Hi, I can use some advice re someone who accessed ...
# general
h
Hi, I can use some advice re someone who accessed my bank account, see thread for details
Sorry in advance for the long msg. I (unfortunately) have an account with Citibank. My debit card was expiring, and they sent me a new one via mail. Expected to arrive on 5/1. Two days ago on 4/28 I see emails from Citi confirming my password and pin were changed, at 225pm & 228pm respectively (just notifications, not asking for confirmation whether it was me or not). Saw these emails around 315. Immediately called the bank and told them to block my account which they did. Was also told by them to reset my password, which I couldn't do since whoever accessed my account changed the phone number also. So the Citi rep set the phone number back to mine so I can reset my password. I then asked if there were any withdrawals from the account. She said yes, at 230pm. It was for a large sum of money, around 90% of the funds in the entire account (well north of 1000). She also said the withdrawal was made using the debit card that expires in 2031, which indicated to me that the person intercepted the card in the mail. She also said the card was activated at the branch. (Weirdly, at 340 I got an email saying my pin was trying to be changed and asking me to confirm it. Bit too late buddy) So all in all I believe what happened is, my debit card was intercepted in the mail, and someone took it to the branch, activated it, changed my password, pin, phone number, and made a large withdrawal. All within a short time frame. How all of this is possible and it didn't raise red flags, idk. But my main concern is getting back a provisional payment from Citi. I did open up a case with them to dispute it. I mailed in the signed doc they sent me as well, along with an FTC report for identity theft. I do also plan on filing a police report (bc Gemini said it would help my case). But does anyone know any other steps I can take? Am I going about it correctly? Citi fraud dept doesn't seem too helpful so far either.
s
I'm sorry to hear this, this is so frustrating. My understanding is that if this was a consumer account, you will eventually get reimbursed and the bank is responsible (I think max you are responsible for is $50 or so). That being said I highly suggest that you lock your Credit Reports ASAP as its clear someone has enough information to spoof you at a branch. You might also be able to report to the CFPB but I don't know if that will help.
h
Thanks Tzvi, I actually did that a few months ago (notified my data was part of some massive data breach). Come to think of it, possible that's where the attacker might've gotten my SSN
m
<!subteam^S0AV5P60PM1> do you have anything helpful you can add to this thread?
w
Short version: yes, you’re broadly doing the right things. Slack history on this exact scenario is pretty thin, but the stronger pattern I saw was: move fast, document everything, freeze anything else that could be abused, and escalate to CFPB if the bank starts stonewalling. A few practical adds: • For a consumer checking account, this usually falls under the debit-card / electronic-transfer rules, which is the main reason people are saying you should have meaningful protection here if you reported it promptly. • Since you called Citi on Tuesday, April 28, 2026, I would keep a tight paper trail of that exact notice date and time. If they can’t finish their investigation within 10 business days of your notice, that is roughly Tuesday, May 12, 2026, and that’s the point where provisional credit becomes a key issue. • I would ask Citi, in writing if possible, for: • the claim or case number • confirmation of the date they logged your fraud report • whether they are treating this as an unauthorized EFT / debit-card fraud claim • when they expect to issue provisional credit if the investigation is still open • If they deny the claim, ask for the written explanation and the documents they relied on. • Filing the police report is still worth doing. Same for the FTC identity-theft report. Those help build the file even if they don’t fix it by themselves. • Since someone may have had enough info to impersonate you in person, I’d also think beyond credit freeze: new bank account number, new online credentials, and watching for any other account takeover attempts. If Citi drags its feet or gives you a weak denial, I would file a CFPB complaint at that point. That’s not magic, but it often gets the case in front of a more serious escalation team. If helpful, I can also sketch the exact wording I’d use for a short CFPB complaint or a message back to Citi.