and then told me that I needed to speak with a specialist. Citi Bank did not disclose that this specialist was not a Citi Bank employee, but instead a third-party debt collector. 
Neither Citi Bank nor XXXX XXXX XXXX clearly disclosed that I was speaking with XXXX XXXX XXXX. The term specialist reasonably sounded like a Citi Bank specialist, and at no point was I informed that I was no longer speaking with Citi Bank or that I was being transferred to a third party. XXXX XXXX XXXX also failed to clearly identify itself during the call. 
Based on these representations and omissions, I reasonably believed that I was still communicating with Citi Bank, and that any authorization I provided was being given to Citi Bank, not to XXXX XXXX XXXX. 
Recorded Authorization Obtained Through Misrepresentation : My payment authorization was recorded, but it was obtained without clear disclosure of : the true identity of the entity receiving the payment, and the fact that Citi Bank was not the party receiving the funds. 
As a result, any consent obtained was not informed, not transparent, and was induced through misrepresentation. 
Written Notices From XXXX XXXX XXXX : On XX/XX/year>, I received XXXX separate letters from XXXX XXXX XXXX, one for each account, stating : This letter is to inform you that your recently scheduled payment with XXXX was returned or declined. 
Despite these written notices, no refunds were issued, and both accounts remain reported on my credit reports, making my credit file inaccurate and misleading. 
Harm and Ongoing Issues : Because of Citi Banks actions : I made payments to a third party that I would not have made had proper disclosure been provided promised refunds were never received inaccurate information continues to be furnished to consumer reporting agencies Citi Bank failed to clearly disclose the status and ownership of the accounts before directing me to a third party and failed to ensure that any authorization obtained was knowing, informed, and valid.

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