Citibank Locks Man Out Of Bank Account Until He Repays The $84K Worth Of Gas He Didn’t Buy

There is no car gas tank that would fit $84,522.54 worth of gas. But who cares about simple physical limitations when it comes to charging such a large purchase to someone’s bank account? Citibank somehow took a man’s $30 fill-up and multiplied it by about 2,800 his statement, and now won’t let him back into his bank account until it gets that money back.

The Nashville man tells NewsChannel 5 his receipt shows he paid $30 at the gas station, where gas was cheapest for him that day. But on the statement there’s that pesky $84K charge — which seriously overdrew his bank account.

When he saw it he thought, “That can’t be right” and “It is crazy.” Crazy, yes. But Citibank thought it was all well and good, according to the customer.

He says he was locked out of his own bank account until he gets the $84,000 back from the gas station, which it says it never got in the first place. Citibank insists it paid the charge.

The news station asked a Citibank customer service representative why it doesn’t just talk to the gas station itself and get the money, instead of placing the man in the middle.

“Because this is his account,” the employee answered. Oh, right.

The gas station is being pretty awesome in this scenario, even granting the man a $100 gift card to get him through the weekend. He remained locked out of his account this week, days after his fill-up last Friday.

Citibank issued this statement after the story hit the news:

Due to a[n] input error at the merchant, a charge was erroneously billed to [the customer’s] account. Citi has credited [the customer’s] account and his card is available for use. We apologize for any inconvenience this caused and are putting processes in place to ensure that this does not happen in the future.

Nashville Man Charged $84,000 For $30 Gas [NewsChannel 5]

Want more consumer news? Visit our parent organization, Consumer Reports, for the latest on scams, recalls, and other consumer issues.