ORLANDO, Fla. — For three months, a woman was unable to access her new bank account or the $5,000 she had deposited there.
“They didn't even tell me why my account was blocked,” social media influencer Rich Journey said.
She helps people find money-making opportunities on TikTok, but was frustrated that she couldn't access her Citibank account.
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“One day I was shopping at Target, it was the first time I'd ever used my card to make a purchase, and the cashier said, 'Oh no, your transaction didn't go through,'” she said.
She estimates she called Citibank more than 25 times trying to access her savings, after the bank told her there were suspected fraudulent transactions in her account but ended up sending her checks and an additional debit card she hadn't requested.
“It's just a feeling of despair when you've tried everything you can try and nothing happens. It makes you feel worthless,” Journeys said.
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This is not just a Citibank problem: Action 9 has reported that similar things have happened before with other banks.
In March, Shelley Camp was left with no way to buy food, gas and other necessities after online bank Green Dot froze her account for two weeks due to suspected fraud.
“It's chaos,” Camp said at the time.
Last fall, Chase Bank froze Lois White's account after it couldn't verify her student loan refund checks.
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“I feel like a criminal, like I've done something wrong,” White said.
Journeys said she worries about how this will affect other families.
“This could be a mortgage payment. This could be a rent payment. Groceries for the house, groceries for the kids. The average person doesn't have money that they can just sit there and let the bank spend it,” she said.
Citibank has now closed the account, without telling Journeys why, but a check for $5,000 was delivered to Journeys last Friday.
Citibank said it was “pleased to have been able to resolve this issue with the customer.”
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